Thrift Store finds!

I've had some really good luck over the years with thrift store game finds. Just the other day I found 2 copies of Guillotine for $2.99 each. One was in shrink and the other has never been played (cards were in shrink). I have since played it a few times and I think this will be perfect for family game days. A few days before that I came across an un-played copy of Memoir 44 for $3.99. I already own and love BattleLore so I know the system and hope to get this to the table a lot. The same trip garnered a full box of Battlecards ($4.99) which is an old scratch off card battle game that came out before Magic the Gathering, and a core rulebook for an RPG called Danger Quest ($1.99). The Battlecards were still in shrink and probably worthless but I think it makes a nice addition to the game museum.
Some other recent finds include:
Mad Magazine game - $1.99
Parcheesi (1959) - $2.99
Thirteen (1955) - $.99
Royal Flush $.99
Scotland Yard (long box) - $1.99
Key to the Kingdom - $1.98
Battle Masters (2 copies) - $2.98 each - currently worth over $100.00 each
ShadowLord - $1.99
Vampire Hunter - $.99

VCSBM

A couple of months back I decided to join a local game group called "Ventura County Strategic Boardgame Meetup". They meet on Tuesday nights in Thousand Oaks, so it's close by and on a night that is generally not that busy for me. So far it has been very enjoyable. I've met a dozen new gamers and I've had the opportunity to play a few new games.
The first time I went I played Stone Age (which I love) and 2 new (to me) games, Lost Cities and Medici. Lost cities is a re-styled version of the Reiner Knizia, Spiel Des Jahres winner Keltis. It was light but fun and I think the family might enjoy it. Medici was bit more of a gamers game and I liked it a lot. The board was terrible though and difficult to work with.
The second time I went I played to new (to me) games - Kingsburg and Hamburgum. Hamburgum involves a few different mechanics, like Worker placement and resource management. I liked it a lot and would love to play it again. It's a bit heavy for the family gatherings though so I probably won't add it to the library unless I come across a fabulous deal on it. Kingsburg was awesome. Some people have commented on it being a bit long for the type of game that it is, but I didn't think so. I loved it and will some day add it to my collection.
The next Meetup I had to skip because of our family spring break vacation trip to Cambria, but last week I went and played just one game and it was a classic older MB game called Fortress America. I had a lot of fun even though we lost. It lasted about 4 hours. I would love to play it again.
This past Tuesday I played a 5 player game of Battlestar Gallactica that lasted for over 4 hours. In the end all of us humans lost. I was mistakenly taken for a cylon and placed in the brig. Very frustrating. The other table of gamers played Bootleggers and Ra.

I can't wait to see what's on the table next week.