Board Games | Recommended Games

The award-winning game Splendor returns with this fresh take on its classic drafting gameplay. Featuring the clever engine building that Splendor is known for, Splendor Duel offers a compact, tight two-player experience that will be instantly recognizable to fans of the original game, while also adding new decisions and mechanisms that offer deeper strategic options.The new common board has players drafting Gem, Gold and rare Pearl tokens from a 5x5 grid. Only allowed to draft up to 3 tokens in a consecutive line, taking tokens will create gaps in the board and will limit how many and what kind of token players will be able to take in future turns.Co-designed by Marc André (Splendor) and Bruno Cathala (7 Wonders Duel, Kingdomino), Splendor Duel is an exciting new entry in the Splendor product line.

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Experience an intense two-player struggle for supremacy in the ancient world! Designed by Antoine Bauza and Bruno Cathala, 7 Wonders: Duel adapts the game play and excitement of 7 Wonders for one-on- one battles. Choose the Wonders you aim to build and guide your city through three Ages of drafting cards from cunningly shaped tableaus. Victory can be achieved in three ways: by invading your opponent’s capital, by achieving a monopoly on scientific advancement, or simply by crafting the city that will earn the most victory points in the end. But be warned: only seven of the eight Wonders in play can be built. Will your city achieve greatness, or will your opponent prevent you from completing all your Wonders?

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The multi award-winning game Jaipur, by Sebastien Pauchon, returns with all new artwork by Vincent Dutrait and the same great gameplay. Players take on the roles of two of the city’s most powerful traders seeking to earn their invite to the Maharaja’s court. Blending strategy and luck, Jaipur is a fast-paced card game that is easy to learn while offering plenty of depth to dedicated players. The new edition of Jaipur is the first game to kick off Space Cowboy’s new 2-Player Collection. The first print run of Jaipur features an exclusive metallic collectible coin to determine the first player!

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Build a mosaic fit for a monarch! Azul is a tile-placement game in which players compete for the highest score by claiming tiles and arranging them on their board to score points. Extra points are on offer for collecting sets of the same color of tile, or for creating particular patterns, while there are penalties for taking tiles that you’re unable to use. But every tile that you claim affects what your rivals can take next. You’ll have to make choices that help you without helping them too much!

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The Rebel Alliance fights valiantly against the tyranny of the Galactic Empire. Each new victory brings the Rebels hope, and each heroic sacrifice strengthens their resolve. Still, the Empire’s resources are vast, and the firepower of its Empire Navy is unmatched. With neither side willing to accept defeat, their war rages across the galaxy… In Star Wars™: The Deckbuilding Game, a new head-to-head game for two players, the galaxy-spanning war between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance comes alive on your tabletop. In this easy-to-learn game, you and your opponent each choose a side, playing as either the Empire or the Rebels, and as the game progresses you both strengthen the power of your starting decks and work to destroy each other’s bases. The first player to destroy three of their opponent’s bases wins the game!

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Super simple small game, easy for travel. Compete for the princess favor and hope your letter reaches her hands. Light competition, part of the game is card counting there is such a limited amount of cards and you’re trying to knock everyone out to get her favor. The cards are primed to leave one person standing at the end of the round will it be you?                                                                                      - Eden (GSR - Tempe, AZ)  In a quick game of risk and deduction, can you outwit your friends and earn the trust of the noble Princess? The noble Princess is looking for an ideal partner and confidant to help with her royal duties when she one day assumes the throne. You must prove your worth and gain her trust by enlisting allies, friends, and family of the Princess to carry a letter of intent to her. Can you earn the Princess’s trust and become her confidant? Enjoy the classic game of risk and deduction in a whole new way! The new edition of Love Letter features a couple new characters, stunning new illustrations, and gameplay now up to 6 players!

