boardgames

I and a friend are on the same boat. I think if you really can't try the game you have to be open and consider a time to 'catch' it yourself. We buy and and play games that looks good. Most of them are. Few aren't, but you have to be prepared that a given mechanic didnt catch with you, even games considered awesome.

I take a very long-winded approach. I try to find a copy of the rules online, and then read through it (which is the first thing I would do if I had gone out to buy the game).

Then, instead of watching a review, I try to find a play through video to see how it plays out. The video isn’t completely devoid of colorful commentary or random banter, but it does give me a realistic expectation of how long the game truly takes.

I generally know whether I’d appreciate a game or hate it from reading the rule book. The video just saves me the cycle of buying, trying, and returning if I’m on the fence.

I keep a big list of games of potential interest and continuously research them. Over time a few bubble to the top (in terms of my interest).

For research BGG is invaluable of course, especially the game-specific forums and comments. I take ratings into account but with a big grain of salt. I read the rulebooks, watch videos too (playthroughs are the best but reviews too). If there is a good online implementation (especially BGA or Yucata) I definitely give that a try. If there is a TTS module I load that up too even if I don't have anybody to play with, it can be a good way to examine the components.

Research can be almost as much fun as actually playing :)

In short I have to be excited about the game, I have to have some level of understanding of how it plays and the price has to be right.

1. Did Dr Reiner Knizia design it?
2. Is it a Cube Rails?
3. Who will I play it with?
4. Does it cost under £50?
5. Does it play up to 5?
6. Is there a rulebook online?
7. Do my geekbuddies rate it highly?
8. What does it do in my collection?

I'm looking for realistic answers to 6 out of those, before I'll consider it

If I see a game that strikes my fancy, I put it on a list to try it on tabletop simulator with my group. Especially during birthday season we try a lot to find a good game for someones shelf, with each their own inspiration. Games we can't test are out of the running, that shit is too expensive to gamble and there is always similar competition that is available. Some games never leave TTS, if we feel like automatic setup and scoring is a big part of making the game fun and not a chore.

I like to follow the Recap Monday threads and check what people are playing. Often enough there's someone playing a cool game I never heard of before.

I haven't done this in a while but I still believe watching dice tower's Week in Review series is a fantastic way to find out new games. They give very short summaries of the game they played that week and rate it. If something catches your eye you can dig deeper and find out more about the game. The only drawback is that sometimes the games they play take a long time to be released in Europe, which is a real bummer. They reviewed Turing Machine 11 months before the game was released in Portugal.

BGG's Hotness page is also a cool way to find games. Go to the hotness page and ignore all recent or unreleased games. To make it simple, I ignore all games of the current year. If a game survives 1-2 years in the Hotness page it's certainly worth checking out. Current games that fit this criteria are Ark Nova, Heat: Pedal to the Metal, Dune: Imperium, Brass: Birmingham, Spirit Island, Lost Ruins of Arnak, Terraforming Mars... Certainly games worth checking out.

Finally, I like to buy games with mechanics that I don't have in my collection. Recently bought Ready Set Bet because I didn't have any "pure" betting game. Ordered Dorfromantik because I don't have any game with tile laying.

If you're on the fence between a couple of games you can always ask the people you're going to play with for opinions. More often than not it helps to at least narrow it down. If they can't help, we can! Ask the community!