Since I've got into gaming as a hobby (about three years now) I've had two grail games.

What is a grail game? A grail game as far as I understand it is a game that you really really want that usually is out of print (but doesn't have to be), usually expensive (hey if it's out of print you can be goddam sure that the eBay scalpers will be taking advantage of that fact) and naturally potentially hard to find.

The first grail game of mine was Space Hulk. Until last year there had been three editions of the game, all of them going for well over a hundred quid on eBay. I'd played Space Hulk years ago and this two player game that was basically Aliens the movie on the tabletop in all but name. And was a game I really wanted so I could play it with Nath. But did I really want it at the high prices it was commanding?

The prices on eBay had been acting as a pretty good deterrent from purchasing the game. Could I justify spending that much money on a game? Then just as I was about to crack and cave in Games Workshop amazingly announced a limited reprint of the game. It was still going to be expensive but considerably less so than the eBay scalpers had been charging.

My second grail game is Starcraft the boardgame. This was an instant add to my list as a grail game as soon as I found out of its existence. Starcraft is out of print, so naturally it commands high prices on eBay. Vasel's Law states if a game is really great it won't stay out of print. However I think because of licensing I can't see this strategy game being reprinted anytime soon.

Now I haven't played Starcraft the boardgame before, however I am a fan of the video game series. So when I did see this existed and looked at the bgg page and photos, it looked really good, and instantly appealed to me.

This Friday (payday) I will be completing a deal that nets me this grail game for a great price. The box apparently has a little water damage (which is how the seller got the game). I'm lucky that the seller was kind enough to wait until the end of the month. So I'm looking forward to getting my hands on this.

I know have a new grail game on the list too, and that is Glen More thanks to Mat at the Fenland Gamers group. Yes another game out of print, and yes eBay fleecers are selling it for a high price. But I may have to settle for just owning the space themed reprint that will be hitting Kickstarter next month.

But who knows maybe I'll get lucky and get a copy of Glen More. When it comes to getting those grail games patience is most definitely a virtue, along with deep pockets.

What grail games do you have on your list?

Posted by me using my iPad and the Blogsy app