This is a list of resources I use or have found very useful in the past!
While this list is by no means complete, these are sites and stores I have had enough experience with that I can vouch for them :-)
Places to Find Out About Games
BoardGameGeek is the most comprehensive database of board games (over 100,000 games) you could possibly hope for.
The site extends far beyond a mere database, with news, user reviews, resources and a wonderfully helpful community on the forums. If you have a rules question, find the game, go into the forums, and there is a good chance it has already been asked, if not, sign up and ask yourself :-)
I owe a lot to the users of BGG as I often use their forums to clarify rule ambiguities when writing my cheat sheets!
The Dice Tower (website)
The Dice Tower have an extensive back catalogue of video reviews that is constantly growing, additionally they regularly put out 'Top 10' lists that focus on a specific theme, game mechanic or topic.
Not sure where to start? Like the sound of a board game but aren't sure if it's good for you? The Dice Tower is a good place to start!
The Esoteric Order of Gamers (website)
The Esoteric Order of Gamers make video reviews and game cheat sheets, LOTS of game cheat sheets!
This is a phenomenal resource as they have been at it far longer than I and they make cheat sheets for heavier and much more complex games that are outside of what I typically play.
Places to Play Games Online
Board Game Arena is probably the easiest to use website to play board games on and has plenty of modern board games to play, for free!
There are some titles that are 'premium' and require a small subscription but the majority of the games on the website are free to play.
BrettspielWelt (website)
BrettspielWelt is a free to play, German website that has a good selection of modern board games with a leaning towards 'Euro' style games.
The site is not as streamlined as Board Game Arena but it does have a good selection of games if you're willing to put in a little more effort.
Places to Buy Games in New Zealand
If you can, it's good to help out your FLGS (friendly local game store)! When you purchase games locally it helps them prosper, and with that the local gaming scene thrives and the number of people to play games with stays high as new people enter the hobby :-)
*Special Orders: If the store does not have the game you want in stock,
they will order it in from their supplier for you, if their supplier has it.
Physical Store ✖
Online Store ✔
Special Orders* ✔
Online Store ✔
Special Orders* ✔
Hobby Games is an independent, New Zealand based, online retailer of board games with a solid and ever-growing selection of games.
With James at the helm, you are in good hands; he was a die-hard gamer before he got into the retail side of things. Customer service is fantastic and it is nice to talk to a fellow, passionate gamer who does good things in the local gaming community. I eagerly await the day Hobby Games can re-open their store!
Hobby Master (Penrose) (website)
Physical Store ✔
Online Store ✔
Special Orders* ✔
Hobby Master is a bit of a hidden gem, they are well-known for their CCG and war-gaming scene but lesser known for their board games, and with that said, they have an amazing selection of board games.
Between the board game selection and good customer service, they are well-worth paying a visit.
King of Cards (website)
Physical Store ✔
Online Store ✖
Special Orders* ✔
King of Cards is a perfect example of a store that is built from the ground up by gamers, for gamers, and it shows. The store has the most impressive range of games I have seen in any store as of yet and to top it off, they have a huge in-store library of games to play.
Customer service has always been phenomenal at King of Cards; they have helped me out a lot and done many special orders on my behalf.
Mighty Ape (website)
Physical Store ✖
Online Store ✔
Mighty Ape is a large online retailer; the large size of their business allows them to carry a bigger inventory than is practical for a retail store to carry. Mighty Ape carries an enormous range of titles, some of which you will not see elsewhere in NZ.
NextGen Games (website)
Physical Store ✖
Online Store ✖
While strictly speaking this is not a store, NextGen are New Zealand's importer for Mayday and Swan Panasia card sleeves. If you are in need of card sleeves of almost any imaginable size, this is the place to go.
Mark is a good man and has helped me out many a time with sleeves for games that have obscure and non-standardised card sizes.
PopStop (website)
Physical Store ✔
Online Store ✔
Don't let the name fool you, while PopStop is well-known for FUNKO POP! figurines and other pop culture memorabilia, they have been making a growing and commendable effort to stock a solid range of board games.
Physical Store ✔
Online Store ✔
Don't let the name fool you, while PopStop is well-known for FUNKO POP! figurines and other pop culture memorabilia, they have been making a growing and commendable effort to stock a solid range of board games.
Every time I have gone into the store, the staff have been nothing but lovely and helpful. I think this will be many peoples first encounter with modern board games, and if that is the case they will be in good hands.
Vagabond Games & Collectibles (website)
Physical Store ✔
Online Store ✔
Special Orders* ✔
Vagabond is a store dedicated to tabletop gaming in all of its forms, pop culture memorabilia and collectibles. Nestled among the cool stuff to look at is a respectable selection of board games.
Customer service is always good, the guys are helpful and a pleasure to talk to.
Places to Buy Games Outside of New Zealand
Sometimes there are games and expansions that you cannot find in a smaller market like New Zealand... or you cannot wait to get your hands on!
Although the items from overseas are often cheaper, shipping can be the killer and prices tend to work out very similarly when buying locally or abroad.
Gameology is an Australian store that primarily deals in board games and card games.
Great store, good selection of games, both new and upcoming, solid customer service and the best shipping rates from an Australian store that I have found to date.
Miniature Market (website)
Miniature
Market is a large American board game store that has an expansive selection of
games.
Their
shipping can get expensive and quickly, so they typically aren’t worth it
for larger games, although shipping can be more reasonable when pre-ordering
titles. What I have found Miniature
Market good for is ordering smaller expansions that we may not see here on NZ
shelves.
nzgameshop.com (website)
nzgameshop.com
is akin to Mighty Ape, they deal in video games, board games, pop culture and collectibles.
I have nothing
but good things to say about nzgameshop.com, they have a solid, up-to-date selection of titles and the best customer service department I have ever dealt with. Just be aware they are operating out of the
UK so you will typically be waiting about a week or so for your order.
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