I used to have a very bad method of choosing games to purchase: if they were on a good sale. A game for under $10? Sure, I’ll take a chance on it. I have become a lot more selective as my collection has grown, but I still have to resist this urge. Now I will at least look at BGG for a rating and a couple of reviews.
I have always had to consider my budget when looking at making a purchase, which I think is why I initially started buying deeply discounted games: I got the hit of retail therapy at a price I could afford. I am now at the point I really do need to consider space, as my games are getting haphazardly stacked wherever I can fit them and have for a few years now. To be a bit fair to me, nearly all my games live in the garage because our kids don’t let us have shelves in the house. If we could, I would have at least one shelf in the house with frequently played games and it would alleviate the storage issue.
I often try to focus on games that work well at two players, as my wife is my primary gaming partner and that helps towards ensuring the game gets played at some point. What I don’t always consider, though, and really should, is whether they are games that will interest her! At this point I know she does not care for hidden movement games, and does not really get trick taking games, yet I own examples of both and have backed the Yokai Septet reprint. She doesn’t care for direct confrontation, so my beloved Unmatched is not something she particularly enjoys, but she will play occasionally to make me happy, and I keep buying all the sets.
I have a number of regretful purchases, not necessarily because they are bad games, but because they have not been played and I probably don’t need to own them. I still hesitate to get rid of a game I haven’t played yet, though, at least if I paid for it. Oddly I am not as concerned if it’s one I was given. So a lot of things I picked up during the pandemic are ones I regret a bit. I hope to get them to the table sometime so that maybe we’ll enjoy them and justify the purchase. Examples are Maharaja, Renature, Black Fleet, Small World, Il Vecchio, Dungeon Lords, Dutch Blitz, Space Alert, and Race for the Galaxy. At least I have enjoyed the games I have purchased and played from this period, like Everdell, Princes of Florence, and I think Orleans was in here as well.
Overall, I need to be realistic about what games I can feasibly get to the table. I love the idea of playing games like Unfathomable, Kemet, War of the Ring, Rebellion, Dune, etc., but with the expected game length, rules complexity, and even style of games, they are just less likely to get played, at least for the foreseeable future. As such, I do not need to pick up games like this anymore.
