Tabletop Gaming on a Budget

Tabletop gaming can be an expensive proposition.  Whether it is purchasing new board games to play, more miniatures to improve your army, or the newest expansion for the collectible card game there is a cost to it.  What is worse is when you do buy something only to find that it is not what you expected and you are stuck with it.

There are a number of different ways to get rid of things that you do not want.  Like selling them on eBay, but you very rarely get the entire cost of you original purchase back. 

So what is a gamer to do?

I have a number of suggestions below for ways to be able to play the games that you like without spending a lot of money.  I have broken them up by type of game because not all of the suggestions will work for all types of gaming.

Board Games

One of the best ways to board game on a budget is to go free open board gaming events.  These events can be found at the friendly local game store if they have gaming space in the store.  If they do not have an event, offer to run an event at the store for them.  Most of the time the management of the store will be open to the idea since it means it will bring people into the store who are potential customers.

Another place to find these events is online at www.meetup.com.  There are many of these groups there and there should be one in your local area.

The problem you can run into is that the quality of games and players can vary from group to group.  I was lucky to find a group here in Orange County, CA that has lots of quality players and the variety of games that are brought to the events is high.  In over five years of attending events, I have not been to one where there someone does not bring a game that I have not seen before.

That being said, I have also been to events that do not a great selection of games and the players have pretty bad game playing etiquette.  You will most likely have to go through some trial and error to find a group that suits you.

Once you find the right group all you will need to do is rely on others to show up with the games and you will be able to play to your heart’s content.  I do recommend that you get your own board games when you can afford them in order to support the group.  It is not required but it is always good form.  By the time you will look to purchase a game you will already know what games you may want to purchase.

Another option for board gaming would be to play print and play games.  For a number of these games all you need is a color printer and something to represent tokens and bits for the game.  Think Cheapass Games on a budget. 

It is a good way to be able to try out a game before purchasing it.  A number of Kickstarters had gone this route with their games to get them out there before publishing the game.

Card Games

The cheapest route to go with card games is to go the print and play route.  You can find a number of free card games here http://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/39932/free-print-n-play-card-games .  All you need is a color printer and some decent card stock and you off and running.

In the case of collectable card games there are a number of counterfeit cards out there that you can get for free or cheap.  I do not recommend that any one go this route.  As far as I am concerned if you want to play this type of game you should to pay for the cards.

Miniatures

 There are a number of free rules systems out there for miniature games.  This has a lot to do with the business model for miniatures which is for the companies to make money off of the miniatures.  Only a few companies like Games Workshop and Warlord Games can make money out of selling the rules and miniatures.  A resource to find free miniatures rules is http://www.freewargamesrules.co.uk/ .  They have a very comprehensive list of free miniature game rules across all genres. 

The problem is getting hands miniatures which are the profit center for any miniatures game company.  One thing that you can do is create your own markers.  This can be done a number of ways using cardboard chits or rounds.  You just have to make sure that you make your front face and are clear about your arcs.  You will also need a way to differentiate your pieces.

Role Playing Games

For role playing games my advice is similar to the advice for board games.  If you just want to play in role playing games the best way to find a group is to find one at your friendly local game store.  You will most likely not be able to start a group unless you are willing to run games that can be purchased at the store, which will require you to spend money on the rule books if you do not own them already.

In regards to getting an actual game, role playing games seem to have a lot of the best options for gaming on a budget.  There are literally dozens of role playing game systems on the internet for free.  A resource that has a number of them but is by no means complete is http://ericgarrison.wordpress.com/about/games/ and there is always open game license (OGL) for the D & D 3.5 rules at http://www.d20srd.org/ .  These give you complete rule sets to use for role playing games.

As you can see there are a number of ways that you can make tabletop gaming affordable.  All it takes is a little time and effort on your part to be able to create these opportunities.

If you have any other suggestions on this subject, please let me know.  If I get enough of them I will do a follow up to this article.