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You are head of a family in an Italian city-state, a city run by a weak and corrupt court. You need to manipulate, bluff and bribe your way to power. Your object is to destroy the influence of all the other families, forcing them into exile. Only one family will survive... In Coup, you want to be the last player with influence in the game, with influence being represented by face-down character cards in your playing area. Each player starts the game with two coins and two influence – i.e., two face-down character cards; the fifteen card deck consists of three copies of five different characters, each with a unique set of powers: Duke: Take three coins from the treasury. Block someone from taking foreign aid. Assassin: Pay three coins and try to assassinate another player's character. Contessa: Block an assassination attempt against yourself. Captain: Take two coins from another player, or block someone from stealing coins from you. Ambassador: Draw two character cards from the Court (the deck), choose which (if any) to exchange with your face-down characters, then return two. Block someone from stealing coins from you. On your turn, you can take any of the actions listed above, regardless of which characters you actually have in front of you, or you can take one of three other actions: Income: Take one coin from the treasury. Foreign aid: Take two coins from the treasury. Coup: Pay seven coins and launch a coup against an opponent, forcing that player to lose an influence. (If you have ten coins or more, you must take this action.) When you take one of the character actions – whether actively on your turn, or defensively in response to someone else's action – that character's action automatically succeeds unless an opponent challenges you. In this case, if you can't (or don't) reveal the appropriate character, you lose an influence, turning one of your characters face-up. Face-up characters cannot be used, and if both of your characters are face-up, you're out of the game. If you do have the character in question and choose to reveal it, the opponent loses an influence, then you shuffle that character into the deck and draw a new one, perhaps getting the same character again and perhaps not. The last player to still have influence – that is, a face-down character – wins the game! A new & optional character called the Inquisitor has been added (currently, the only English edition with the Inquisitor included is the Kickstarter Version from Indie Boards & Cards. Copies in stores may not be the Kickstarter versions and may only be the base game). The Inquisitor character cards may be used to replace the Ambassador cards. Inquisitor: Draw one character card from the Court deck and choose whether or not to exchange it with one of your face-down characters. OR Force an opponent to show you one of their character cards (their choice which). If you wish it, you may then force them to draw a new card from the Court deck. They then shuffle the old card into the Court deck. Block someone from stealing coins from you.

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The Mind is the ingenious, addictive and ridiculously fun game that everyone is buzzing about. While the rules are simple, surviving every level is anything but… A deck of cards 1-100. You and your friends must play the cards in ascending order. Simple enough? What if you couldn't speak or communicate in any way. Sounds impossible? And yet, the trick of the Mind is just how good you and your friends will become as you play together. Learn to read each other’s tells, invent unspoken language of knowing glances and furrowed brows.

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Monikers is a party game based on the public domain game Celebrity, where players take turns attempting to get their teammates to guess names by describing or imitating well-known people. In the first round, clue givers can say anything they want, except for the name itself. For the second round, clue givers can only say one word. And in the final round, clue givers can’t say anything at all: they can only use gestures and charades.

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The Red Dragon Inn is one of those games that feels almost mandatory to have if you love board games. It's got really simple rules, a delightful theme, and most importantly, there's a ton of expansions that make this game even better. If you're looking for a party/party-adjacent game, you can't got wrong with this one.                                                                                     - May (Guild Service Representative)  In The Red Dragon Inn, you and your friends are a party of heroic, fantasy adventurers. You've raided the dungeon, killed the monsters, and taken their treasure. Now you're back, and what better way to celebrate your most recent victory than to spend an evening at the The Red Dragon Inn. You and your adventuring companions will spend the night drinking, gambling, and roughhousing. The last person who is both sober enough to remain conscious and shrewd enough to hold onto his Gold Coins wins the game. The four characters are Deirdre the Priestess, Fiona the Volatile, Gerki the Sneak, and Zot the Wizard.

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Here to slay is honestly one of my favorite games, I highly recommend anything by tee-turtle. Create an adventuring party and fight monsters as a deck game, it’s definitely competitive full of sabotage with super cute art. It’s not super complicated and will only take 1-2 play though to master. With 3-4 expansions to add in new heroes and monsters every game is different.                                                                                      - Eden (GSR - Tempe, AZ) From the creators of Unstable Unicorns, Here to Slay is an adorable and brutal new card game that is perfect for players of all skill levels, whether you’re just entering the world of role-playing games or honing your masterful skills.

