People walk into our store all the time and ask some version of the same question: what should I get? And honestly, it's not a bad question — there are thousands of games out there and most of them are fine. You want something you're going to pull off the shelf more than twice.
So here's what I actually look at when I'm recommending a game.
Strategy matters more than luck
The games that stick around are the ones where you feel like your decisions matter. When you lose, you want to be able to look back and see why — what you should have done differently. That's what keeps people coming back. Games that rely heavily on dice rolls or card draws can be fun for a session or two, but the shelf life tends to be short because there's no real depth to master.
That said, a little randomness isn't a bad thing. It keeps things from becoming purely a math problem. The sweet spot is a game where luck introduces variety but skill still wins out over time.
Can you actually teach it?
This one gets overlooked constantly. A game might be brilliant, but if you need a 45-minute rules explanation before anyone can play, you're going to lose half the table before you even start. The best games have a learning curve that feels natural — you understand enough to begin playing, and the rest reveals itself as you go.
Think about who you're playing with. Not everyone at your table is going to read the rulebook on their own time. If you're the one who bought it, you're the one teaching it. That's worth its weight.
You need to want to play it again
Replayability is the real test. Some games have a single clever puzzle at the center of them, and once you've cracked it, there's not much reason to go back. The games worth buying are the ones that feel different each time. That might come from variable setups, different player roles, branching paths, or just the fact that the other people across the table are always making different choices.
I've seen games that cost $20 get played 50 times, and $100 games that got opened once. The price tag tells you nothing about how much play you'll get out of it.
Theme and components — they matter, just not first
Look, a beautiful game is genuinely more enjoyable to play. Nice components, good art, a theme that pulls you in — all of that adds something real to the experience. But they're the second thing I look at, not the first. I've seen plenty of gorgeous games that are boring once the novelty wears off, and plenty of simple-looking games that never leave the table.
If the strategy is there, if it's teachable, and if it's the kind of game you'll want to revisit — then yes, a theme you connect with and components that feel good to handle will make it that much better.
Start there.
