What we’re about
Seattle Board Games supports a vibrant and inclusive community of board game enthusiasts in the Seattle metro area. Our events and gatherings offer opportunities to have fun, make friends, and deepen our appreciation for the art, design, and strategy of board games. We seek to make games more accessible by removing barriers to enjoying and learning from them.
We host all types of boardgames, from lighter games such as Settlers of Catan and Lords of Waterdeep to heavier Euros like Brass Birmingham, Dune Imperium, and others. We also play thematic games such as Battlestar Galactica, social deduction games like Blood on the Clocktower, Magic the Gathering, card games, and party games. If it's on BoardGameGeek's list of over 25,000 games, we might be playing it!
We have a Discord! Connect with hundreds of other local board game fans, set up game sessions, play online, and be the first to know about some events before they're announced on Meetup! This link will lead you there!
Anyone can become an event organizer and host events - either specific games or open gaming sessions. If you are interested, please contact the primary organizer.
We are member and organizer driven, and welcome suggestions for improvements and new directions.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Let’s Play Acquire! @ Phoenix Comics & Games!!Phoenix Comics & Games, Seattle, WA
In Acquire, each player strategically invests in businesses, trying to retain a majority of stock. As the businesses grow with tile placements, they also start merging, giving the majority stockholders of the acquired business sizable bonuses, which can then be used to reinvest into other chains. All of the investors in the acquired company can then cash in their stocks for current value or trade them 2-for-1 for shares of the newer, larger business. The game is a race to acquire the greatest wealth!
Acquire is a medium-light complexity financial/economic and tile-placement game with elements of hand management and area control.
New players are welcome, and the host is happy to teach if you haven't played before.2 - 6 players
90 - 120 minutes expected play time, depending on turnout and player familiarity.
BGG Link
3-min How-to (Three Mjnute Boardgames)
(Don't worry, we'll go over the rules on the day, too.)A few important details:
- This event is scheduled to start at 10:00 AM PLEASE be on time!
I will already be at the venue from an earlier game. Please factor traffic & parking into your commute. - Speaking of… It's Cap Hill, so parking can be a challenge. Sorry, it's a walking neighborhood! Phoenix Comics & Games is only about a block from the First Hill Streetcar (Broadway & Denny stop), less than a block from the Capitol Hill light rail station, and very close to several bus lines, though.
- Purchasing something isn't a strict requirement, but it's nice to do since we're using the space. Please support the business if you can!
- If you need to cancel please do so as soon as you know. People on the waitlist and playing that day will appreciate it!
- I open signups for most of my events 1-3 days before pressing the "announce" button here on Meetup; if you want to know about that when it happens and have the opportunity to claim a seat before others, you can join the Seattle Board Games Discord server, where I'll post to let users there know as soon as RSVPs open as well as posting polls for future meetups!
- This event is scheduled to start at 10:00 AM PLEASE be on time!
- Let’s Play Carcassonne!! @Phoenix Comics & GamesPhoenix Comics & Games, Seattle, WA
The southern French city of Carcassonne was founded on an important trade route between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Because of its strategic location, the city was often conquered and has known many rulers. As a result of this varied history, the city is famous for its unique mixture of Roman and Medieval fortifications.
Carcassonne, uses Area Influence, Enclosure, Modular Board, Pattern Building & Tile Placement. Players draw and place a tile with a piece of southern French landscape represented on it. Either a city, a road, a cloister, grassland or some combination thereof, and it must be placed adjacent to tiles that have already been played, in such a way that like matches like. After placing a tile, the player can then decide to place one of their meeples in one of the areas on it to “claim” that feature. When that feature is complete that meeple scores points for its owner.
During a game of Carcassonne, players are faced with decisions like: "Is it really worth putting my last meeple there?" or "Should I use this tile to expand my city, or should I place it near my opponent instead, thus making it a harder for them to complete it and score points?" Since players place only one tile and have the option to place one meeple on it, turns proceed quickly even if it is a game full of options and possibilities.
