Crates are pretty popular. Book crates, snack crates, art crates, baby crates… the list goes on and on. We tried Loot Crate but ended up giving most of the items away, so we didn’t renew. We do love our Japan Crate though.
So recently I saw an ad for a game crate, and I was surprised that there’s actually a few different subscription services for a board game box/crate. The first three I came across were Hasbro Gaming Crate, Board Games Bento, and Game Box Monthly.
Hasbro sends out one box every three months. You choose between the Family Crate and the Party Crate. They both contain 3 games related to that month’s theme.
Board Games Bento sends out a box every month with a minimum of 3 games (though they do say it might be 2 games and 1 expansion) which are related to that month’s theme.
Game Box Monthly also sends out a crate every month; however, it’s more tailored to you. You fill out a form when you subscribe to let them know what games you already have, and you can give feedback on the games you received to help them choose the right games for you in the future.
Just looking at those three choices, I would go with Game Box Monthly because I like that you can get a sort of customized box. Looking at the games for the next Hasbro crate, nothing there excites me. They all look like games we would never play. Unless I’m missing something, it doesn’t seem like you can see past games sent out by Board Game Bento, and they say in their FAQ that if you get a game you already have that’s just the risk of a blind box. We have so many games, we’re likely to get something we already own.
It’s not something I’m inclined to jump on now, especially considering our vast gaming library, but it seems like something that would be a lot of fun for someone looking to build their collection.
What about you? Anyone using/used a board gaming crate service?