So if you are like me and want to start playing tabletop games, you need first to buy some. There is a buy in and it might be daunting to find a place to purchase some of these games. Fear not.
Here's a rundown of some of your best options for buying tabletop games.
The local shop.
The best option, arguably, is a local brick and mortar game/hobby shop. First off, you get a lot of interpersonal communication, especially at the better games store (those with an active community and staff). They can give you recommendations, help you choose your play style and units, and more often than not, provide game demos where you can try out the game or watch others play it. Additionally, at these stores you get the satisfaction of helping the local business and gaming community. There is also the benefit of being able to see the packaging, which for some games such as Warhammer, may allow you to see the product inside, letting you see the quality of that miniatures casting. The only downsides to a brick and mortar are that it may not be close by, may not be able to provide the discounts that online retailers can, and may not have in stock what you want. Considering the fact that unless you can get all your friends to play the same games at your place, you will probably need to locate one to play games, so local shops are vital to your gameplay experience, I encourage you to finding one that you like and supporting it.
Amazon.
The online webstore known for Kindles and cheap prices on comic books is also a good place to buy some tabletop games. Though it does not always stock all games (most notably Warhammer miniatures), it has a good selection of board games, a lot of newer card games, a slew of role playing games, and a lot of supplies. The best part is that you can snag some unmatchable savings on a lot of these items. For those who like Fantasy Flight Games (the company behind A Game of Thrones card game, and who just recently acquired the rights to the Star Wars licenses) this is a good destination to save some money on some popular sets and products. Of course take all this with a grain of salt, you still have to pay shipping, there is no interaction with people, and despite some of the products being supplied by local stores using amazon as a through point, you don't get the satisfaction of supporting local business and gaming communities.
The Warstore and similar trusted sites.
There are many other places online to buy games, places that specialize in selling only tabletop games. This specialization means that you will find better deals than in stores, and a better variety of gaming prodcuts than on Amazon. Again, since it is online, you won't get the satisfaction of talking with people, and you won't get the feeling that you are contributing to your local shop, but it is not to the same level as when purchasing from the online retail mega-giant. One of the sites that comes to mind, is The Warstore, is a good place for purchasing hobby games (especially tabletop wargamming like Warhammer) with over 10 years of experience. There are other's out there, but like anything online, you must be careful to make sure you are interacting with a legitimate site.
Direct from publishers.
One of the best ways to purchase tabletop games online without worrying about whether the store is verified, is from the publisher's directly. At the moment, two publishers who have webstores that come to mind are Fantasy Flight Games and Games Workshop. However, one major downside is that these official shops do not give you discounts, and they often times do not carry everything they offer all of the time in stock. But it is a good way to directly support your favorite games.
eBay
The common misconception is that eBay is just as good of a place to get tabletop games as anywhere else online, especially since you could snag deals and buy things a la carte. However, buyer's should take caution, especially when buying miniature games and board games. Lots of counterfeit miniatures and board games can wind up from forger's on eBay and similar unregulated spaces, and where they may charge you less, the product you get in the mail could very well be a phony, cheaply made and all around not genuine looking. The same thing may or may not happen for card games as well, however, negating eBay's strength of being a good way to buy and sell individual cards. Many webstores have entered this sell/trade/buy market that are more reliable for buying that one card you need for a deck. It is also possible for those who don't mind to get fully assembled and painted miniatures on eBay for games where one would have to do themselves. Be careful though, because most of the time, these miniatures are assembled poorly and painted with even less finesse. Due to other stores having limited room for stock, eBay may wind up being the only point of purchase for some out of print or older tabletop games. The nearly unlimited stockroom is the site's primary advantage, against the disadvantages of counterfeiting.
Other than those major places to purchase items, there are also other outlets, such as professional miniature painters and assembles that can be commissioned to put together armies and gamepieces, however, for a beginner they would probably not be worth looking into. For more serious collectors and players, and those with a large budget, these commissioned artists and some companies that specialize in custom made items, may be worth investigating. Now that you know where to get some games, it's time to get out there and start playing. If I missed something, let me know in the comments.
This post was written by Joe Ault under the advice of Eric Wier.
