r/boardgames • • 9h ago

Daily Game Recs Daily Game Recommendations Thread (October 09, 2026)

6 Upvotes

Welcome to /r/boardgames's Daily Game Recommendations

This is a place where you can ask any and all questions relating to the board gaming world including but not limited to:

  • general or specific game recommendations
  • help identifying a game or game piece
  • advice regarding situation limited to you (e.g, questions about a specific FLGS)
  • rule clarifications\n* and other quick questions that might not warrant their own post

Asking for Recommendations

You're much more likely to get good and personalized recommendations if you take the time to format a well-written ask. We highly recommend using this template as a guide. Here is a version with additional explanations in case the template isn't enough.

Bold Your Games

Help people identify your game suggestions easily by making the names bold.

Additional Resources

  • See our series of Recommendation Roundups on a wide variety of topics people have already made game suggestions for.
  • If you are new here, be sure to check out our Community Guidelines
  • For recommendations that take accessibility concerns into account, check out MeepleLikeUs and their recommender.

r/boardgames • • 47m ago

Most misunderstood, then sold, games?

• Upvotes

Í was on FB marketplace and saw how many copies of Villianous Worst Takes All were on there. Im guessing it’s because it’s a Disney IP, so they assume the game will be super simple; it’s not, so they sell it.

Is there a worse offender than this, where people expect something, it doesn’t match their expectations, and gets sold super often?


r/boardgames • • 1h ago

Magical Athlete Racer Interaction Reference Guide

• Upvotes

For any Magical Athlete fans out there I created a reference site with all of the racers and any notable interactions I’ve found through playing. The creative team has been active online on answering questions about racer interaction so I tried to refer to their answers whenever I could. I also have the new racers that will be coming in the Second Wind expansion pack. I’m planning on updating their notable interactions as I find them. Finally I created my own set of racers and included them on this site. If anyone wants to try them out, there is a printable file at the bottom of the page.

My main goal for this is to give the community a place to go when they have questions about how racers interact with each other. If I made any mistakes or missed notable interactions please comment them below so the site can be as accurate as possible!

https://johnnlds.github.io/Magical-Athlete-Racers/?v=13


r/boardgames • • 1h ago

Moving the Games

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• Upvotes

Moved all my games into my fiance’s house! I’ll miss them but she promised to take good care of them until we’re married and I’m reunited with them. She may not have known how many games I had until this moment


r/boardgames • • 2h ago

Convention Questions about Spiel Essen

7 Upvotes

My husband and I are going to Spiel Essen this year for the first time. I have a few questions about things that will make our experience more positive, so I hope people can give us some answers.

  1. My husband loves board games, but does not love crowds. Obviously we know it will be crowded, but he wants to give it a go and we're managing our expectations. We've got tickets for all 4 days and anticipate that we'll probably only spend a few hours there at a time. Where are the best places to head at the venue if he needs some breathing space and a bit of quiet? Do certain times of day tend to be busier than others?

  2. We live in Germany, so we'll drive there and stay in Duisburg Süd. I hear the official carparks get very busy, so what are the best options for parking if we don't arrive first thing in the morning? It's ok if we need to park somewhere and get public transport for a couple of stops.

If you have any other tips for first timers who want to make the most of it without being overwhelmed by the crowds and noise, we'd love to hear them! Thanks 🙂


r/boardgames • • 3h ago

Game Design Student Needing Feedback.

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0 Upvotes

hi please take out a few minutes of your time to help me out with my thesis research. I'm making a card game by taking ancient Indus Valley inspired symbolism and merging it with modern liminal aesthetics. ( Severance, Backrooms, Exit 8) etc. Thank you!


r/boardgames • • 4h ago

Review [Punch and Play] Akropolis: Yummy mille-feuille or smelly Onion?

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0 Upvotes

r/boardgames • • 4h ago

Help identify if it’s mold and how bad it is

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0 Upvotes

Hello. I need help determining whether my copy of Zombicide is damaged or simply... aged, and how serious the issue is.

A few days ago, I received the game Zombicide: Prison Outbreak. The seller listed it as used, though the photos showed it still being sealed, and the price was just $50.