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A horrible crime was committed on the grounds of Warwick Manor thirty years ago. Now, the mansion is haunted by the ghost of the murdered servant, and it's up you, a group of psychic investigators, to get to the bottom of the mystery! Mysterium is a cooperative game of deduction and teamwork for two to seven players. Over the course of the game, one player takes on the role of the ghost and, over the course of a few scant hours, tries to lead the psychics to the correct culprit. Every member of the team will receive numerous visions, but what is the ghost trying to tell you exactly? Can the psychics determine the weapon, location, and killer, or will the criminal pull off the perfect crime?

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My personal favorite game, Codenames is a team based word game that puts 2 teams against each other in a race to guess all their secret words. Each team designates a player to be their clue giver, and that person can only give one word clues to their team about which word on the grid they need to guess. The game asks players to think critically, because if they guess the wrong word, it could end the game for them immediately. The game is perfect for experienced word game enjoyers, or a casual game night with friends.                                                                                     - Pat (Guild Service Representative) Codenames is an easy party game to solve puzzles.The game is divided into red and blue, each side has a team leader, the team leader's goal is to lead their team to the final victory.At the beginning of the game, there will be 25 cards on the table with different words. Each card has a corresponding position, representing different colors.Only the team leader can see the color of the card. The team leader should prompt according to the words, let his team members find out the cards of their corresponding colors, and find out all the cards of their own colors to win.

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Citadels is a fantastic card game that combines strategy and deception to create a thrilling gameplay experience. Players take on the roles of various characters in a medieval city, each with unique abilities and goals. The game involves building a citadel and gathering resources while trying to thwart the plans of other players. One of the best things about Citadels is its replayability. With 18 different characters to choose from and a variety of strategies to explore, the game can be played over and over again without getting stale. It's also easy to learn, making it a great choice for both seasoned gamers and those new to the hobby - whether you're playing with friends or family, this game is sure to provide hours of entertainment.                                                                                     - Andrew (GSR - Tempe, AZ) The Kingdom is in need of a new Master Builder, and you are among those vying for the prestigious post. Recruit local citizens and use their unique expertise to outwit your rivals. Only the most majestic metropolis will earn its creator the coveted title of Master Builder! This revised edition of Citadels retains the signature bluffing and intrigue of Bruno Faidutti’s celebrated classic, condensing all the published content into a travel-friendly version at an unbeatable price. A game of intrigue awaits!

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Burgle your way to adventure in the deck-building board game Clank! Sneak into an angry dragon's mountain lair to steal precious artifacts. Delve deeper to find more valuable loot. Acquire cards for your deck and watch your thievish abilities grow. Be quick and be quiet. One false step and CLANK! Each careless sound draws the attention of the dragon, and each artifact stolen increases its rage. You can enjoy your plunder only if you make it out of the depths alive! Clank! is a deck-building game. Each player has their own deck, and building yours up is part of playing the game. You start each of your turns with five cards in your hand, and you'll play them all in any order you choose. Most cards will generate resources, of which there are three different kinds: Skill, which is used to acquire new cards for your deck. Swords, which are used to fight the monsters that infest the dungeon. Boots, which are used to move around the board. Every time you acquire a new card, you put it face up in your discard pile. Whenever you need to draw a card and find your deck empty, you shuffle your discard pile and turn it face down to form a new deck. With each shuffle, your newest cards become part of a bigger and better deck! Each player starts with the same cards in their deck, but they’ll acquire different cards during their turns. Because cards can do many different things, each player’s deck (and strategy) will become more and more different as the game unfolds. During the game, you have two goals: Retrieve an Artifact token and escape the dragon by returning to the place you started, outside of the dungeon. Accumulate enough points with your Artifact and other loot to beat out your opponents and earn the title of Greatest Thief in the Realm!

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Quest for the favor of the gods with Dice Forge, a board game from Libellud that challenges you to harness your powers and challenge up to three other players in a battle for dominance. During the game, your dice provide the resources you need, but throughout the game, you’ll change your dice, snapping new faces on and improving your chances of claiming victory. When the gods call an end to your contest, the player with the most glory wins the game.

