Looking for information about your favorite board game? Have questions about the rules? Trying to discover a new game you or someone you know might like? Try the BoardGameGeek (BGG) web site!
You can search for games in various ways by selecting from the Browse options or the drop down by the search box. There is an advanced search option where you can specify things like minimum player age, year, user ratings, number of players, as well as add (or filter out) particular game categories (like bluffing, memory, horror, dice, and many more possibilities).
I did an advanced search just looking for the game mechanic “Rock-Paper-Scissors.” I would never have expected the lengthy list of games that were displayed for this search, including one I randomly clicked called Hoity Toity that had an average user rating of 6.57 (out of 10). Information about the game includes a description, deisgner, artist, publisher, playing time, number and suggested age of players, honors and awards, game components, videos, discussion forums (one of which is Rules), and more. The site has a marketplace where games are traded or sold, and also provides links to Amazon.com and Ebay. Not every game has as much information as this one, though.
You can use the site anonymously, but if you want to participate in the forums, contests, or ratings you’ll need to establish a free account. With an account you can create a personalized BGG front page too. Learn more about the site by reading the Guide to BoardGameGeek.
And if you’d like to see what board games Andersen Library has for checkout, please ask a librarian or search the catalog. A search for the phrase “board games” will find titles such as Operation, Trivial Pursuit, Mancala, Clue, Pictionary, and more.
Neat site. Thanks for the suggestion.