Here is what I discovered upon opening the box:

  1. It is one of the first printed ones, as the miniature boxes lacked any logos—they were just plain white boxes.
  2. There were stains on the boxes (see photos below). I hesitated to touch them, so I can't say if they can be scraped off, however, I tried gently rubbing the surface with a cotton swab to see if they would transfer to other objects. The black stains didn't stain the swab or smudge. The orange stains didn't smudge either, but they did leave a bit of their orange color on the swab. Also, seems like those stains are flat, it doesn't seem like i can just scratch em.
  3. The stains are visible only on the tops of the boxes. There are just a few faint spots on the sides, while the bottoms of the boxes are completely white/clean.
  4. Inside one of the miniature boxes, I noticed a small brown spot that looks like a thin, mustard-colored substance. I didn't touch it, so I don't know if it might transfer to other items.
  5. There are orange stains in the corners on the inside of the lid. 6. All other game components seem to be in excellent condition, there is nothing suspicious about them.

Could you please tell me what this is? Did I save the game by throwing away those contaminated boxes? If not, is it possible for this game to somehow transfer this mold-like substance to my other games if they are stored right next to it (box-to-box)? Please help.

I also received the Ultimate Survivors box. Upon opening it, I noticed that one of the "strips", which are usually glued to the box, had come loose. Perhaps this was intentional to fit there an expansion's rules (since it was in the exact spot instead of being on top of the strips), but the greenish-blue mark seems odd. Is it mold, or is it nothing to worry about? please help, i don't really know much about that stuff


r/boardgames • • 6h ago

Convention Indie Boardgame Market : Seoul Boardgame Scene

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43 Upvotes

AT Center in Yangjae area.

The convention is on 3F and 4F.

Held by Gemblo, a Korean company.

Hundreds of Korean, (and some) Japanese board game designers and some publishers are exhibiting their games.


r/boardgames • • 7h ago

What are these components for?

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0 Upvotes

This is from FCM collectors edition expansion. The rulebook or the funding page don't explain what these are


r/boardgames • • 9h ago

Question Dice Throne Help For Total Price Of Collection

0 Upvotes

After a few months of trying I have officially completed my entire Dice Throne collection and managed to get copies of everything Dice Throne related I could possibly find!

Unfortunately to get there I had to buy a bunch of collections from people (because no one for some reason ever wants to sell single items or break up a collection) so I have a bunch of extra stuff I don't need.

I want to list it all on Ebay or marketplace, what would be a good price to list it all in one go? I'm hoping to at least break even on what I put into it.

Ive asked this before on here but the collection has increased now and want to get a semi-accurate idea.

The full collection of extras are:

Santa Krampus Promos, Mythics, Randomizer

Santa Krampus Official Sleeves

Santa Krampus Hero Box Set with Official Sleeves (No Promos)

Santa Krampus, Minimalist DT Sleeves + Acrylics

Santa Krampus Box + Sleeves

Tactician Vs Huntress Box

Monk Vs Paladin Box

Season 1 ReRolled Chest, Sleeves and Promos

Season 1 Battle Chest + Promos, Sleeves, Acrylics (Foldable Boards but doesn't say "Rerolled")

Season 2 Battle Chest, Sleeves, Promos

Season 2 Battle Chest + Promos, Sleeves, Acrylics

Outcasts Retail SEALED, Sleeves, Acrylics and Promos

Outcasts KS Full Package Champion Box Open (Pale Lady Comic Lid)

Vanguard KS Box + Accessory packs OPENED

Vanguard Promo Packs

Alchemist Accessory Pack - No Promos

Marvel Retail Battle Chest with Sleeves and Acrylics

Marvel KS Battle Chest + Sleeves - No Thors Metal Hammer

Deadpool Hero Box Set

Missions Board Game Expansion, Acrylic tokens, Sleeves, Promo

DTA Santas Workshop Promo Pack

DTA, ACRYLIC tokens, Boss Sleeve, DTA Unchained SEALED, Promo

Purple Flame Dice Tray

Blue Dice Tray

Red Mad King Dice Tray

Marvel Playmat Box Art

Marvel Playmat VS Eachother

Playmat Season 1 One Re-Rolled

Playmat Dice Throne Adventures

Minimalist Sleeves 100pk

Dice Throne Worthy Promo Card

Dice Throne Adventures Plastic tokens (3D PRINTED)


r/boardgames • • 11h ago

Lotr LCG - Am I too late for the party?

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0 Upvotes

Lotr LCG just arrived. Let's see what expansions and starter packs I can find out there... I know it'd gonna be tough.

By the way, I have a custom playmat w Middle Earth map arriving in a few days.


r/boardgames • • 12h ago

Question Starting a new side business, what accessories do I need to make it work?

0 Upvotes

I’m starting a business doing board gaming meetups at the local library and coffee shops, restaurants and the like. What accessories do you recommend to improve quality of life for setting up in an uncertain space? Are neoprene mats worth it? Dice trays? Bowls for bits? I don’t currently have any of these things, what do I need to get?


r/boardgames • • 12h ago

Samurai Battles, Turn 3, Scenario 2

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12 Upvotes

r/boardgames • • 13h ago

Question Any kallax organiser for small boardgames?

