Building connections: Board games continue to be popular in Utah County, and for good reason
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- Games sit on the shelves at Board Games and Beyond in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025.
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- Board Games and Beyond owner Ian Wingrove stands in his store in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025.
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- Games sit on the shelves at Board Games and Beyond in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025.
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- Games sit on the shelves at Board Games and Beyond in Orem on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025.
When introducing himself to the media a few weeks back, BYU freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier let it known that he’s a board game guy, which is a good thing. Settling into the sometimes unique Provo/BYU culture can be a tough hurdle, for some, but Bachmeier has found a liking to getting together with teammates to play games such as Catan.
Yes, board games are big within the Utah County culture, with BYU football players ready participants.
“I like hanging out with the guys and we do a lot of board games at my house,” said BYU tight end Keayen Nead in an interview with ESPNtheFan radio station. “So you hear Bear Bachmeier talk about Catan. You hear him talking about Secret Hitler and he’s talking about (what happens) at my house. I’m just letting you all know that the board game house is where it’s at.”
According to Nead, Bachmeier’s Catan skills could use some work, and one person who could help tutor the young freshman, and just about anyone else for that matter, is Ian Wingrove.
Wingrove has competed in Catan playing tournaments against some of the best in the country, and even defeated the Catan world champion on one occasion. His day job fits right into his board game passion, turns out, as owner of the three Board Games and Beyond Stores in Utah County.
“I love board games, and thank goodness I do,” Wingrove said with a chuckle. “When you own three board game stores you kind of need to know and enjoy the games that you sell.”
Wingrove’s stores feature many of most popular games around, including every version of Catan you could think of, among many other popular games such as Ticket to Ride, Codenames, Azul and just about every other board game that comes to mind.
“I think of it like I sell happiness,” Wingrove said. “Utah is a very family-oriented community, and I can’t think of many better ways to help keep a family close than to actively play board games together. It’s much better than kids playing video games by themselves. To me, board games is a great way to interact with family and friends and to have a great deal of fun doing it.”
Nead has established his home as a gathering place for teammates in what could be considered Cougar “Board Game Central” for many of the reasons Wingrove highlighted.
Nead himself is relatively new to the Utah County scene, having transferred in from New Mexico to join BYU’s football program during the offseason leading up to the 2025 season. The 6-foot-5, 265 pound tight end is from Idaho, however, and served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which doesn’t make a place like Provo all that foreign.
But for someone like Bachmeier, who is completely new to the Utah County scene in every regard, finding a way to have fun while interacting with teammates can pay big dividends in establishing a positive team culture.
“Board games is a great way to engage your mind while having positive interactions with others,” Wingrove said. “It’s why I love them so much, and it’s very much something I see with a lot of people around this area.”
Many board games involve a lot of time, something that some people just don’t have the bandwidth for, while others can take under an hour to play as a perhaps a concise-yet-fun post-dinner or right-before-bedtime option.
Some of the more popular condensed-type board or card games, according to Wingrove, are Grandpa Beck’s series of games, such as Cover your Assets and Reign of Dragoness, among several others.
The deeper dive options, however, are often the more memorable and ultimately more rewarding.
Perhaps the most famous and most widely-played so-called ‘deep-dive’ board game is Risk, and all the many variations of the original version that first was made public by Parker Brothers back in 1959.
Personally I can recall many marathon sessions of Risk game play I engaged in while growing up in the Salt Lake City area, competing with brothers and friends for sessions that would often take us past bedtime and into the following day. Those games were a part of my upbringing and I harbor fond memories of those often intense and enjoyable marathon sessions which helped bond all parties involved more tightly together.
Since then I’ve branched out to play Catan, Clue, Axis and Allies, Game of Thrones and several others, as well as sometimes taking part in my younger brother’s board game group that he’s retained since high school. I also can’t recall many sessions I regret, and often come away from those sessions satisfied with the connections built and reestablished more so than the game play itself.
“That’s what’s so great about board games,” Wingrove concluded. “I belong to gaming groups myself, and it’s a great way to retain and build relationships while having a lot of fun.”
Utah County’s most popular board games
List according to Ian Wingrove with game descriptions provided by boardgamegeek.com.
Dorfromantik: The Board Game
In Dorfromantik: The Board Game, up to six players work together to lay hexagonal tiles to create a beautiful landscape and try to fulfill the orders of the population, while at the same time laying as long a track and as long a river as possible, but also taking into account the flags that provide points in enclosed areas. The better the players manage to do this, the more points they can score at the end.
Call to Adventure: Stormlight
Call to Adventure is a hero-crafting game that combines strategy and storytelling. It’s similar to some “tableau-building” games in which you’re creating a kingdom or civilization, but in this game you’re building a character. Each player begins with cards that define your hero’s origin, motivation, and destiny.
Betrayal at House on the Hill
Betrayal at House on the Hill quickly builds suspense and excitement as players explore a haunted mansion of their own ‘design’, encountering spirits and frightening omens that foretell their fate. With an estimated one hour playing time, Betrayal at House on the Hill is ideal for parties, family gatherings or casual fun with friends.
Canvas
In Canvas, you play as a painter competing in an art competition. Players will collect art cards, layering 3 of them together to create their own unique Painting. Each card contains a piece of artwork as well as a set of icons used during scoring.
Root
Root is a game of adventure and war in which 2 to 4 (1 to 6 with the ‘Riverfolk’ expansion) players battle for control of a vast wilderness. Each player in Root has unique capabilities and a different victory condition. Now, with the aid of gorgeous, multi-use cards, a truly asymmetric design has never been more accessible.
Azul
In the game Azul, players take turns drafting colored tiles from suppliers to their player board. Later in the round, players score points based on how they’ve placed their tiles to decorate the palace.
CATAN
In CATAN (formerly The Settlers of Catan), players try to be the dominant force on the island of Catan by building settlements, cities and roads. On each turn dice are rolled to determine which resources the island produces.
Camelot
Chivalry was first self-published by George S. Parker in 1888 and he called it his favorite game. In 1930 it was scaled down, re-named Camelot and published by Parker’s company. Minor rules changes were implemented in 1931.
Cuzco
Cuzco is such a different game, even today. It utilizes the wonderful action point system of the mask trilogy, but twists area control in a very cool way. Instead of focusing on having the most figures in an area, players fight to to control the highest spaces in an area.
