Matt's Important Questions
Matt Butcher asked a very helpful pair of questions in the comments section of the entry on Settlers... and rather than bury the answer there, I decided to "share it with the class" (Matt's a teacher, btw) and post it for all of you to see.
Matt asked: "How much do these games cost?"
Of course, the answer varies, but the MSRP for many of these board games hovers between $35 - $50. (Card games usually run $10-$20.) That's what you'd expect to pay if you walked into a brick & mortar game store.
There are, thanks to the magical wonderfulness of the Internet, other options available. For those games that are still in print, you can try a number of different online game shops, where the cost of the games are usually 20-30% less than MSRP. (Example: Settlers of Catan is $40 + tax in a store - online, it can go for as low as $23 + shipping. Please note: Settlers is used as a "loss leader" by many stores - which just underscores how good a game it is and how easy it is for them to move it.)
If you'd like to compare prices Froogle-style, you can use Boardgame Seeker (which is a bit slow but still helpful.) Or you can use Froogle, though it's easy to get lots of odd non-game entries there.
Then Matt asked: "Where do you get them?"
I primarily use two online shops, both of whom offer excellent service & prices:
Finally, if you're willing to do a bit of legwork, you can't do much better than the BoardgameGeek Marketplace. (Just click on the Bazaar tab at the top of the page...)
I do shop at local stores as well... some of my favorites include:
Matt asked: "How much do these games cost?"
Of course, the answer varies, but the MSRP for many of these board games hovers between $35 - $50. (Card games usually run $10-$20.) That's what you'd expect to pay if you walked into a brick & mortar game store.
There are, thanks to the magical wonderfulness of the Internet, other options available. For those games that are still in print, you can try a number of different online game shops, where the cost of the games are usually 20-30% less than MSRP. (Example: Settlers of Catan is $40 + tax in a store - online, it can go for as low as $23 + shipping. Please note: Settlers is used as a "loss leader" by many stores - which just underscores how good a game it is and how easy it is for them to move it.)
If you'd like to compare prices Froogle-style, you can use Boardgame Seeker (which is a bit slow but still helpful.) Or you can use Froogle, though it's easy to get lots of odd non-game entries there.
Then Matt asked: "Where do you get them?"
I primarily use two online shops, both of whom offer excellent service & prices:
- Game Surplus (based in Pennsylvania and run by the coolest family on the planet... they are the folks who sponsor my website, Game Central Station)
- Boards & Bits (based in Seattle, they offer great shipping deals on larger orders)
Finally, if you're willing to do a bit of legwork, you can't do much better than the BoardgameGeek Marketplace. (Just click on the Bazaar tab at the top of the page...)
I do shop at local stores as well... some of my favorites include:
- Endgame (Oakland, CA)
- Gamescape (San Francisco, CA)
- Rainy Day Games (Portland, OR)
Labels: Big Picture Stuff
posted by Mark (aka pastor guy) at 12:35 PM
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