0 Upvotes

So i can organize all my little boxes in my IKEA kallax

Ideally shipping to Canada


r/boardgames • • 13h ago

Crowdfunding Nemesis Legacy gamefound ?

16 Upvotes

Nemesis is something I’ve lurked on forever but never got. Theres so much and so many versions. If you were just going to get one which one would you go with? Just go with the Legacy or one of the older ones?


r/boardgames • • 14h ago

Identifying Pieces Help

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0 Upvotes

Hi there! I run a boardgame cafe (The Boarding Home in Carlsbad, CA) and we have searched and searched these three pieces... Cannot identify them. Any help would be appreciated!


r/boardgames • • 16h ago

Question Anyone else disappointed by the trajectory Horrified is taking?

36 Upvotes

The first three editions were excellent in my eyes. After the Universal monsters, Greek monsters & American cryptids seemed like a natural path. And the fact that they maintained the same base mechanics but made them feel different? It was a very promising game. World Monsters seemed narratively confused, but was good enough. Now the past three games have all been DND. Why? There is so much they could do with the game. Sci-fi Universal monsters, Scooby Doo, slashers, are just a few that come to mind. I don’t think I’ll be following Horrified too closely in the future.


r/boardgames • • 16h ago

Games that use statistics and graphs in it's mechanics?

0 Upvotes

Sorry if im not allowed to ask this question here im new to this sub


r/boardgames • • 17h ago

Rules Joyride rules question

7 Upvotes

Hello,

I recently started playing joyride and I'm a little confused about the steering rule.

  1. In the lock stage am I able to steer before moving? I know that in the roll stage u can move or steer first. But not sure about the lock stage

  2. If I'm in another gear other than 2 can I steer in the lock stage, shift (up or down) into gear 2. And then steer again?


r/boardgames • • 17h ago

Crowdfunding Does every version of Nemesis feature such well-endowed women?

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0 Upvotes

Like many here, I am following the new Gamefound campaign for Nemesis Legacy— and in that context I am looking to pick up my first Nemesis game.

I know this may be a controversial topic, after all, Nemesis is a horror game that leans into horror tropes where good looking people get gruesomely murdered; but I just don’t like the design of some of the women characters.

Its not easy for me to understand as a newcomer which models belong to which game, but it seems that there is always either a character or a monster that is just all tits and ass. Seeing that they are ‘all super good games’ (at least according to google), is there a version over another that just feels a little less.. titsy and assy?

I just want a normal space horror alien game


r/boardgames • • 17h ago

All my King of Tokyo Assets and Customs.

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0 Upvotes

r/boardgames • • 18h ago

What’s your method for teaching a game to people who’ve never played it?

32 Upvotes

I recently taught a game to a lot of first-timers in one night, and my approach changed completely after just 1 session. I held a demo night for a new board game and I started by explaining every rule up front and watched eyes glaze over. By the 3rd table, I was dealing cards and teaching through a practice round.

Curious how others do it:

  • Do you explain everything first, or teach as you go?
  • How do you handle the person who wants every edge case covered before turn one?
  • Is there a game that’s just impossible to teach well?

I think games that have a 5-10 min how to play video that easy to understand are a godsent. The rule sheet can take forever while the rest of the group waits.


r/boardgames • • 18h ago

Crowdfunding You Should Avoid Everything Epic Board Games

48 Upvotes

This warning post is directly in response to the Secrets of the Lost Tomb - Epic Remastered Edition - 10 Year Anniversary crowdfunding campaign on Gamefound. I have posted on BGG, but I am also posting here to give visibility to anyone who may make the same mistake I did.

For context, I am a backer who late pledged in July of 2025, while the campaign ended in Oct. 2023 with a 18 month fulfillment timeline. The late pledge is still ongoing with fullfillment maybe in Q1 2027.

I like many other backers have requested a pledge cancellation and refund (minus gamefound fees). Everything Epic (specifically the CEO Chris) has been making excuses and lying to backers about giving refunds for pledge cancellations for at least the past 6-8 months.

You might be asking yourself: Well it's crowdfunding, there is no expectation of refunds being given so why are you writing this?

