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- BLOOD ON THE CLOCKTOWER @ U Wine Bar (21+, new players welcome!)U Wine Bar, Seattle, WA
"Believe nothing you hear, and only one half that you see."
During a hellish thunderstorm, a scream echoes through the sleepy town of Ravenswood Bluff. The citizens rush to investigate, and find the beloved local storyteller has been murdered, their body hanging limp from hands of the clocktower in the town square. As blood drips onto the cobblestones below, a realization slowly dawns… a demon has been unleashed, killing by night and taking on human form by day. Can good find the demon in time? Or will evil overrun this once-peaceful town?
Blood on the Clocktower is a bluffing game of murder and mystery, lies and logic, deduction and deception, for five to twenty courageous players and one devious Storyteller.
A social game played in person, seated in a circle, each player receives either a "good" or "evil" token with their unique character on it. Good players share information to solve the mystery, while evil players lie about who they are and what they know. The good team wins if they can piece together their knowledge, trust each other, and execute the demon. The evil team wins if the demon can sow distrust, evade detection, and wipe out the village.
Blood on the Clocktower is a medium-complexity team-based hidden role and murder/mystery game involving a mixture of social deduction and logical deduction, in which a Storyteller hosts and moderates the game to ensure a balanced and rewarding experience for all participants.
New players are welcome, and the hosts are happy to teach if you haven't played before.
5 - 15 players (and one Storyteller) per game; if a waitlist forms we'll try to recruit another Storyteller to run a second game
60 - 120 minutes expected play time per game, depending on turnout and player familiarity; we'll probably be able to play more than once. While the event is scheduled to end at 5:00 PM, our "hard stop" time is 6:00 so we need to be finished up by then no matter what.Blood on the Clocktower on Board Game Geek
Game overview: How to Play from The Pandemonium Institute (Don't worry, we'll go over the rules on the day, too!)A few important details:
- U Wine Bar is a newly-opened board game store and wine bar in Fremont/Wallingford. This is not a pub; it's a vibrant community space that strives to provide the best experience possible for its clientele, so please be mindful of the setting and conduct yourself with courtesy and civility. We want everyone to feel comfortable and welcome, so let’s bring our best selves -- dress appropriately, be considerate of others, and treat the venue and staff with the respect they deserve.
- U Wine Bar is a 21+ establishment. Bring your ID! They also serve beer, cider, mead, hop water, dealcoholized wine, and they're a board game store too! Purchasing something isn't a strict requirement, but it's nice to do since we're being allowed to use the space. Please support the business if you can!
- 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!
- Let’s Play Princes of Florence! @Phoenix Comics!Phoenix Comics & Games, Seattle, WA
In The Princes of Florence, players attract artists and scholars to their palace while trying to become the most prestigious family in Florence.
Over seven rounds, players attempt to score points in various ways, with most points being earned by playing profession cards to generate "work points", which can be exchanged for money or victory points. The game includes a variety of professions, such astronomers, organists, and architects; each profession is attracted to a particular combination of building, landscape feature, and social freedom, and players acquire these items via auctions. The more that a player can match these preferences, the more work points they earn — but the minimum requirement of work points increases each round, and you must meet that threshold in order to convert the work points.Princes of Florence uses Bidding, Grid Coverage, Tile Placement, & VP as a Resource.
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
14-min How-to (Nights Around a Table)
(Don't worry, we'll go over the rules on the day, too.)A few important details:
- 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, 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!
- 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!
- This event is scheduled to start at 1:00PM PLEASE be on time!
- Let’s Play Traders of Genoa!! @ Phoenix Comics!Phoenix Comics & Games, Seattle, WA
In Genoa (originally The Traders of Genoa), players take the part of Renaissance traders, moving about the city acquiring goods and filling orders for goods. Messages need to be delivered and privileges obtained. Of course, none of this can be accomplished on one's own. Much negotiation and deal-making is the order of the day in an effort to become the richest deal-maker in Genoa. Flexible rules allow for negotiating almost everything in the game.
Genoa, is a pure negotiation game wrapped around a pick & deliver mechanic with a small bit of set collecting. There is no downtime and players interact throughout the game.
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.
BBG Link
5-min How-to (Bored to Death)
(Don't worry, we'll go over the rules on the day, too.)A few important details:
- This event is scheduled to start at 3:00 PM PLEASE be on time!
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!
- 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!
- This event is scheduled to start at 3:00 PM PLEASE be on time!
