Buying for the board game friend is a trap, and most people walk right into it. You grab the shiny box at the front of the store, he unwraps it, and says "oh, thanks" in the specific tone that means he's owned it since the Kickstarter. The Kallax is full and alphabetized. He has already played the thing you're about to buy, has notes on it, and possibly a house rule.
So don't shop the collection — shop the gaps. Start with the accessories his growing shelf has outpaced: sleeves, organizers, the metal coins every economic game should have shipped with. Then the heavier titles he keeps circling on his wishlist but won't spend his own money on. And if it's a real occasion, one splurge that becomes the center of game night for the next year.
Two rules before you buy. Peek at his shelf or his BoardGameGeek collection first — the collection is usually public, it's ranked, and it will save you a return. And match the ambition to his group: a two-hour brain-burner is a gift to him and a sentence for whoever he talks into playing it. Below, sorted from stocking-stuffer to milestone.