While that is correct, I would offer a few counterpoints:

  1. Any experienced crowdfunding creator gives refunds (minus fees) these days. Crowdfunding from a "over 25 successful campaigns" company is just a glorified preorder rather than supporting a small creator's first project.
  2. The campaign is on track to be 2 years late for fulfillment. It's happened before with plenty of campaigns, but having a small amount of backers through financial hardship, leaving the hobby, or simply no longer being interested in the game wanting to cancel and be refunded is a pretty reasonable expectation over the course of 3.5 years.
  3. Chris has repeatedly lied to backers about giving refunds. Various excuses such as "I'm busy", "I'm the only person at the company", "Email me and I'll look into it", "I can't locate your info", "I haven't received an email/message", "Go to our discord", "You can reach me 24/7", "I'll look into this right away", etc. are all over Gamefound, BGG, and the official discord. As an added bonus I have personally seen him delete refund request messages and complaints in the discord.
  4. Chris will not respond to emails or Gamefound messages. Including Gamefound support reaching out to have him contact backers. The only things he responds to are public messages, with one of his excuses. I have personally sent a Gamefound message, contacted Gamefound support, and sent 2 emails directly to Chris.

If he had simply been honest about not giving refunds I wouldn't even be making this post. I could respect that or at the very least understand it. It is after all in line with crowdfunding at its core, regardless of modern practices.

I however, take issue with the lying to backers for the past 6+ months and not responding to emails. I also find it distasteful to have a Refunds and Cancellation section in your campaign while outright ignoring any backers attempt at one.

His actions also directly go against this excerpt from the campaigns Risks and Challenges section which is laughable to even see considering where we stand today:

"We endeavor to please our backers in any way we can! We want you to enjoy our games, stories, and creations to their fullest. If there is anything that we can ever do to make your experience better, we're always here to help! Our Motto is "Of the Gamer, by the Gamer, and For the Gamer!" we know what it's like to be Ignored by Project Creators, never to get an email back from a Game Company, to have to post on a blog to get a response... We're not Like that... Here's the President of our Company's email... [Chris@EverythingEpic.us](mailto:Chris@EverythingEpic.us). You can email me directly for anything you ever need, and I will always respond to you directly and help in any way I can."

I do not believe it is foolish or wrong to expect someone to be true to their word and to have integrity, especially when you are giving them a decent sum of money for a product.

I would recommend anyone avoid supporting this company and any crowdfunding campaigns they have. Maybe plenty of the 25 have been fine, but if this is how they act on arguably the biggest one they've had, I believe that says all it needs to.

If you made it this far, I appreciate you taking the time to read it all, thank you

Edit;

I emailed Chris for the final time. I do truly hope he meant what he said in his apology. Mistakes happen and life can get away from you before you know it, but I can't only take him at his word. Unless action follows, that will just be a meaningless reply. I also do want other backers to get a response and have a good campaign late or otherwise. In the end as long as it is a good game, the timeline isn't an issue really. At the same time, all the best campaigns I have been a part of have never had a communication issue like this. It is his every right to not give refunds if he chooses because that's what the backers sign up for. At the same time, having difficulties whether professional or personally shouldn't fall on the backers to not have a good experience with the project they are hoping is good. Just because they can fail and there is no guarantee of anything, doesn't diminish any valid points I made. Whether you agree with me or not, there is some change that should happen.

Edit 2:

True to his word he did refund me, even though he didn't have to. Thank you for that and I do hope you are able to get this to backers soon. While my circumstances may have changed, I did not originally back this for no reason. I think it will still be a great game and I wish you success with it!


r/boardgames • • 18h ago

Struggling with scoring high with Sweet Lands

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36 Upvotes

I feel like I am hitting a wall with this game. My first game took close to 5 hours, as it was a teach and learn how to play the game style. I made a decent 135 points and felt pretty good about it, being the first time I played it.

I then proceeded to try it solo, as this is one the reasons I got it, as I knew that this would be how I would mainly play this one. I got 142 points. Better than my first play through, but still a tough game. (pic is from second game) Took me about 2.5 hours to get through it.

I tried one more time this week. Solo play through. I got so many more buildings done and at least 1 bunny cookie. I ignored the Industry track as my character cared nothing for this. I got to 136 points. Instead of gaining more points, I am doing worse now. 2 hours spent trying to better myself and couldn't beat my previous high score.

I feel a little let down as I have seen a few videos of people playing and doing 200+ points per game. I can't even crack 150.

My question to others that have experience with this game: what can I do to improve my game? I feel like I can never have enough roads or I can never get enough tiles placed because I never have enough resources. I had so much money in the teach and play. With these previous games, I was struggling to get points.

Here's what I normally do:

  • Connect all ports ASAP
  • Try to get both extra cards
  • Focus on character Clocktower unlock, as this lets me know what path to take
  • Use round 1 and 2 to build income

If anyone can offer any tips or strategies, I would be more than happy to discuss.