Here are some pictures of our Game collection.  When taking the pictures I was getting a terrible glare off of some of the boxes, so I started shooting down at the games instead of straight on.  This worked great except the picture is a little weird (narrower at the bottom).  The digital camera is great except I like the flash I had on my 35mm camera, I could bounce it off of the ceiling.

Game Collection Count

June 2006: 253 games on Board Game Geek profile (includes Andrews games)

Bookcase Games Collection - part 1

On the top shelf we have my latest acquisition 'Gunslinger'.  I had always wanted it since I saw it in General magazine back in the early 80's.  I picked it up on ebay in May of 2006.  There are other AH titles along with the Captains Rulebook for 'Star Fleet Battles'.  'Star Fleet Battles' is something I used to play a lot in college and the early 90s.  Andrew and I played some simple battles in April 06 (he beat me).

The bottom shelf is mostly all old 3M games.  It has favorites such as 'Acquire', 'Stocks & Bonds' and 'High Bid'.  I played High Bid last month (April 06) with the boys for the first time and they liked it.  I remember playing 'High Bid' in college at my aunts house with my cousins.

Bookcase Games Collection - part 2

The top shelf contains 'Squad Leader' and its expansions.  I bought 'Squad Leader' back in 1978 and it was the first wargame I ever bought.  'Outdoor Survival' is next to 'Kriegspiel' and was bought for us by one of the auctioneers at GenCon.  The boys and I were sitting at the game auction and nobody was bidding on it.  The one auctioneer saw the boys with me and said he would buy it for them for the $1 minimum.  'Circus Maximus' is another game that I played at my aunts house while in college.  We played it a couple of years ago at a friends house, nothing like ramming other chariots and blocking the the other drivers in the corners.

My 'Formula De' and all 35 tracks are on the bottom shelf.  Andrew and I have an ongoing league race going on, I think that right now we are about even on points.  More Avalon Hill classics are on this shelf.  I read lots of things on BGG saying that 'Magic Realm' is the ultimate character development adventure game.  There are new more user friendly rules for 'Magic Realm' on the internet that I have downloaded and one of these days we are going to have to play a game.

Collectable Card Games and RPG Miniatures

Some of the Money Pit is on the Top Shelf.  I refuse to get involved in buying anymore collectable games.  One of Andrews' and my new favorites is 'Battleground Fantasy Warfare'.  This is basically miniatures combat without the cost and time involved in buying and painting miniatures armies.  Each unit is represented on a card that you move around the playing area.  'Navia Dratp' is an interesting chess like game. and the the other boxes contain 'Magic: The Gathering' and my other collectable card games.  All of my old 'Car Wars' stuff from the 80's is in the boxes under 'Navia Dratp'.  Andrew has been looking at this but I am not sure if it is a good idea while he is learning to drive.

My D&D minis and dice are on the next shelf.  Actually all of the dice are not mine, everybody has their own set of dice including Kathy, and they are here.  'Disk Wars' of which I have some unopened packages (I got a very good deal on them) is in the tackle boxes under the dice and minis.  'Challenge Golf' is another game that we played while I was in college at my aunts.  I remember I even got my uncle, who was into 'REAL' golf, to play with us.  I think he even won the board game version.

Game Cabinet - misc games 1

There are lots of Misc games in this cabinet and this is the top half.  This cabinet along with my bookshelves (see above) were the official game storage areas.  Since then we have had to appropriate another complete bookcase and I will have to appropriate another (Zac, you are being warned that I am going to take over the entire bookcase you have your games on (see below).  Your games can stay but your books will have to go.)

'Axis and Allies' is probably one of the first games I really searched for in the mid 90's. After playing it a couple of times at a hobby shop in Waukegan IL, I knew I had to have it.  The game was already out of print, but I thought some obscure hobby shop might have a copy.  I searched every hobby shop I could find in Milwaukee and finally found a copy. Since then Hasbro has rereleased it under the Hasbro Avalon Hill name.

I am not sure how Kathy's Calligraphy set got on the middle shelf but it will have to go.  The bottom shelf contains the lost and found for game bits, that get misplaced or knocked off of the table.  When these bits are found they go to the bits graveyard until they can be rejoined with their game.