New players are welcome, and the host is happy to teach if you haven't played before.2 - 6 players
30-45 minutes expected play time, depending on turnout and player familiarity.
BGG Link
4-min How-to (Geek & Sundry)A few important details:
- This event is scheduled to start at 1:00PM PLEASE be on time!
- It's Cap Hill, so parking can be a challenge. Please factor traffic & parking into your commute and if you will be late post in messages or the Discord. Phoenix Comics & Games is about a block from several bus lines, the First Hill Streetcar (Broadway & Denny), & the Capitol Hill light rail station.
- If you need to cancel please do so as soon as you know. People on the waitlist and playing that day will appreciate it! Signing up for this event means other people are counting on you to attend; board games have both a minimum and a maximum player count, so with limited seats available, I want to be sure that those seats actually have people in them. Last-minute cancellations (less than 12 hours), no-shows, and late arrivals (15+ minutes) without good reason will be marked as no-shows for the event and will be automatically moved to the waitlist if one forms for any and all future events they join which are hosted by me.
- SUPPORT THE VENUE! - Purchasing something isn't a requirement, but it's nice to do since we're using the space. Please support the business if you can!
- I open signups on Wednesday, 3 days before pressing the "announce" button here on Meetup; if you want to have the opportunity to claim a seat early, you can join the SBG Discord, where I'll post to let users there know as soon as RSVPs open as well as updates and posting polls for future meetups!
- Let’s Play Carpe Diem!! @Anchorhead Coffee!Anchorhead Coffee & Bakery, Seattle, WA
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and there are many reasons for that. Why, take being a merchant as an example. You can build a large landscape fit for raising and harvesting grapes and chickens, but your gains are meager and you’re gouged on the sale price when you trade them in at the merchant shack. To get anything done, you have to have bureaucratic approval, but gaining that is its own hoop to jump through. So you must do what you can to make opportunities and Seize the Day!
Carpe Diem, is a game of foo
The players slip into the role of rich patricians in ancient Rome building a lucrative city district to score as many prestige points as possible. The novel way to get to the individual buildings of a district combined with a large variety of score cards make for an unusual game with a large number of strategies.
It’s an intricate puzzle that is super fast, & simple, but offers a depth to strategy as you must adapt to the tactical changes of the game state move by move, round by round. Interactions between players exists in the tile capture and Forum placement, and that adds another element to consider in your strategy.
New players are welcome, and the host is happy to teach if you haven't played before.2 - 4 players
45-150 minutes expected play time, depending on turnout and player familiarity.
BGG Link
19-min How-to (Watch it Played)
(Don't worry, we'll go over the rules on the day, too.)A few important details:
-
The event space is in the basement and there are only stairs (no elevator) if you have mobility issues keep this in mind.
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This event is scheduled to start at 10:00 AM PLEASE be on time!
-
It's Cap/First Hill/Seattle U, so parking can be a challenge. Please factor traffic & parking into your commute and if you will be late post in messages or the Discord. Anchorhead is only a few blocks from the First Hill Streetcar (Broadway & Pike/Pine or Broadway & Marion) and the #2 and #12 bus lines.
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If you need to cancel please do so as soon as you know. People on the waitlist and playing that day will appreciate it! Signing up for this event means other people are counting on you to attend; board games have both a minimum and a maximum player count, so with limited seats available, I want to be sure that those seats actually have people in them. Last-minute cancellations (less than 12 hours), no-shows, and late arrivals (15+ minutes) without good reason will be marked as no-shows for the event and will be automatically moved to the waitlist if one forms for any and all future events they join which are hosted by me.
-
SUPPORT THE VENUE! - Purchasing something isn't a requirement, but it's nice to do since we're using the space. Please support the business if you can!
-
I open signups on Wednesday, 3 days before pressing the "announce" button here on Meetup; if you want to have the opportunity to claim a seat early, you can join the SBG Discord, where I'll post to let users there know as soon as RSVPs open as well as updates and posting polls for future meetups!
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