Board Gameathon 2026

Every year, when the leaves start changing color and the air gets cool and crisp, my wife and I start spending our "cozy" weekend mornings drinking coffee and playing board games.

I say "cozy" because, no matter the number of candles we have burning or autumnal scents entering through our open windows, I still trash talk... a lot.

After a particularly intense game of Wingspan, we decided to settle the score once and for (this) fall. We will spend this season playing every game on our shelf, tracking the winner of each game, to determine who is definitively the king/queen of expensive cardboard.

Current standings

Rules

1. Before starting a game, both players must agree whether it will be counted as the official tournament match. Warm-up rounds, training outside of tournament play and sideline coaching from spectators are all permitted.
2. For games requiring more than two players, final placement will be used to determine the recipient of the tournament point. King-making is permitted and deemed a reflection of the player's interpersonal reputation.
3. For team-based games, my wife and I will draft teams as captains using a classic schoolyard pick. The captain of the winning team will receive the tournament point.
4. All games on the shelf must be played, regardless of whether we've ever played them, how much we despise them or the intended age group.

Games