Can I buy a copy of game from you?

The Game Pile is a game review site run by me as a hobby site. I do not own a game store and in general do not own more than one copy of the games listed on the site. These games are from my personal collection and are not for sale. I can point you towards locations where you can buy (most of) these games.

OK then, where can I find a copy of game ?

This varies a lot depending on if the game is still in print or not. Most of the games on this site are not in print.

In general, there are several places I have found where you can find out of print games.

First up is the auction site eBay ( http://www.ebay.com ). eBay has tens of thousands of game auctions running at any given time and there is a good chance that whatever game you are looking for will be there or will show up soon. The downside is that the quality of the item you receive may vary wildly, as will the price you pay.

If you are familiar with Usenet, you can also look for people selling games on the newsgroup rec.games.board.marketplace ( news://rec.games.board.marketplace ). Some people prefer this to the on-line auction sites because they feel the prices are better. Others like the control offered by the auction sites. Both are valid choices.

There are also several on-line merchants who deal in both in-print and out-of-print games. Some suggestions are:

• Boulder Games
• D'Antiques
• The ExtravaGAMEza
• Fine Games
• Fun Again Games
• Games Gone By

Where can I find replacement rules for a game?

The people at D'antiques maintain an excellent set of replacement game rules.

• D'antiques replacement game rules.

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There are some games I am asked about more often than others.

Where can I get a copy of Acquire ?

This is, hands down, the game I am asked about the most. Acquire is still in print and has been in print (in one form or another) for almost 40 years! The latest version is from the new Avalon Hill division of Hasbro and is a very nicely produced version. It is currently available from local hobby/game stores, from most of the merchants listed above or direct from Hasbro/Avalon Hill ( http://www.avalonhill.com ).

Avalon Hill had previously put out several versions of the game, including an inferior version using cardboard tiles. Before that, of course, was the 3M version. All of these (and several other versions) can be found at the on-line sources listed above.

Where can I get a copy of Facts in Five ?

Another popular game. Facts in Five was also received by Avalon Hill from 3M and was produced by them until very recently. Since the takeover of Avalon Hill by Hasbro the game has gone out of print. However, the game was being produced recently enough that copies are still available in some of the specialized hobby/game stores. If you live near one you might want to check with them. If you cannot find one, the on-line merchants above are a good place to look.

Finally, Avalon Hill is currently selling off the remainder of their old stock. A limited number of copies may still be available through their web site.

If you are simply looking for a similar game, Scattergories is currently in print and is very similar to Facts in Five .

Where can I get a copy of Stocks and Bonds ?

Another popular member of the old 3M line. Once again, Stocks and Bonds was produced by Avalon Hill after receiving it from 3M. In this case, Avalon Hill eventually released an updated version of the game known as Stock Market Guru . Like most of the rest of the line, Stock Market Guru has gone out of print after the Hasbro takeover. However, the game has gone out of print recently enough that some copies may still be on the shelves in specialized hobby/game stores. If you cannot find one near you, the on-line merchants listed above may have copies of both games.

It is also possible that a few copies of Stock Market Guru can be found on the Avalon Hill web site.

Where can I find a copy of Bazaar ?

Another 3M game, Bazaar is a bit harder to find. The on-line sources listed above are a good place to start looking. A version of Bazaar was produced for a while by Discovery Toys, so you might look for this version as well.

Where can I find Twixt ?

For the 3M and early Avalon Hill versions of Twixt try the on-line sources above. Versions of Twixt are still being produced in Europe and you can probably find copies of them through either Fun Again Games or Boulder Games.

Where can I find other 3M game ?

Try the sources above.

Where can I find a copy of Dark Tower ?

Dark Tower is fairly difficult to find, especially with a working Tower. (This seems to be a common problem with the game.) Again, the sources listed above are a good start but be warned that I have seen copies going for over $300.

I have a copy of game but have lost the rules. Can you help?

Probably, but don't be surprised if it takes quite a while. I run this site as a hobby and the time to work on it has to be squeezed in between time I spend with family, working, other hobbies and actually playing these games! I will try to help you but scanning and e-mailing the rules (especially rules with lots of images) may take a while. (If you haven't heard from me in about six months send me another e-mail but if it's only been a month or two it's fairly normal.)

I'm working on getting the rules I am asked for most often on-line but that may still be a ways away yet.

In the meantime, D'Antiques maintains a fairly extensive list of game rules on-line. Check their site and if they don't have a copy let me know and I'll try to get to it.

Following on to the above....

I e-mailed you a question weeks ago and you haven't responded yet!

Probably. As I stated above, this is a hobby site that I maintain mostly because I wanted to share my interest with the web community. Unfortunately, this means that the time I have to work on this site has to compete with the time I spend with family, at work, on my other hobbies or even playing these games! This means I don't get to spend as much time here as I would like. I try to answer everyone's e-mail and I appreciate the comments everyone has given me but I will admit that it sometimes takes longer than you or I would like. If it's been a couple of months and you haven't heard anything then bounce another e-mail off of me and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can. I do appreciate the interest my site has developed and the patience of all of you who are still waiting on answers. (And, yes, I will get the rules for Shadowlord scanned one of these days!)

What games do you recommend?

I probably should include a "reviewer's choice" tag on some of my listings, but a list of some of my favorite games would be Acquire, Cosmic Encounter, Settlers of Catan, Civilization, Source of the Nile , Imperium, Stellar Conquest and Air Baron.

When are you doing another update to the site?

Real soon now. :)
Seriously, I am hoping to get another set up games up fairly soon. I am also going to be expanding the site to include card games and war games, so stick around!

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