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- Let’s Play Ticket to Ride: Rails & Sails! @Anchorhead Coffee!Anchorhead Coffee & Bakery, Seattle, WA
The world is changing fast. All over the world, railroad tracks bridge countries and continents, and trips that would take weeks can now be completed in a matter of days. Water is no longer the obstacle it once was; now, huge ocean liners carry hundreds of passengers across the sea. from Los Angeles to Sydney, from Murmansk to Dar Es Salaam, Ticket to Ride: Rails & Sails takes you on a railroad adventure across the entire globe. All aboard, and get ready for an unforgettable journey!
Ticket to Ride: Rails & Sails is a Hand Management, Route Building, Drafting, & Set Collection game. Players start with tickets in hand that show two cities, and over the course of the game they try to collect the appropriate transportation, then claim routes with their procured trains and ships At game end players will calculate the value of claimed tickets, positive or negative, before declaring a winner!
Rails & Sails introduces new concepts such as Tours, harbors, & asset management..
New players are welcome, and the host is happy to teach if you haven't played before.2 - 5 players
60 - 120 minutes expected play time, depending on turnout and player familiarity.
BGG Link
12-min How-to (Games Across the Board)
(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.
- This event is scheduled to start at 10:00 AM PLEASE be on time!
Please factor traffic & parking into your commute. - Speaking of… It's Cap Hill/First Hill/Seattle U, so parking can be a challenge. Sorry, it's a walking neighborhood! Anchorhead is only a few blocks from the First Hill Streetcar (Broadway & Pike/Pine or Broadway & Marion stops are about the same distance) and very close to the #2 and #12 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!
- 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 a limited number of seats available at the table, I want to be sure for everyone's benefit that those seats actually have people in them when the session starts. Last-minute cancellations (less than 12 hours), no-shows, and late arrivals (more than 15 minutes) without good reason will be marked as no-shows for the event and should expect to be automatically moved to the waitlist for any and all future events they join which are hosted by me.
- 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!
- Let’s Play Cargo Noir! @Anchorhead Coffee!Anchorhead Coffee & Bakery, Seattle, WA
***Little Hong Kong: Hour of the Tiger -***Loaded with clandestine goods, a sampan glides through the dark waters of Aberdeen Harbour. It slips unnoticed under the bow of a British patrol boat whose crew seems more interested in sleep than watchfulness...
Cargo Noir is an Economic, Auction, Set Collection, & Worker Placement game where you are a "family" that traffics in smuggled goods in a 1950s noir setting. Each turn, you'll set sail to various ports where cargo is known to get "lost" for the right price – Hong Kong, Bombay, Rotterdam, New York and more – and you'll make an offer for the goods on display. If another family then offers more in that port, you'll need to up your bid or take your money and slink away to look for goods elsewhere. Stand alone in a port, though, and you'll be able to discretely move the goods from the dock to your personal warehouse. Once you collect goods, you can trade them in to add more ships to your fleet – allowing you to scout for wares in more locations – acquire Spoils, and do more. The more goods you collect, the more valuable they can be. The player with the most Spoils at game end wins.
New players are welcome, and the host is happy to teach if you haven't played before.2 - 5 players
30 - 90 minutes expected play time, depending on turnout and player familiarity.
BGG Link
6-min How-to (Boardgame Quickstart)
(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.
- This event is scheduled to start at 1:00PM PLEASE be on time!
Please factor traffic & parking into your commute. - Speaking of… It's Cap Hill/First Hill/Seattle U, so parking can be a challenge. Sorry, it's a walking neighborhood! Anchorhead is only a few blocks from the First Hill Streetcar (Broadway & Pike/Pine or Broadway & Marion stops are about the same distance) and very close to the #2 and #12 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!
- 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 a limited number of seats available at the table, I want to be sure for everyone's benefit that those seats actually have people in them when the session starts. Last-minute cancellations (less than 12 hours), no-shows, and late arrivals (more than 15 minutes) without good reason will be marked as no-shows for the event and should expect to be automatically moved to the waitlist for any and all future events they join which are hosted by me.
- 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!
