Dave Rathbun – Page 3 – Sundered Realm

Thrill of the Hunt

I love a good hunt…finding a game at a resale store that is out of print or otherwise in demand can be a nice shopping rush. 🙂 This weekend I hit a couple of Half Price Books stores that I had not been to in a while, and managed to pick up a couple of fun surprises.

The first game I found that struck my fancy was Hostage Negotiator, which I see gets a decent amount of love from the solo gamer community. I checked on Amazon and a new copy was running about $29. Half Price Books was asking $12.50 for the used copy so it felt like a good price. I picked it up.

Normally HPB tapes their boxes shut to prevent pieces from going missing. I don’t particularly like that because sometimes the tape tears the box when I remove it. Sometimes (if I have time) I will ask them to open the box in the store so I can inventory everything before I buy, but I don’t always do that. On this trip we had several different stops to make so I decided to just wait until I got home to do my inventory.

When I did open up the box after arriving home, I discovered that not only was the game complete and in great condition but it also included Abductor Pack #1, Abductor Pack #2, Abductor Pack #3, Abductor Pack #4 and the Negotiator Pack. Five mini expansions – each generally selling for around $8 on Amazon – all included in the base game box. My price? Only $12.50, and that was before my coupon. Score!

The next game I found was one that I really like: Mice and Mystics. I already have a copy in my collection. Despite that, when I find a game that I know I really like (for a good price) I will often pick it up. Sometimes they end up as gifts to gamer friends, or they might end up as eBay inventory, or sometimes (I did this with Terraforming Mars) I use the second copy for additional parts, like dice or miniatures or something. Amazon has this game priced at $54 right now, and I picked it up for $30. Another surprise waited for me when I got home and opened it up though…once again I had purchased a game that had an expansion already inside the box. Heart of Glorm was included! Not only that, but the previous owner had taken the time to build a foam-core insert to hold the components of both games.

I like making my own foam core inserts; it’s one of many ways this hobby entertains me. I can also appreciate it when someone else makes one, and the person who owned this game previously did a really nice job putting it together.

There were a few other games I picked up on this trip (King’s Forge, Woodlands and Dragonwood) so it was a very productive hunt.

What about you? What’s your favorite / best bargain story from your shopping adventures?

Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 10

Here we are at the end of the year, and here I am at the end of my BGG Top 100 Games checklist! I wrote a series of posts looking at the Board Game Geek (BGG) top 100 games, checking to see if I had the game in my collection and talking a little bit about each one. Today I finish that list, covering games 10 down to 1.

For all posts in this series check for the BGG Top 100 tag. Continue reading “Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 10”

Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 9

I have written a series of posts looking at the Board Game Geek (BGG) top 100 games, checking to see if I had the game in my collection and talking a little bit about each one, if I could. At the end of the first eighty games covered I owned 32 for a 40% ownership rate. I also have had four games that I formerly owned but had sold, so they didn’t get counted. Today I will cover games ranked from 20 up to 11.

For all posts in this series check for the BGG Top 100 tag. Continue reading “Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 9”

Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 8

I have written a series of posts looking at the Board Game Geek (BGG) top 100 games, checking to see if I had the game in my collection and talking a little bit about each one, if I could. At the end of the first seventy games covered I owned 27 for a 39% ownership rate. I also have had four games that I formerly owned but had sold, so they didn’t get counted. Today I will cover games ranked from 30 up to 21.

For all posts in this series check for the BGG Top 100 tag. Continue reading “Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 8”

Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 7

I have written a series of posts looking at the Board Game Geek (BGG) top 100 games, checking to see if I had the game in my collection and talking a little bit about each one, if I could. At the end of the first sixty games covered I owned 23 for a 38% ownership rate. I also had one game that I formerly owned but had sold, so it didn’t get counted. Today I will cover games ranked from 40 up to 31.

For all posts in this series check for the BGG Top 100 tag. Continue reading “Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 7”

First Impression: Calico

“A puzzly tile-laying game of quilts and cats!”

…and with that introduction we meet Calico, one of the newest (and recent favorite) games in my collection. I happened upon this game completely by accident, and I am very happy that I did! I was going through the pledge manager process (part of a Kickstarter program) for a new Tetris-style (aka polyomino) game called Planet Unknown. As I was completing the final payment, this super-cute game box popped up. It had a cat on the cover along with other beautiful colors. It got my attention! I watched a short “how to play” video. Then I bought the game. Do I like it? Yes! I think it broke the record for most plays within the first week of acquiring the game. Continue reading “First Impression: Calico”

Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 6

I have written a series of posts looking at the Board Game Geek (BGG) top 100 games, checking to see if I had the game in my collection and talking a little bit about each one, if I could. At the end of the first fifth games covered I owned 19 of them, for a 38% ownership rate. I also had one game that I formerly owned but had sold, so it didn’t get counted. Today I will cover games ranked from 50 up to 41.

For all posts in this series check for the BGG Top 100 tag. Continue reading “Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 6”

Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 5

I have written a series of posts looking at the Board Game Geek (BGG) top 100 games, checking to see if I had the game in my collection and talking a little bit about each one, if I could. At the end of the first forty games covered I owned 14 of them, for a 35% ownership rate. I also had one game that I formerly owned but had sold, so it didn’t get counted. Today I will cover games ranked from 60 up to 51 and see where the ratio ends up.

For all posts in this series check for the BGG Top 100 tag. Continue reading “Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 5”

Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 4

I have written a series of posts looking at the Board Game Geek (BGG) top 100 games, checking to see if I had the game in my collection and talking a little bit about each one, if I could. At the end of the first thirty games covered I owned 11 of them, for a 36.9% ownership rate. I also had one game that I formerly owned but had sold, so it didn’t get counted. Today I will cover games ranked from 70 up to 61 and see where the ratio ends up.

For all posts in this series check for the BGG Top 100 tag. Continue reading “Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 4”

Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 3

I have written a series of posts looking at the Board Game Geek (BGG) top 100 games, checking to see if I had the game in my collection and talking a little bit about each one, if I could. At the end of the first twenty games covered I owned 8 of them, for a 40% ownership rate. Today I will cover games ranked from 80 up to 71 and see where the ratio ends up.

For all posts in this series check for the BGG Top 100 tag. Continue reading “Board Game Geek Top 100 Checklist, Part 3”