Games & Tabletop
Board games, role-playing games, chess, puzzles — hobbies where the 'gear' is the games themselves, and the gateway titles you pick decide whether your group ever plays again. These guides cover the genuinely good starter games, the timeless deep ones worth growing into, and which much-bought boxes to leave on the shelf.
7 guides in this family
Poker (Home Game Setup)
Poker nights are one of the best reasons to own a dining table. The gear investment is surprisingly small — a decent chip set, quality cards, and something to play on. Get those three things right and everything else follows. Here's exactly what to buy and what to skip.
Read the Poker (Home Game Setup) guide →Photo by Maximo Lopez on Unsplash
VR Gaming
VR gaming has finally cleared the 'worth it' hump. The Meta Quest 3 runs entirely untethered — no PC, no wires — and gets you into your first game 20 minutes after unboxing. Here's what to buy, what to skip, and how to avoid the mistakes that make first-timers quit after a week.
Read the VR Gaming guide →Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash
Sim Racing
Sim racing went from niche obsession to mainstream sport — Gran Turismo and F1 films have pulled a generation of new drivers in. The gear decision tree is simpler than r/simracing makes it look: wheel, stand, simulator. Here's what actually belongs on your desk for under $500.
Read the Sim Racing guide →Photo by Angelo Moleele on Unsplash
Miniature Painting
Whether you're painting Warhammer, D&D figures, or just cool models you found online — the choice that trips up every new painter isn't technique, it's the paint aisle. Citadel vs. Vallejo vs. Army Painter: each has fans who'll argue forever. This guide tells you which to start with, what else you need, and what to ignore for now.
Read the Miniature Painting guide →Photo by Matias Luge on Unsplash
Chess
Chess has outlasted every other board game because the depth is real — but you don't need to understand most of it to start enjoying it. A free app gets you moving today, and a $30 weighted plastic set is all you'll need physically for years. Here's what actually matters.
Read the Chess guide →Photo by Kit (formerly ConvertKit) on Unsplash
Games & Tabletop glossary
Vocabulary from the FLGS (Friendly Local Game Store), the chess club, and the D&D table. Mostly opinionated genre labels and the occasional rule.
- Castling Chess
- A special move where the king and a rook swap positions, getting the king to safety and connecting the rooks. Do it early; most beginner losses involve a king that never castled.
- DM / GM RPG
- Dungeon Master (in D&D) or Game Master (in most other RPGs). The person who runs the world, voices the NPCs, and adjudicates the rules. Highest-leverage role at the table.
- Engine builder Tabletop
- A strategy game where each turn makes you slightly more powerful, snowballing into a satisfying late-game cascade. Wingspan and Splendor are accessible examples.
- En passant Chess
- French for "in passing" — a pawn capture rule that confuses every new player. If a pawn advances two squares past an enemy pawn, the enemy can capture it as if it had only moved one.
- Eurogame Tabletop
- Strategy-focused, low-luck, low-conflict games where players score points through efficient play. Catan, Carcassonne, Wingspan. Distinct from American-style "Ameritrash" — more dice, more chaos, more fun some nights.
- Gateway game Tabletop
- A game designed to introduce non-gamers to modern board games. Ticket to Ride and Azul are canonical: simple rules, satisfying decisions, real depth on a second play.
- Initiative RPG
- Turn order in combat, usually determined by a die roll plus a Dexterity-related modifier at the start of an encounter. Decides who acts when.
- Meeple Tabletop
- Wooden person-shaped piece used as a generic worker, player marker, or unit in countless games. The mascot of modern board gaming.
- Opening Chess
- The first 10–15 moves of a game. Theorized to death over centuries; most have names (Sicilian, Ruy Lopez, King's Indian). Beginners benefit from learning one or two well.
- Roll to-hit RPG
- Rolling a d20 (twenty-sided die) and adding modifiers to see if your attack lands. The heartbeat of D&D-style combat.
- Variable player powers Tabletop
- Each player starts with a different special ability or hand. Adds replayability — "the same game plays totally different depending on who you draw."
- Worker placement Tabletop
- A mechanic where players assign a limited number of pieces to action spots on the board, blocking opponents. Agricola, Lords of Waterdeep, Viticulture.