Board games might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of big-ticket collectibles, and that’s okay. They’re bought to be played, not to be hoarded and speculated on, and there’s really no telling if a board game will become valuable in the future. When a board game becomes a collector’s item, it’s usually because of two factors.
First, a game that goes out of print before its time due to copyright conflicts or financial troubles can sometimes see a second life as a collection piece, especially if it was popular before its death. Second, if there aren’t many complete copies around, let alone sealed ones, the few that remain will command a higher price.
We used price histories on Board Game Oracle and recent completed listings on eBay to determine the prices for these games. As always, they’re subject to change.
HeroQuest (1989)
$150
Its price has come down considerably in recent years, but HeroQuest gets an honorable mention because for a long time a complete box was something of a holy grail for board game collectors. Legions of gamers around the world played the game in the early ’90s as kids, and sought to recreate the magic in the 2000s and 2010s, and a complete set was hard to come by as most extant copies had lost pieces over the years.
A crowdfunded remake hit shelves in 2021, riding that same long-term wave of nostalgia and at the same time crashing the value of the original set. Since most buyers were looking for a set to play rather than just to own, the remake was just as good as the 1989 version in their eyes, so original copies dropped from around $800 to about $150.
Dark Tower (1981)
$200
Another classic title that saw a revival thanks to crowdfunding efforts was Dark Tower, an early electronic boardgame that must have seemed like sorcery when it first released. The centerpiece of the game is the titular tower, which included a computer for handling combat resolution.
Naturally, the big question for anyone trying to get their hands on an original copy is, “does the Tower still work?” If you can find a complete game with a functioning tower, $200 is a very reasonable price for it. Just don’t expect to find a sealed copy from almost 45 years ago – we certainly couldn’t!
Discworld: Ankh-Morpork (2011)
$250
This adaptation of Sir Terry Pratchett’s beloved novels does a great job of bringing Discworld to life while also providing fun, strategic gameplay. Taking on the roles of the various factions of Ankh-Morpork, each player has secret victory conditions, so there’s plenty of bluffing and subterfuge to be done, leading to some tricky situations despite the relatively simple rules.
Whether you’re a Pratchett fan or just like a good board game, Discworld is a great addition to your collection. Of course, it’s been unavailable for some time now, so getting a copy is an expensive proposition.
Advanced Civilization (1991)
$275
Advanced Civilization is an expansion to the 1980 board game Civilization. The base game had been available for a decade and then some when Advanced was released, and is generally considered to be an all-timer for strategy classics, so that’s not too hard to find. Advanced Civilization, though, didn’t have nearly as large of a print run, so it’s scarce nowadays – hence the high prices it commands.
This board game doesn’t have anything to do with Sid Meier’s Civilization, the PC game series that first launched in 1991.
On the bright side, you can usually get the base game bundled with a copy of Advanced Civilization, helping make sure you have the full collection!
StarCraft: The Board Game (2007)
$200 For The Base Game, $600 For The Expansion
If you’ve ever thought the famous Terran-Zerg-Protoss dynamic would make for a great tabletop game, Fantasy Flight was way ahead of you. Their licensed adaptation of Blizzard’s RTS classic was one of the best strategy board games of its day. Sadly, we’re unlikely to ever see a reissue.
The base game itself is a great find if you can get it, but the real prize is the Brood War expansion, based on the classic add-on to the original StarCraft. Printed only in limited quantities, there aren’t many in circulation to complement the existing base games, so they sell for roughly triple the price.
Warhammer 40,000: Forbidden Stars (2015)
$325
Speaking of licensed games by Fantasy Flight, the storied publisher has done some great work with the Warhammer 40K IP over the years. Of particular note is Forbidden Stars, a grand board game that could be described as Twilight Imperium lite in the grim darkness of the far future.
Forbidden Stars let players command the Space Marines, Chaos, Orks, or Aeldari (who were still called Eldar at the time) in conquering a newly-discovered star cluster, deploying the forces of the 41st Millennium on a scale usually reserved for novels. Of course, the only way to get a copy now is on the secondary market, well above the original retail price.
Glory To Rome (2005)
$500 (Black Box Edition)
The legendary title from indie studio Cambridge Games Factory, Glory To Rome was popular among hardcore gamers for its deep gameplay and complexity. The original version, with its cartoony illustrations and plastic case, is well worth seeking out, but if you’re going for gold you want the Black Box Edition, which was available to crowdfunding backers.
The Black Box is more durable overall and fits better on a shelf, and is even rarer than the original (which is saying something), leading a complete copy to hover at around the $500 mark when one turns up on the market.
Case Blue (2007)
$1300
Case Blue was part of the Operational Combat System series of historical wargames, and was not for the faint of heart. Recreating the 1943 invasion of the Soviet Union by Germany in meticulous detail, its devotion to tactical depth and complexity is famous. If these are your kind of games, then Case Blue is considered to be among the best.
Of course, that means anybody who has a copy is going to hang onto it. With its massive component list, the game originally retailed for $250. Time and the overall preciousness of the game in its niche fandom means that you’ll need to offer big bucks to get a history buff to part with their copy.