Game Cabinet - misc games 2

Most of the games here are trivia games and party games.  There is one of my favorite games, Robo Rally 1st edition.  I have all of the expansions and the boards which are in the box.  The miniatures and cards are in the grey miniatures boxes under it.  I picked this up at Gencon in 94 the year it came out.  At one time Robo Rally and its expansions were going for hundreds of dollars on ebay but the price has come down since Hasbro has done a reprint.

Another game worth mentioning is Scruples.  Kathy hates this game and I like it.  You have to answer questions about moral dilemmas and the other players have to determine if you are telling the truth or bluffing.  Kathy does not like it because you have to be able to lie convincingly, or the other players will know if your answer is true or false.

Collectable Miniatures - part 1

We have a couple of games that are too big for the shelves and cabinets and/or they are stored in special containers to protect them.  These include Mechwarrior miniatures (left), which thankfully I did not get totally into.  This is another of those money sucking collectable games, of which I have picked up only a few of the sets.

Pirates of the Spanish Main (center) is another collectable game, that Andrew and I did for a while.  We played in a league where we had to buy a pack each week and that was not too bad.  I had a pirate fleet and Andrew had the British ships.  The French were ones we had in case anybody else wanted to play.  The mechanics of the game were pretty cool.  You moved the ships around on the playing area (table top) either visiting islands and collecting gold or trying to destroy the other ships.  The cards (long side and short side) were used to measure how far the ships could move.  Attacks on other ships were determined by roling dice and when damage was done the mast on the enemy ships were removed.  We always used "sticky note tabs" to mark destroyed masts.

Crimison Skies (right) is a semi collectable game based on a roleplaying game.  The aircraft moved around the playing based on cards you selected for their movement.  There were different factions and their planes were available in seperately.  The thing that appealed to me was that, even though there were seperate sets for each faction the same planes for that faction were in the set.

Collectable Miniatures - part 2

Dragon Dice is a collectable dice game that I was into big in the mid to late 90s.  I have 10 of these plastic Plano storage containers and several smaller ones filled with these dice.  Basically you build an army (each die is worth different points) and then you battle your opponent who has built an army.  You roll the dice (army) and the results determine if you hit and eliminate units. When TSR stopped supporting the game, a users group SFR bought the rights and continue to produce and support it.

Bookcase of games - part 1

OK, on to the New stuff.  Kathy wanted to use Zac's old room for a sewing room but I took over the bookcases.  We still have a bed for Zac (or guest) in the room but we sometimes use this for a game room also.  My eventual plans are to make a hid-a-way bed that folds up against the wall between the bookcases.  Then make a NICE folding gaming table that we can set up to game on in this room.  Oh, Kathy does have her sewing machine in here so, she does have a sewing room.

Part of Zac's Blood Bowl arena that he bought at the auction at GenCon in 2004 is on top of the bookcase. I am not sure why I let Kathy keep her Left Behind books on this this bookcase.  Andrews Carcassone and Settlers of Catan games and expansions are here.  Ticket to Ride is a good gateway game for new players into Euro games.  Of the 3 Ticket to Ride games my favorite is Marklin, the newest.

I am going to have to find a new spot for Power Grid and some old TSR games when Fantasy Flight Games comes out with Starcraft.  This is going to be another BIG box game based on the computer game.  It is supposed to be out Summer o6 but it will more likeky be out by Chrismas if we are lucky.   

Bookcase of games - part 2

Andrew has several games here: Nuclear War, Attack, Risk 2210 (which he bought at GenCon in 2001, I think this was the first game he bought), Conquest of the Empire, Game of Thrones (Great game but you need 5 players) and Domaine.

Supremacy is another game I had to get, Andrew and I bought it on Ebay.  I made a LARGE mega map for it which is about 36" x 48" and is in none of the pictures I have posted.  I played this at the hobby shop in Waukegan several years ago.  

Bookcase of games - part 3

Another part of Zac's Blood Bowl arena is on the top.  All of these games are Zac's games and he has more of his games at his apartment.  I know he spent some BIG bucks on the Talisman game and expansions.

This is the bookcase which I am going to take over for storing more games.  I have about 2/3 of the bookcase left that I can use.

Games TOO BIG for a bookcase shelf

These are games that were just too big to fit on a bookshelf so they area on a larger shelf in the closet of the game/sewing/guest room.

last updated 6-11-2006