Where to find Games: Carcassonne

If you are still reading these posts, I hope it means that I have piqued your interest in this hobby.  So the next logical questions is, "Where can I get some of these games?"   Most of your big box retailers only want to sell big name games that make them big money in the main stream.  Whether you think that is good or bad, that is the way things are.   So when you go to your big box retailer, you may find dozens of games, but you may not find the types of games featured on this blog.

Here's the good news. With the growing popularity of gaming, some big stores are slowly starting to sell these games too. We are beginning to see the gateway games (read post two) at these stores. But as you move to heavier games, those stores probably will not sufic. 

The very best place to buy games is a local game store. When you develop a relationship with a small, local business you will experience the best customer service out there.  Most game stores also run game nights (try before you buy) and tournaments.  You will also get first hand reviews and feedback from shop owners, shop workers, and other customers.  If you are going to drop $30-$50 you want to be mostly sure that you will enjoy a particular game.  So find a local store.  Gaming is a great community to be a part of. 

Alas, with online retailing, these stores are starting to disappear.  

To give a personal example, I live in the Northeastern part of Pennsylvania. We used to have a game store in Scranton. The owner encouraged game play in the store.  He had a stack of open games for this purpose.  He even let us borrow a few if my wife and I just dropped in to browse.  He also began to know my tastes based on the games I purchased and made excellent recommendations.

If you don't have a game store the next best place to go is the internet.  The main place I now find my games is Amazon.com. Items have customer reviews to help you choose a good game. But there are companies who can actually beat Amazon in price or reviews like coolstuffinc.com and other websites. It's like anything else, you need to look around.

You can also go to boardgamegeek.com to find games. Type in a game title and it will give you the cheapest place to find that game. Also remember to consider the cost of shipping in your price.

Quick Review: Carcassonne

The first time I walked into our local store I asked the owner what to buy. He handed me Carcassonne. Carcassonne is a tile laying game. There is almost no set up since the set up is part of the game.  

This game is for 2-5 players ages 8 and up and takes about 45 minutes. Players take turns to lay one tile at a time to build the board. Tiles connect to make roads, cities, monasteries, and farm fields. Players then place Meeples on the board as thieves, knights, priests, or farmers. Meeple (Me+people): any small piece that is placed on the game board to represent you.  (I'm really expanding your vocabulary now!)