Indie Boards and Cards

What Indie Boards and Cards does

Indie Boards and Cards is an Oakland, California-based independent publisher of physical board and card games founded in 2009. The company develops and distributes a catalog of more than 70 titles organized around several flagship franchises: the Aeon's End cooperative deck-building series (24 titles spanning base games, expansions, and legacy formats), Flash Point: Fire Rescue cooperative firefighter games (9 titles), The Resistance and Avalon social-deduction games (7+ titles), the Sherlock Files cooperative mystery series (8 volumes), Astro Knights space-themed deck-builders (8 titles), and the Kodama tree-growing series. Its core technical innovation is a shuffle-free deck-building mechanic implemented across Aeon's End, Astro Knights, and the Invincible card game, allowing players to retain full control over draw order and combo execution. The company has expanded into media IP licensing through the Invincible comic universe and The Magnus Protocol podcast.

The business model is straightforward one-time retail sale of physical products, with no subscription, digital, or service components. Pricing ranges from $11.99 for small expansions to $99.99 for legacy-format products, with most base games priced between $29.99 and $79.99. Distribution is primarily through the Amazon Marketplace globally, supplemented by direct-to-consumer sales on indieboardsandcards.com, and pre-order/funding campaigns on Kickstarter, Gamefound, and BackerKit. The company has no mobile app, no API, and no digital product lines; all engagement is in tabletop form.

The customer base is exclusively consumer (B2C), segmented primarily toward hobbyist board game enthusiasts (cooperative deck-building, social deduction, party gaming) and secondarily toward families seeking cross-generational play. The 2016 acquisition of Action Phase Games is the only disclosed corporate transaction. No external funding rounds, parent companies, or institutional investors are referenced in the source data, and the company remains privately held with 11-50 employees.

Name

Indie Boards and Cards

Legal name

Indie Boards and Cards

Website

https://indieboardsandcards.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Indie Boards and Cards is an Oakland-based independent board game publisher founded in 2009, specializing in cooperative deck-building, social deduction, party, and mystery games for hobbyist enthusiasts and families, distributed primarily through Amazon, its own website, and crowdfunding platforms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Tabletop Board Games

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Board Game & Puzzle Specialty Retailers (CRALALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family/Party Board Games Retail (CRALALAB), Strategy/Euro Board Games Retail (CRALALAC)

Keywords

• Board game publishing
• Cooperative deck building
• Social deduction games
• Tabletop party games
• Mystery puzzle games

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Physical Board Game Sales: Revenue is generated through the sale of physical board games, expansions, and accessories. Games are sold at various MSRP price points ranging from $11.99 to $99.99, with expansions typically priced lower than base games.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Indie Boards and Cards is an independent board and card game publisher that designs, develops, and sells physical tabletop games across multiple genres including cooperative deck-building, social deduction, party games, and cooperative mystery games. The company sells its games through Amazon, its own e-commerce website, and launches new titles and special editions through Kickstarter and Gamefound crowdfunding campaigns. Major franchises include Aeon's End, Flash Point, The Resistance, Sherlock Files, Kodama, Coup, and Astro Knights.

