Here Be Books & Games is an inviting, service-oriented bookstore and game store located in Summerville, South Carolina, near historic Charleston. We’ve been here twelve years now! We strive to provide a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere in which you can browse our large selection of modern board games & used books – or even learn a new game if you have the time.

• 30,000+ Used Books – We buy, trade and sell.
• 800+ New Board Games & Card Games
• Dice & Dice Bags
• Card Sleeves and other Gaming Accessories
• Tarot Cards
• Demo Game Library – We’ll teach you how to play!
• Game Night the 1st Saturday of Every Month
• Sci Fi & Fantasy Book Club
• Tournaments and Organized Play Events
• Semi-Annual $1 Sidewalk Book Sales

There are a few comfy chairs in the front and one in the History room where you can relax and read.

We always have a card table set up in case you want to play a game. We’ll even teach you how to play!

With over 30,000 books in stock, you’re sure to find something to your liking. Whether you’re looking for the latest novel or a book that’s been out of print for years, there’s a good chance we have it or can get it. Our bookstore carries hardcover and paperback books in all categories and accepts them for trade, too. While most of our stock is used and out-of-print books, we also have some collectible, rare, antiquarian and even new books on our shelves as well.

Our personal favorite book genres are Sci-Fi Fantasy, Roleplaying Games, Children’s Series, and Ancient History, but we make a concerted effort to stock a wide variety of books. We’ve got oodles of fiction books and nonfiction on a wide range of subjects (see main categories below).

You don’t want to miss our History room in the back. It’s chalk full of nonfiction, including history, biographies & memoirs, war, South Caroliniana, spirituality, philosophy, and more. You’ll find more nonfiction on the wider shelves in the middle of the store. Our parapsychology section includes both new and used books and tarot cards.

Fiction Categories

Nonfiction Categories

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.

You can, of course, trade in roleplaying games, modules, etc. for premium store credit, then use said credit towards books, games, RPGs, and more.

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 demo game library of over 500 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. Admission is free your first visit, then $5 each visit thereafter. (See our Game Night page for two more ways to get in free.) It’s a great deal: over six 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 have particular board games & used books in stock, we can usually find and special order them for you, even books that are out of print or rare. Searches are free and there’s no obligation to buy. We usually require pre-payment on special orders and preorders of board games & used books.

At Here Be Books & Games you can trade in your used books, roleplaying games and designer board games for store credit. Use your store credit to and save money on both board games & used books. Please see our Trade Policy for details.

We buy, sell, and trade.

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

For more details, visit our online store.