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  War! The discovery of the droid factories on Geonosis and the sudden deployment of the Clone Army has set off the Clone Wars. The countless droid legions deployed by the Separatist Alliance have proven to be a fair fight for the Jedi, the guardians of the Galactic Republic. With the fate of the Republic at stake, the galaxy anxiously awaits the outcome… In the Clone Wars Edition of Star Wars™: The Deckbuilding Game, the galaxy-spanning war between the Galactic Republic and the Separatist Confederacy comes alive on your tabletop. In this easy-to-learn game, you and your opponent each choose a side, playing as either the Republic or the Separatists, and as the game progresses you both strengthen the power of your starting decks and work to destroy each other’s bases. The first player to destroy three of their opponent’s bases wins the game! This edition serves as a standalone product that can also be combined with the original edition of Star Wars: The Deckbuilding Game. Contents 10 Republic Starter Cards 10 Separatist Starter Cards 90 Galaxy Cards 10 Outer Rim Pilot Cards 20 Base Cards 1 Balance of the Force Track 50 Damage Counters 20 Resource Counters 1 Force Meter

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Forge your own star realm! Build up your military through shipping and trade, then use your mighty fleet of warships to protect what’s yours and take what isn’t!Designed by Magic hall-of-famers Darwin Kastle and Rob Dougherty, Star Realms combines the fun of deckbuilding games with the interactivity of trading card game-style combat. As you play, use trade to add new ships and bases to your deck. When played, those ships and bases generate powerful effects, additional trade, and combat to attack your opponent and their bases.If you reduce your opponent’s score to zero, you win!The Star Realms Box Set includes all of the cards from the Star Realms Core Set and Gambit Set, plus a game board and two additional starting decks, providing awesome gameplay for 2-4 players. And The Pirates of the Dark Star and the Nemesis Beast challenge cards provide additional solo and cooperative play options! Each box is a complete 4-player game containing rules and 162 cards.Contents:• Folding game board• 83-card main deck• 16 Explorer cards• Four 10-card starting decks• Four pairs of score cards• 13 Gambit cards• 2 Oversized Challenge Cards• Full-color rulebook

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A deck builder with a twist, Robot Quest Arena adds the element of movement and positioning to the deck builder genre in a fun and exciting way. The game’s art style is a big draw, it has very cute, indie vibes to it; presented in both the game’s card art and its adorable miniature robots. Between the random elements presented by the deckbuilding genre and the game’s multiplayer focus, the game feels fresh each time you play. Robot quest arena was my personal pick for board game of the year in 2023.                                                                                     - Pat (Guild Service Representative) Robot Quest Arena is a deckbuilding board game where 2-4 players battle to be the best Robot Tech in the world. Control, protect, and upgrade your bot as you fight to knock out competitors from the arena! The base game contains:• 4 Robot Minis• 4 corresponding player boards• a 27-by-27 inch Game Board• 128 cards• 16 tiles• 72 cubes/gems• a rulebook

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Monikers: Serious Nonsense is a standalone expansion for Monikers. It features 330 cards, written by the folks at Shut Up & Sit Down.The brand new set from Shut Up & Sit Down also includes the MUCH REQUESTED return of the Monikers: Twelve Hopelessly Stupid Fourth Rounds! (minus "the two least interesting ones")

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Tiny Epic Kingdoms is the full 4X experience in a tiny package, and forgoes all the weighty setup and teardown of other games in the genre. The game’s main appeal is its lack of player down time. Every time a player takes an action on their turn, each other player has the choice to take one of two actions. This unique action economy adds a surprising amount of tactical depth, and eliminates one of the biggest problems that 4X games typically have, the wait time. The game is built to be incredibly easy to learn, and I would highly recommend it as an entry point into the 4X genre.                                                                                     - Pat (Guild Service Representative) You are a tiny kingdom with big ambition. You want to expand your population throughout the realms, learn powerful magic, build grand towers, and have your neighbors quiver at the mention of your name. The conflict? All of the other kingdoms want the same thing and there's not enough room for everyone to succeed... In Tiny Epic Kingdoms, a 4x fantasy game in a pocket-size package, each player starts with a unique faction (which has a unique technology tree) and a small territory. Throughout the game, players collect resources, explore other territories, battle each other, research magic, and work to build a great tower to protect their realm.

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Journeys is a set of four 12-card expansion packs for Hero Realms! Conquest and Discovery add the new Quest and Artifact card types. Quests are secret objectives that players may complete to earn Artifacts! Hunters and Travelers add new champions and actions to the game.

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