Gamer Goals 2026 – Board Games Mid Year

Half Way There …

Technically, it’s 7 months in but July was pretty busy. In any case, I thought it was a good excuse for a quick review of what games I’ve managed to get to the table, new and old. One thing I’ve been sloppier at this year is keeping records and I know I’ve missed a few game plays here and there. I’ve also been trying to schedule a boardgame night with friends once a month and that’s been working about half the time.

Goal – Buy a maximum of 5 new games

I’ve done poorly on this, but did manage to get some decent deals from Liquidation stores and Dollarama (Virtual Revolutions for $5, some silly card games for $9) and a few used games that I had been looking at (Unfathomable, Marvel DAGGER) and a couple brand new ones that were on my wish list for over a year (Arkham Horror 3rd ed., Dune Imperium Rising, both franchises that I was a fan of and got at a discount due to a store event). Then there were the games I couldn’t ay no to – Donner Dinner Party (plays 4-10 and is 30 minutes in play, which are both things I’m looking for).

Though I’ve been pretty diligent in adding these games to Libib (which has recently started accepting boardgames as a format), I’ve not tracked what I’ve purchased and I’m going off my memory here. Honestly, I’d forgotten that I even made this a goal so I need to put a reminder to track it in a more memorable place.

Goal – Replay 10+ older games

So far, doing well

• Forbidden Island
• Inca Gold (It’s been repackaged yet again but the mechanics have remained)
• Rumble in the House
• Munchkin Panic
• Tsuro
• Sushi Go
• Wizard
• Shadows over Camelot
• Red Dragon Inn
• Powergrid
• Polis
• Coup
• Killing Dr. Lucky

Goal – Loan / trade 5+ games with other gamers

• I’ve loaned out Scythe to cousins as it’s a pretty hefty game to buy without trying it. I’m a fan and glad to spread the love.
• I’ve got a copy of Berried Treasure on loan from a friend and I’ve enjoyed playing it. Simple enough
• I borrowed Horrified: World of Monsters was a little disappointing for me. I really enjoy the original Horrified and was excited to see ones like Cryptids and Greek Monsters be released. The new mechanic of icons that might activate two monsters at a time made things much more challenging and some of the new mini games didn’t hit the balance of crunchy and simple the same as the original. That being said, even in the original, the Frankenstein’s Monsters mini game never appealed to me either, so I might need to give it another try.