Board Game Geek
The passionate gamers on BoardGameGeek.com (BGG) devote a lot of time and effort to create comprehensive content and reviews on practically every game that is out there, including out-of-print and small, self-published games. They not only rate the games, but write up rule clarifications, post in-depth game analyses, suggest variants for better gameplay, and even translate rules into other languages. The site features a marketplace where you can buy, sell and trade games with other gamers, forums where you can ask questions, create lists, and tons of other functionality. Of course, the real value of such a large, informed and well-established community is the wisdom of crowds effect you get from their collective opinions. As I write, the #1 game on BGG [Puerto Rico] has 11956 votes compared with 7 votes for the #1 game on the previously-reviewed Board Game Ratings (BGR) [Password]. And since BGG isn't a retailer (unlike BGR), they have a comprehensive database of *all* games, not just those the store happens to carry.
I probably visit BGG one to two times a month, mostly to browse for new games that might be good (In the past year, I've picked up Pandemic, Roll Through the Ages, Caylus, Agricola, Dominion, Race for the Galaxy, Galaxy Trucker, and Ticket to Ride: Märklin.). Also, I sometimes hear about a game through a friend or some other channel, and I'll go to the site to find out more. Since it's heavily crowdsourced, and there is such a large, passionate community, I've discovered that even the most obscure games will have details like pictures, descriptions, type, and of course ratings. It's also a great resource when you're playing a game and need rules clarifications, rule variant suggestions, expansions, etc.
If you are considering buying a game, you owe it to yourself to check out BGG. Granted, the list of top-rated games tends to lean a bit more toward the serious-gamer crowd. But you can use the advanced search feature to look for "light" games with high average ratings, and then sort the results by Bayesian ranking. You'd even do OK just by picking games of the "Hotness" list in the left column.
-- Dave Cortright
BONUS: For purchasing said games, FunAgain.com is the current consensus among my gamer friends on the best place to buy from, though I've also used Fair Play Games with great success. -- Dave Cortright
Favorite (15)
adam.skinner
I'm pleasantly surprised to see the Geek getting some love on Cool Tools. As a self-confessed geek (I played 'Bausack' and 'Great Wall of China' yesterday), BGG is one of my regular go-to destinations during my daily browse.
Peter
In addition to all the cool features mentioned above, frequently the author of the game will stop by to answer rules questions. This is true for newer games more than older games.
Moon
Haha, adam. I was thinking the same thing. Geeks rule! :D
airship
Along with Cool Tools, Board Game Geek is one of only a handful of sites I visit every day. There, I've cataloged my board game collection online for all to see. I strongly suggest you check out the Geeklists, especially the one titled 'Thrift Finds of the Week'. If you liked games when you were a kid, it's a rush of a trip down memory lane.
jon
You do have to register on BGG to access some features, but this is easy, the site is totally free to use if you want (donations are requested but not required), and you are utterly spam free and 99.99% flame free too. Very very friendly, positive forums.
As well as the BGG ratings, always check the Comments on a game. They are sorted by the user's ratings, so the 10s come first, then the 9s and so on. Always read the highs and the lows, because invariably, these comments come from experienced gamers who have actually played that game. The high raters will tell you why the game is great, the 2 raters why it sucked, and the 6 raters, well why it was so so. Gradually, you'll recognise the users whose opinions you match, and you are away!
Oh and the reviews, and the rules files, translations, player aids made free by users, game variants and fixes, lots of replies by actual game designers, the eternal "I can recall this game from childhood but not the name" question by newusers answered in an average of...
Mean time to identify: 72 minutes
Median time to identify: 16 minutes
Mode time to identify: 5 minutes
Success rate: 92% (59 out of 64) in 2007.
http://www.boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/16379
And stats stats stats! There are lots of statistic experts on the site who run external tools and mash the data up to produce wonderful ideas.
Sarah
The bonus mention of funagain.com is very true. I ordered from a competitor this past Christmas, and I learned my lesson. Next year, FunAgain again.
Matt
BGG is THE site for board gaming. I visit many times every day to check out games and to use the great social networking tools and forums that BGG 2.0 brings to the table. I've used the trading system numerous times to trade games with other BGG users from around the world for the cost of shipping. Having over 120 games in my collection may seem like a lot to most but on BGG I'm only middle class. Great group of people to hang out.
Mark Crane
http://timewellspent.org is a great source for those of you living in or around Colorado.
I love the BGG. The data on that site is DEEP.
adam.skinner
Just a little input on FunAgain.com. I think that that site functions mutually exclusive of BGG. It's good because it's got some recommendations, but the prices are sky high compared to more reasonable online retailers (that don't advertise in "normal space" as much).
I buy from ThoughtHammer, Boulder Games, Boards & Bits, and Fair Play Games. I use BoardGamePrices.com to as a price comparison tool.
Ryan Kelley
BoardGameGeek is one of the reasons I got into this great hobby, what a wealth of great information! It's always great to see what's new there, you're not going to get this kind quality from browsing the shelves at Target. And on top of that some of the add-ons people make for the games are phenomenal: player aids, expansions, better components. It's great!
If anyone is interested in learning new games in or around the Detroit area in Michigan check out www.PastGoGames.com (I am the owner). We are a bit pricier, usually MSRP, but we host parties and teach the games to people so they can try before they buy. We have incentives for hosts too, so you could get better prices that way. Sorry for the blatent advertising, but I figured it was on topic!