These are the hot board games that got us through this summer’s hot weather - plus a look at some of the most hotly anticipated titles for fall!
Games are listed in order of popularity in each category, based on sales since May 1 of this year.
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Board games
Flip 7
The shiniest push-your-luck game you ever did see, Flip 7 has easily been our most popular game of the past year, thanks in large part to its popularity on social media - and that buzz definitely carried through this summer.
Magical Athlete
On its surface, Magical Athlete is a dead-simple game: you roll the die, then move that many spaces on the board. But once you’re playing in a large group and each player’s unique game-breaking abilities start to activate… chaos takes hold.
Reforest
A local favourite! Designed on Vancouver Island, Reforest and its follow-up Reforest: Old Growth are perennial bestsellers (and particularly good for out-of-town visitors looking for a strategy game that is unique to the area. Imagine the play style of Wingspan in a compact, eco-friendly box, where every card has a different plant species native to the PNW.
Sea Salt & Paper
A quick, family-friendly set collection game with fun art, Sea Salt & Paper has been so well-received that we’ve brought in not one but TWO of its expansions (a rare thing in our small stores).
Courtisans
This is your game if you’re looking for something social with a twist of backstabbiness. Every turn you’ll play one card in front of you, one in front of an opponent, and one at the communal “table” to manipulate power and influence - and points.
Kinfire Delve: Scorn’s Stockade
Our staff have latched on to the whole Kinfire Delve series, but Scorn’s Stockade has proven the most popular of the trilogy. All three titles are cooperative games for two players, in which you’re going on a classic dungeon crawl and facing off against a boss monster (Scorn himself!) at the end.
Dnup
Fun to say, Dnup is a quick-playing card game for groups looking for lighter fare. The gameplay has echoes of the juggernaut Scout, but simplified and with a lot more “take that” dynamics that allow you to mess with your opponents.
Hex Effects
In Hex Effects you’re simply trying to treat the hexes that have been played on you… except the remedies each have side effects that will also need treatment - very much a “There was an old lady who swallowed a fly” type situation.
Harmonies
This one has been going strong for a couple of years now. It’s a beautiful, tactile game in which you’re playing chonky tiles to build thriving landscapes as habitats for your animals. Harmonies is a bit more strategic than most of the others on this list, but it’s still very accessible for folks settling into the hobby.
Wingspan Pocket
The fact that this game is so high on our bestsellers list is especially impressive because Wingspan Pocket has only been out for 6 weeks. This is a standalone card game with a lighter, more streamlined version of the original Wingspan rules. Not to worry, though - this version has definitely-not-Cadbury-eggs too!
Hot Streak
The sister game to Magical Athlete, Hot Streak is another quirky offering from publisher CMYK. It’s a betting game in which you want to make as much money as possible at the races… except the races are between people in mascot costumes and you have some serious questions about their competence.
Tacta
Welcome to the world’s slowest game of 52-Card Pickup. Tacta is a game for 2-6 players in which you’ll place cards to maximize the number of dots showing for your colour. Each card has little triangles to indicate how it can overlap with other cards, resulting in a sprawling blanket of cards by the time your game is done.
Fall board game preview
Available for preorder now, these are some of the most anticipated games of the fall.
Dungeon Crawler Carl Unstoppable
Can’t muster enough friends for the RPG? There’s a board game for that. The well-received board game Unstoppable is getting a Dungeon Crawler Carl reskin, blending the 1-2 player gameplay with the chaos of the DCC universe.
Gloomhaven: Buttons & Bugs - Flames of Ashtar + Pub Crawlers Expansions
Speaking of solo board games, the most apartment-friendly version of Gloomhaven is getting two expansions this fall! Flames of Ashtar is a mini scenario that leads into the larger Pub Crawlers expansion - adding new characters and scenarios to the game.