We are in the midst of the Board Game Golden Age. Catan, Ticket to Ride, and Pandemic have sold millions of copies worldwide and continue to bring the masses to the tabletop. You may be surprised to learn about two big factors in the growth of the tabletop industry: Kickstarter and Target.
Board games on Kickstarter have been funded for over $1 billion, but it’s still a niche market. Go to Target and you’ll find the stand-by classics like Monopoly, Risk, and Yahtzee, but you’ll also find an impressive selection of board games that’ll impress veteran gamers and make your next family game night a more enjoyable experience.
Here are five must-buy games sold exclusively at Target.
Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition
The original Terraforming Mars has been a top-rated game since its release in 2016. Set in the 25th century, Terraforming Mars challenges players to make the Red Planet habitable for human beings. It’s an epic engine-building game, but not for the faint of heart: games typically last two hours or more, depending on player count.
Thankfully, Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition offers the same great card-driven play as the original, but in a fraction of the time. Games can be completed in less than an hour and still provide satisfying gameplay.
The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls
Fans of the video game The Binding of Isaac will love what they get in this analog adaptation of the digital version. Play cards and roll dice to kill monsters, discover loot and other items, and hopefully find four souls. Whoever finds the four souls first wins the game.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign, The Binding of Isaac: Four Souls was picked up by Target and now offers three Target-exclusive cards.
The Princess Bride Adventure Book Game
Anybody got a peanut? The Princess Bride Adventure Book Game is a wonderful adaptation of the beloved film. Players work cooperatively to complete chapters of the movie, which include all of the classic scenes, from the journey into the fire swamp to the climactic battle between Inigo Montoya and Count Rugen.
With sculpted miniatures based on the major characters and an easy-to-learn ruleset, you and your fellow players will be storming the castle in no time.
Megaland
Ryan Lauket is a renowned game designer, artist, and publisher. Above and Below, Near and Far, and Islebound are all part of the same world that he’s created and hobby gamers flock to his games during each release.
Megaland is the best entry point into Lauket’s charming universe. It’s a straightforward press-your-luck game that has the feel of an old-school video game. How far do you push during each level, hoping to collect the items and coins needed for victory? Bonus: Lauket fans were pleasantly surprised to find components for his other games neatly tucked away in Megaland.
Back to the Future: Dice Through Time
Time-traveling through the Back to the Future trilogy has never been better. Hop into Doc Brown’s DeLorean and try to deliver items back to the proper places in the space-time continuum before time is up (or, like the license plate reads, you’re OUTATIME).
This cooperative dice game plays quickly and provides a challenge for players of all skill levels; you can increase/decrease the difficulty by requiring more items to be delivered. Back to the Future: Dice Through Time embraces its source material with all of the fun quotes and movie scenes that make it an enduring favorite.