The 2026 Board Game Shelf Analysis

The yearly recurring thing called the Board Game Shelf Analysis didn’t recur in 2023 and didn’t in 2025. I guess I don’t really like odd-numbered years but I do like to write about this now deemed as a biennial event during the summer. In 2024, I still had to make due with the smaller hallway closet. Since last year everything was moved to a bigger Kallax that’s still riddled with gaping holes: enough space left to welcome new boxes. But first we have to say our goodbyes to a few ones.

Take a look at the photo of the above linked post to inspect the state of the board game shelf in 2022 and 2024. Below is the updated 2026 version, just before selling the culled ones. Please ignore all the baby toys that seem to find their way up, under, and inside every single piece of furniture in our house.

The top right box contains games that should leave the collection. I’m trying to figure out a system starting from the left (in) and ending to the right (out). The idea was also to have a few spaces on eye level where I could place the games that deserve more plays/attention.

So what’s gone and what’s new?

The Gone Ones

• Nightfall was already “culled” in 2024 but I can’t seem to make a sale on that one. It’s out of print and I don’t charge a lot. That is one persistent box!
• Dungeons, Dice & Danger (Richard Garfield made a roll & write and it’s not very good)
• French Quarter is just not as good as Three Sisters and I can’t justify owning both
• Ora & Labora is the one that got felled as I own too many Uwe games and want even more
• Speaking of which, Click A Tree is a disaster, I wish I didn’t back that one.
• I also gutted Framework and Robin of Locksley in 2025. Yes I have/had too many Uwe games, I told you. And Nusfjord is on my wishlist. Perhaps also Hallertau?
• Conservas is a neat little solo bag building game. I finished the campaign and it has not a lot of staying power after that.

As mentioned in the 2024 post, we own too many small box 2-player only games that my wife no longer likes to play. Glasgow, Caper, and/or Paris are my next culling candidates.

The New Ones

Again, the columns are defined as follows: game name, BoardGameGeek average score (1-10), own score (4: Great!, 3: Good, 2: Average, 1: Bad, /: No Score, see my grading systems discussion), BoardGameGeek weight (1-5), estimated plays (From ++; played a lot, to -; barely played). The table is sorted by plays (most to least).

Game	Score (BGG/Own)	Weight	Plays
Sky Team	8.1 (3)	2.04	12
Reforest	7.5 (4)	2.57	9
Dorfromantik: Sakura	8.0 (4)	1.94	8
Dinosaur Island: Rawr ’n Write	7.6 (3)	2.86	7
Rajas of the Ganges: The Dice Chambers	7.5 (3)	2.27	7
Faraway	7.5 (3)	1.94	6
Fliptown & New Frontiers	7.3 (3)	2.39	4
Earthborne Rangers	8.0 (3)	3.47	2
Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition	7.6 (3)	2.92	2
The White Castle: Matcha	8.4 (4)	3.29	2
Palm Island	7.1 (/)	1.75	1
Urbion	7.7 (/)	1.75	1
Mage Knight: Ultimate Edition	8.8 (/)	4.38	1
Spirit Island	8.3 (/)	4.07	0

I left out two new dice for Railroad Ink that I have yet to touch and the Kingdom Legacy: Distant Lands expansion that’s also still in shrink wrap. Ouch. That list is longer than I anticipated… Only Fliptown is from 2026 though, the rest is from last year.

You might also notice the correlation between a game that gets played and the BGG weight: the heavy hitters sit at the bottom. See my posts on parenting as to why. I’m already more than happy that my wife likes both Dorfromantik: Sakura and The Dice Chambers. It’s really cool to play a tile-laying campaign/legacy style game: the last time we managed to open a new box and envelope and we were really excited to see what’s inside!

I got Earthborne Rangers for my 40th birthday last year from a friend. We attempted to start the campaign and played again with more than a month in-between and already forgot most of the rules. He since has moved on to other games he’s into so I think I’ll try and get a solo campaign started instead as I really liked what I saw but I can’t seem to get it on the table. The unopened Spirit Island I got for Christmas is another painful one.

The 2026 Play Stats So Far

I don’t really want to share these stats: in 2024, I wrote Since our baby turned into a rebellious toddler we’ve had to dial back hobby time significantly. Well guess what we had another one and that one loves screaming and kicking around lately. It looks like 2026 is an all-time low when it comes to logged board game plays.

We’re trying to more actively play something small together after the kids are off to bed which is nice. Writing summaries like these help me ground myself: it seems that I have more than board games enough to cover the next few years. And yet backed versions of Sail Legacy and Dark Venture: Battle of the Ancients still have to make their way to our doorstep. I still read Board Game Quest’s Kickstarter summaries but more cautiously evaluate whether it’s worth it. Click A Tree was a good learning lesson.

Today my friend & I played Castles of Burgundy: Special Edition and The White Castle with the expansion. It was a great afternoon to unwind outside (even though we had to seek shelter from the heat after the first game).

braindump   boardgames