Here Be Books & Games is your best local source for board games in the greater Charleston area. Located in Summerville, South Carolina, this customer-service-oriented retail board game shop and gaming salon is now celebrating its 14th year in business!

Due to our recent move, we’ve made some major changes. The books are almost gone, so our primary focus is games and gaming supplies.

Products & Services include:

• Board Games
• Non-collectible Card Games
• Dice Games
• Roleplaying Games
• Dice, Dice Bags & Dice Cups
• Card Sleeves and other Gaming Accessories
• Tarot Cards
• Demo Game Library – We’ll teach you how to play!
• In-Store Gaming whenever we’re open in 3 Game Rooms!
• Game Night the 1st Saturday of Every Month
• Mid-Week Gaming every Wednesday
• Sci Fi & Fantasy Book Club
• Tournaments and Organized Play Events
• Local pickup of online purchases.
• Special orders and pre-orders

We stock a large variety of modern designer boardgames and card games for all ages, player types and number of players, and some used games, too. Categories include:

Most are designer games which, like books, feature the name of the author (designer) prominently on the box.

Designer games are a broad class of games that generally have simple rules, short to medium playing times, high levels of player interaction, and attractive physical components. The games emphasize strategy while downplaying luck and conflict. Other terms used to describe this type of game include: “German-style game”, “Eurogame”, “family strategy game” and “hobby game.” Shorter, lighter games in this class are known as “gateway games“, whereas longer, heavier games are known as “gamers’ games.” [source: wikipedia]

Here’s a sampling of designer games we almost always have in stock:

• Cards Against Humanity and other party games
• Catan, expansions and offshoots
• Legendary and expansions
• Munchkin, including expansions and a variety of base sets like Star Munchkin, Zombie Munchkin, etc.
• Small World and expansions
• Smash Up and expansions
• Pandemic and other cooperative games
• Ticket to Ride and all its versions

But you’ll also find titles you’re sure to recognize like:

• Monopoly
• Clue
• Scrabble
• Risk

We usually have new copies of the Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set and the Pathfinder Beginner Box in stock at all times. When you’re in the store, take a peek in the drawers in the bottom of the Roleplaying Game bookcase. They contain lots of new and ancient treasures. You never know what you’ll find. Have a question? Ask Tim, he’s been an avid RPG collector for many, many years.

So whether you love Euro strategy games, thematic Ameritrash, social party games, old school D & D or something else, we’ve got you covered.

Looking for something new and fun to play? We’d be happy to recommend a game based on your current likes and dislikes, player ages, and number of players.

Our large demo game library of board games and card games allows you to try before you buy. We’ll even teach you how to play. Just ask us anytime.

Some of the games we’ve taught and demoed the most include:

• Carcassonne, a classic tile-laying game with numerous expansions
• Bohnanza, an interactive card game of bean farming and trading
• Pandemic and other cooperative games like Forbidden Island
• Stone Age, an excellent worker placement strategy game, perfect for introducing you to the genre
• Ticket to Ride and all its myriad versions
• Catan, the classic gateway Euro game
• King of Tokyo, a fun, last-monster-standing dice game for the whole family
• Castles of Burgundy, a strategic Euro game – Tina’s personal favorite
• Star Realms, Jaipur and other excellent two-player games

Join us for Game Night, the first Saturday of every month from 2 pm until afternoon midnight. Admission is $7.50. It’s a great deal: over ten hours of fun and entertainment for less than the cost of a movie ticket or a cup of joe!

We also host tournaments and organized play events. See our Events page for a list of all upcoming events at Here Be Books & Games.

If we don’t a have particular board game or card game you want in stock, we can usually find and special order it for you. Searches are free and there’s no obligation to buy. We usually require pre-payment on special orders and preorders.

Our games and gaming accessories are by all the best game publishers, including:

For more details, visit our online store.