Board Game/RPG Odds: Predicting the Best-Sellers of 2017
By Don Aguero in Entertainment
Updated: January 17, 2018 at 9:39 am ESTPublished:
It’s time to get back to basics! Forget about your Maddens and Battlefields and Final Fantasies and Minecrafts. Let’s take a moment to unplug and enter the exciting world of board games and tabletop role-playing games. It may have taken a backseat to its louder, more tech-savvy younger sibling, but the board game industry is alive and well — even thriving!
When most people think of tabletop RPGs, Dungeons and Dragons is the one that springs to mind. And with good reason. It is by far the most popular RPG and arguably the only one to break through to mainstream culture. But really, D&D is just the tip of the iceberg. The last year was huge for tabletop RPGs and board games, with a stack of new games, new editions, and new variants released.
Which game will reign supreme in the year to come? Here are our odds on the best-selling tabletop RPGs and board games in 2017. As you’ll see, there are a few games that have a decent chance of topping the charts. It all depends on critical reception,
Odds on the Best-Selling Board Game/RPG of 2017
7th Sea: Second Edition: 17/3
The first edition of 7th Sea was released back in 1999 by legendary game designer John Wick. The RPG was hugely successful upon release but ultimately faded into obscurity. This year, Wick returned with the second edition of 7th Sea, launching it independently through Kickstarter. It was beyond successful. Over 11,000 backers raised $1.3 million to make the project happen.
It’s possible that the 2nd edition – which returns players to the mythical land of Theah – will have an even bigger impact than the first.
A Game of Thrones: Second Edition: 17/3
Seafall: 23/3
From the man who brought us Risk Legacy and Pandemic Legacy comes the highly anticipated SeaFall. Rob Daviau describes the game as “Indiana Jones in the seventeenth century.” It’s a swashbuckling adventure game that sold out of its limited copies before the it was even made available to the general public. As long as they make enough games, it should be among the best-sellers in 2017!
Pandemic: Reign of Cthulhu: 9/1
The Last Friday: 19/1
If you’ve always fantasized about being a deranged mass murderer but didn’t want to deal with the legal and moral repercussions, then The Last Friday is your game. And you’re not alone; the game debuted at this year’s Gen Con, where it sold out instantly. Expect more sales in 2017, though the subject matter will likely turn some people off and prevent it from being the best-seller overall.
Feature photo credit: “fighting with the legends of yore” by Scott Swigart, CC BY-SA 2.0 [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0], via Flickr.
Sports & Entertainment Writer
Don Aguero is a man of many talents, writing about nearly anything you can put odds to. Don has been writing for SportsBettingDime since 2015, covering sports, entertainment and politics. You name it, he's covered it! He is also a steadfast West Ham fan, and has learned to embrace that suffering.
