Boardgames are an excellent gateway drug into friendships. Some people you already know or meet love to play them once you get your initial party together, get

Boardgames are an excellent gateway drug into friendships. Some people you already know or meet love to play them once you get your initial party together, get enthusiastic about them, invite other people they know and before you know it you have a thriving community of people around you. All that for not more than US$200 in games annually which is way less I spend in beer and much more effective. And boardgamers tend to be (but not exclusively are) on the geekier side of life so I have an easier connection to most people, shared interests or people do things that I think are really cool but never did etcetera.