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, Magic the Gathering, card games, and party games. If it's on BroadGameGeek's list of over 25,000 games (https://boardgamegeek.com/browse/boardgame?sort=rank), we might be playing it!
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- On Mars @ The Missing PieceThe Missing Piece, Seattle, WA
As Monique says, "On Mars is so good! I love on Mars so much that I can play it every day for a week and not get tired of it. But it is just so complicated, definitely the most complicated Lacerda game, complicated to teach, to learn, to figure out. But it's not impossible, so do not let me discourage you from playing this game. It's ranked so high because it's an excellent, excellent game."
On Mars is a complex strategy game about the colonization of Mars. It’s currently ranked 36 among strategy games on BGG. As chief astronaut for a colonization company, you seek to develop the biggest, most advanced colony on Mars by achieving both the United Nations’ mission goals and your company’s private agenda.
Be sure to watch the teach section of one of the following videos if you are a first-time player:
- On Mars - Playthrough & Review (Heavy Cardboard)
- How to Play On Mars - Official Tutorial from Gaming Rules! (Paul Grogan, sponsored by publisher)
- On Mars - Playthrough & Review (0:00 - 38:20 - Overview/Rules Teach, Monique and Naveen, Before You Play)
Overview
In the beginning, you will be dependent on supplies from Earth and will have to travel often between the Mars Space Station and the planet's surface. As the colony expands over time, you will shift your activities to construct mines, power generators, water extractors, greenhouses, oxygen factories, and shelters. Your goal is to develop a self-sustaining colony independent of any terrestrial organization. This will require understanding the importance of water, air, power, and food — the necessities for survival.On Mars is played over several rounds, each consisting of two phases - the Colonization Phase and the Shuttle Phase.
During the Colonization Phase, each player takes a turn during which they take actions. The available actions depend on the side of the board they are on. If you are in orbit, you can take blueprints, buy and develop technologies, and take supplies from the Warehouse. If you are on the surface of the planet, you can construct buildings with your bots, upgrade these buildings using blueprints, take scientists and new contracts, welcome new ships, and explore the planet’s surface with your rover. In the Shuttle Phase, players may travel between the colony and the Space Station in orbit.
All buildings on Mars have a dependency on each other and some are required for the colony to grow. Building shelters for Colonists to live in requires oxygen; generating oxygen requires plants; growing plants requires water; extracting water from ice requires power; generating power requires mining minerals; and mining minerals requires Colonists. Upgrading the colony’s ability to provide each of these resources is vital. As the colony grows, more shelters are needed so that the Colonists can survive the inhospitable conditions on Mars.
During the game, players are also trying to complete missions. Once a total of three missions have been completed, the game ends. To win the game, players must contribute to the development of the first colony on Mars. This is represented during the game by players gaining Opportunity Points (OP). The player with the most OP at the end of the game is declared the winner.
For more information about upcoming local game events like this, visit Strategy Eurogames.
- Let's play NEMESIS (+Void Seeders) in First Hill!The Rise on Madison, Seattle, WA
Nemesis will take you into the heart of sci-fi survival horror. A soldier fires blindly down a corridor, trying to slow the creatures' advance. A scientist races to find a solution in his makeshift lab. A traitor steals the only remaining escape pod at the very last moment. The hostile organisms infesting the ship are not only reacting to the noise you make, but also evolving as the time goes by. The longer the game takes, the stronger they become.
Everyone on board the Nemesis talks to the ship when they’re alone, but no one expected it to start whispering back. Now, the crew will have to face a terror unlike anything they have ever experienced, a terror that will have them doubting even their own minds.
This session will make use of the Void Seeders expansion, which replaces the usual Xenomorph-inspired Intruders with quasi-real psychic threats that can force players to turn on one another (or themselves). Instead of Alien, think Event Horizon.
Ranked the #21 board game of all time on Board Game Geek - BGG info page
Declared the "best horror game ever made" by No Rolls BarredNemesis is a medium-high complexity semi-cooperative survival horror adventure game with an emphasis on exploration, resource management, and achieving individual goals that may or may not conflict with those of other players (including deliberately targeting those players for elimination from the game). New players are welcome, and the host is happy to teach if you haven't played before.
1 - 5 players
3 - 4 hours expected play time, depending on turnout and player familiarityA few important details:
- This can be a long one; the play time listed above is no joke. You've been warned!
- This event will take place in a semi-public lounge space inside a residential apartment building. The building is secure so the host will need to escort you in; please be sure you have notifications enabled on the Meetup website and/or app so we can communicate via DM or event chat.
- Another great way to stay in touch is to join the new Seattle Board Games Discord server using this link. Additionally, I post my games via the Discord 1-3 days before pressing the "announce" button here on Meetup, so being connected to us there means you'll hear about these events early and have an opportunity to reserve a seat before others do!
- Street parking is usually available nearby, though there is a paid lot next door if need be. The building is within walking distance of the #12 and #60 bus lines, as well as the First Hill Streetcar.