Product overview

Indie Boards and Cards is an independent board game publisher specializing in tabletop games across multiple genres including cooperative deck-building, social deduction, party games, and mystery games. Their portfolio includes several major game lines: Aeon's End (a flagship cooperative deck-building series with numerous expansions), Astro Knights (space-themed deck-building), Flash Point: Fire Rescue (firefighting cooperative game), The Resistance/Avalon (social deduction games), Sherlock Files (cooperative mystery games), Kodama (tree-growing games), and Invincible: The Card Game (comic-based superhero deck-builder). They also publish diverse party games (Freehand, Glom, Doodle Dash, I Feel Attacked), cooperative puzzles (Crack the Code), and strategic titles. Most products are sold through Amazon and mainstream retail channels. The company operates as a traditional board game publisher with no digital products, APIs, or AI-powered features.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aeon's End A cooperative deck-building game for 1-4 players where breach mages defend the last bastion of humanity, Gravehold, using a proprietary shuffle-free deck management system that gives players full control over combo execution.
• Astro Knights A standalone cooperative deck-building game where players defend homeworlds from bosses using shuffle-free decks, including the Eternity variant with interconnected narrative scenarios.
• Invincible: The Card Game A cooperative card game based on the Invincible comic universe in which players control iconic superhero characters battling supervillains with shuffle-free deck-building and campaign mode.
• Flash Point: Fire Rescue A cooperative board game where players work as fire rescue teams to save victims from burning buildings before the fire spreads or the structure collapses.
• Flash Point: Legacy of Flame An immersive narrative-driven cooperative board game with interconnected campaign where players guide a team of firefighters from rookies to veterans, unlocking upgrades and abilities.
• Flash Point: Golden State Heroes A standalone cooperative board game introducing the proprietary Ignition System for creating customizable firefighters with thematic event decks tied to each map, across six unique game boards.
• The Resistance A social deduction party game for 5-10 players inspired by Mafia/Werewolf, in which Resistance operatives attempt missions while Imperial spies try to sabotage them, designed with no player elimination.
• The Resistance: Avalon A social deduction game set in Arthurian legend where players are loyal servants of Arthur or minions of Mordred, featuring Merlin's role and asymmetric information gameplay.
• Sherlock Files A cooperative mystery game series where players solve cases by deciphering clues, examining evidence, and identifying culprits, with each volume containing three standalone cases.
• Kodama Series A series of tree-growing card games where players cultivate forests by placing cards in clever arrangements to make homes for kodama tree spirits, including 3D and duo variants.
• Coup A social deduction game of bluffing and bribery where players use hidden character roles to eliminate opponents' influence and be the last player with power intact.
• The Magnus Protocol Mysteries A supernatural mystery game based on the Magnus Protocol podcast in which players investigate incidents by reading evidence, listening to audio files, and inspecting pictures to solve puzzles.
• Sherlock: The Game is Afoot A competitive deduction game for 2-5 players where participants role-play characters from the Sherlock Holmes novels racing across London to be first to solve cases.
• Glom A fast-paced party word game where players rewrite common phrases according to random rules to achieve random goals, pushing vocabulary to its limits.
• Freehand A creative party game where players paint abstract masterpieces using cubes pushed with a wooden artist's pen, trying to evoke image cards for others to guess.
• I Feel Attacked A party game in which players match cards to the judge's terrible choices, with optional arguing mechanics to challenge the judge's selections.
• Sherlock Files Junior A family-friendly version of Sherlock Files with simpler mechanics and three kid-appropriate cases for family play.
• Delve A tile-laying dungeon exploration game where players guide adventurers through Skull Cavern, combining tile placement with an immersive narrative experience.
• Crack the Code A limited-communication cooperative puzzle game where players form a hacker team trying to arrange marbles to build code sequences before running out of moves.
• Don't Mess with Cthulhu Deluxe A social deduction game with secret identities in which Investigators try to keep Cthulhu from waking while Cultists work to bring about the world's end.
• Aeon's End: Legacy of Gravehold A legacy cooperative deckbuilding game with deeper narrative and branching paths, featuring the shuffle-free deck building system.

Quantifiable outcome

• Aeon's End franchise has spawned 24+ titles including base games, expansions, and legacy formats
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Op (USAopoly): Mid-sized hobby publisher known for licensed party and family titles (Telestrations, Trivial Pursuit variants). Comparable in licensed-IP strategy and mass-market retail distribution.
• Brotherwise Games: Indie publisher of strategy and cooperative games (Call to Adventure, Boss Monster). Comparable in size, audience, and small-team Kickstarter-led publishing model.
• Greater Than Games: Indie publisher of cooperative and expandable card games (Sentinels of the Multiverse). Comparable in deck-building/expansion strategy and community-driven publishing model.
• Leder Games: Indie publisher of high-complexity strategy/hobby games (Root, Frosthaven, Oath). Comparable in audience overlap with IBC's cooperative/skill-heavy titles and in using Kickstarter to launch flagship titles.
• Bezier Games: Independent publisher of party, social deduction, and strategy games (One Night Ultimate Werewolf, Castles of Burgundy: The Dice Game). Comparable in size, genre mix, and reliance on Amazon/hobby retail.
• Stonemaier Games: Independent hobby board game publisher of comparable size, with flagship franchises (Wingspan, Scythe) and a similar direct-to-consumer + retail distribution model. Most directly comparable in scale, audience, and publishing philosophy.
• Cryptozoic Entertainment: Hobby game publisher leveraging licensed IP (DC, Rick and Morty) alongside original titles. Closely comparable to IBC's licensed-property strategy (Invincible, Magnus Protocol) and expansion-heavy product model.
• Restoration Games: Small indie publisher focused on reprints and updates of classic hobby games (e.g., Return to Dark Tower, Thunder Road). Directly comparable in catalog size, multi-channel retail, and small-team operations.

Broad incumbents

• CMON: Publicly traded hobby game publisher (Zombicide, Blood Rage) with heavy Kickstarter presence and large-scale miniature games. Comparable in crowdfunding-led publishing but operates at materially larger scale than IBC.
• Asmodee USA: Subsidiary of Asmodee, the largest hobby game publisher globally (Catan, Ticket to Ride, 7 Wonders). Competes with IBC across retail channels and acquisition of shelf space, though at vastly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ibcgames
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lone-oak-games-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Indie Boards and Cards