It’s quite insane to imagine how popular board games have become. Due to a board game renaissance and with the recent pandemic further increasing sales, tabletop and card games are more popular than ever. Back in 2019, the total market value for tabletop and card games alone was roughly $2.69 billion. Quite a hefty amount. Now, the US market is expected to rise to more than $5 billion alone by 2025, with the global market value exceeding $21 billion.
With over 100,000 games to choose from, not every game stands on equal footing. Due to several factors such as marketing, player preferences, and others, some games just simply do better than others. Most games that commercially do well receive additional additions and reprints. However, there are some games that are extremely popular yet have not yet received a reprint, making them scarce. This not only prompts remaining editions to skyrocket in price but drives collectors to desperately hunt down and acquire the last few copies for themselves.
6 El Grande
A strategic war game for up to 5 players, El Grande has players assume the role of Spanish nobility (the Grandes) competing to control 9 regions within Spain. Set during Renaissance-era Spain, the king’s power is waning, and it’s time for a new warlord to take power. Using card drafting and area control mechanics, players will draft Caballeros (or knights) to hold and control the various regions and score points every 3rd,6th, and 9th round. The game ends after 9 rounds.
First released in 1995 and created by a German board gaming design duo, the game has been popular with board game enthusiasts ever since. It remains on the top 100 board games of all time on Board Game Geek and has enjoyed multiple reprints, including a big box expansion which includes several expansions and anniversary exclusives. Sadly, both the base and big-box versions are extremely hard to find.
5 Shadows Over Camelot
A social deduction game involving 3-7 players, Shadows Over Camelot has players work together as Knights of the Round Table to prevent evil from destroying Camelot. This can be done by accomplishing several quests and acquiring unique items like the Holy Grail and or Excalibur. However, one player acts as the traitor and is secretly sabotaging the rest of the group whilst biding their time to strike at the precise moment.
Considered a gateway game, Shadows Over Camelot is a great game for veterans and newcomers to the board game hobby. The game features a richly detailed gameboard of Camelot under the threat of evil and has proven to be a solid choice for any game night. Sadly it remains a coveted item as it is not due for a reprint.
4 Chaos In The Old World
A game set in the old perilous world of Warhammer and designed by renowned designer Eric Lang, Chaos In The Old World is a 4-5 player asymmetrical wargame experience that has players assume the role of one of the Gods of Chaos (or as the Horned Rat in the expansion). Players must corrupt the landscapes, and crush the inhabitants of the Old World, whilst battling the influence and followers of fellow rival gods with their chosen champions and monstrosities.
Popular and well-received, the game, unfortunately, has not received a reprint despite petitions and a desire by the board gaming community to do so. Perhaps a newer edition is in the works, players can only hope that it’s true.
3 Forbidden Stars
Enough to make any Warhammer 40K fan wet their lips, Forbidden Stars is a sweet board gaming experience that many players today unfortunately won’t be able to taste its forbidden fruit. Similar in style to its earlier Warhammer cousin, Chaos In The Old World, Forbidden Stars pits players either as Space Marines, Orks, Eldar, or Chaos Space Marines vying to control the long-lost Herakon cluster.
Combining short-term bluffing with long-term tactics, players will have to attempt to claim several key objectives selected by their respective factions. A must-play for any Warhammer fan, Forbidden Stars remains one of the most anticipated games to hit the reprint conveyor belt.
2 Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game
Based on the incredibly popular sci-fi series of the same name, Battlestar Galactica: The Board Game is one of the most loved and played social deduction games ever created. Players take control of key characters from the show and must work together to achieve objectives on the Battlestar Galactica, Colonial 1, or in a Viper to overcome the various crisis, Cylon attacks, and potential treachery.
One of the players begins as a Cylon and must slowly undo and sabotage the team’s efforts. As the game carries on, more players may become Cylons and wait for the right moment to strike. Exciting and full of twists and turns, Battlestar Galactica is one of the best and most highly prized games on the market.
1 Mind MGMT: The Psychic Espionage “Game”
Based on the popular comic of the same name that inspired shows such as LOST,Mind MGMT is a hidden movement game that players similar to Evolve. The game works by having one player assume control of the corrupt Mind MGMT organization and must move around and recruit more psychically-attuned agents to its cause. Every other player is a rogue agent that must stop Mind MGMT from completing its nefarious schemes.
The Mind MGMT player must evade other players using its unique hidden movement map whilst the other players must capture the Mind MGMT player by being on the same block as them. Considered to be one of the best hidden movement games to ever come out, Mind MGMT’s rules are fairly easy to follow and the game plays quite quickly without taking too much time. Sadly the first edition was gobbled up very quickly by voracious hobbyists, but a second edition is indeed in the works.