Board Game Club

All the games we got at the auction this year
Published in Board Games, 30 in 30 on Dec 15, 2024

Did you know there's a club you can join to play board games? Well, now you know two things: that they exist, and that I'm THAT level of nerd.

Yesterday, I went to Perth's biggest annual board game event. Decembacon, or D-Con for short, is a convention hosted by the West Australian Boardgaming Association (WABA) at Mt Claremont Community Centre in Perth.

Even at their regular meetings, WABA has dozens and dozens of games, either as part of their official collection or from games that members have brought along. I've seen a wide range of people there, from board game aficionados to beginners to families.

This year's schedule started with a board game auction, where we picked up a handful of second-hand games at bargain prices. Other people bid high and walked away with some rare, interesting and often out-of-print games. We then managed to play a handful of games before we left.

I go to WABA for two main reasons - to meet new friends, and to meet new board games! I also have a list of games I've heard great things about and would like to try. It keeps getting bigger...
List of board games I'd like to try

If you're interested in board games (which I'm beginning to suspect if you've read this far), then you may want to know what games I own and play at home. I have a complete list of my collection on BoardGameGeek (BGG).

A screenshot of part of my collection on BGG

Genres I like

  • Engine builders - games where a main focus is starting weak and gradually improving your ability to generate resources and do other stuff
  • Tableau builders - a type of engine builder where your "engine" is represented by some cards on the table (Wingspan, Dog Park, Ark Nova, Everdell, Dice Forge)
  • Worker Placement - games where you put your lil' guy (a "meeple", though we're not allowed to call them that anymore) on a spot that generates resources, and nobody else can re-use that same spot for a while (Champions of Midgard, Apiary, Everdell)
  • Wargames - where you push large swathes of miniature spaceships or whatever across the board to fight other players (Star Wars: Rebellion, Root, Civilization: A New Dawn, Scythe)
  • Deck Builders - A type of engine builder where your "engine" is represented by your deck of cards, which starts small, then you add to your deck to get stronger and more powerful abilities (Dominion)

Board games have become a massive part of my life. These days, I often keep one or two in my suitcase when travelling. So, next time you see me, let's play something!