# Board Game Oracle Scraper - Board Game Price Comparison (`lulzasaur/boardgameoracle-scraper`) Actor

Scrape Board Game Oracle for board game prices across 50+ stores. Get lowest prices, 30-day/52-week lows, BGG ratings, complexity, player counts, and store-level pricing for any board game.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/lulzasaur/boardgameoracle-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [lulz bot](https://apify.com/lulzasaur) (community)
- **Categories:** E-commerce
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $10.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Board Game Oracle Scraper

Scrape [Board Game Oracle](https://boardgameoracle.com) for board game price comparisons across 50+ online retailers. Get the lowest prices, price history stats, BGG ratings, and store-level pricing for any board game.

### What does Board Game Oracle Scraper do?

This scraper extracts board game pricing and metadata from Board Game Oracle, the leading board game price comparison engine. It parses structured JSON data directly from the site's Next.js server-rendered pages — no brittle HTML scraping needed.

#### Key features

- **Search by name** — Search for any board game by title
- **Price comparison** — Get the lowest price across 50+ online board game stores
- **Store-level pricing** — See individual store prices, availability, and shipping info
- **BGG data** — BoardGameGeek ratings, complexity scores, player counts, play times
- **Price drops** — Browse current price drops with 30-day and 52-week low tracking
- **Fast & reliable** — Parses structured `__NEXT_DATA__` JSON, no anti-bot issues

### Input

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `searchQueries` | string\[] | Board game names to search for. Use `"browse"` or `"trending"` to get homepage price drops. |
| `maxListings` | integer | Maximum games per query (default: 100) |
| `scrapeDetails` | boolean | Visit each game's price page for store-level pricing (default: false) |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | Proxy settings (usually not needed) |

#### Example input

```json
{
    "searchQueries": ["catan", "gloomhaven", "wingspan"],
    "maxListings": 20,
    "scrapeDetails": true
}
```

### Output

Each result includes:

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `title` | Board game name |
| `slug` | URL-friendly identifier |
| `yearPublished` | Year the game was published |
| `bggRating` | BoardGameGeek average rating (1-10) |
| `bggComplexity` | BGG weight/complexity score (1-5) |
| `playerCountMin` / `playerCountMax` | Supported player range |
| `playTimeMin` / `playTimeMax` | Play time range in minutes |
| `lowestPrice` | Lowest available price in USD |
| `lowestStoreName` | Store with the lowest price |
| `storeCount` | Number of stores with listings |
| `stores` | Array of store offers (when `scrapeDetails` is enabled) |
| `imageUrl` | Game box art thumbnail |
| `url` | Board Game Oracle price page URL |

#### Store offer fields (when `scrapeDetails` is true)

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `store` | Retailer name |
| `price` | Listed price |
| `availability` | `in_stock`, `out_of_stock`, or `backorder` |
| `shipping` | Shipping rate description |
| `pickupArea` | Local pickup location (if available) |

#### Browse/trending extra fields

When using `"browse"` or `"trending"` as a search query, results include additional price drop data:

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| `thirtyDayLow` | 30-day lowest price |
| `fiftyTwoWeekLow` | 52-week lowest price |
| `priceDropDayPercent` | Day-over-day price change % |
| `priceDropWeekPercent` | Week-over-week price change % |
| `discountFromMedian` | Discount from median price % |

#### Example output

```json
{
    "title": "CATAN",
    "slug": "catan",
    "yearPublished": 1995,
    "bggRating": 7.09,
    "bggComplexity": 2.28,
    "playerCountMin": 3,
    "playerCountMax": 4,
    "playTimeMin": 60,
    "playTimeMax": 120,
    "lowestPrice": 39.99,
    "lowestStoreName": "Tabletop Merchant",
    "storeCount": 14,
    "stores": [
        {
            "store": "Tabletop Merchant",
            "price": 39.99,
            "availability": "in_stock",
            "shipping": "Flat rate $14.99"
        },
        {
            "store": "Game Nerdz",
            "price": 41.97,
            "availability": "in_stock",
            "shipping": "Flat rate $6"
        }
    ],
    "imageUrl": "https://bgomedia-19127.kxcdn.com/image/product/lg/VxllVgl0jgUD0jpXl3vO",
    "url": "https://www.boardgameoracle.com/boardgame/price/04ACtDMij8/catan",
    "searchQuery": "catan",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-04-25T12:00:00.000Z"
}
```

### Use cases

- **Find the best deal** — Compare prices across 50+ board game retailers
- **Track price drops** — Monitor when games hit their lowest prices
- **Build a collection** — Search for multiple games and find the best bundle deals
- **Market research** — Analyze board game pricing trends and store competition
- **Wishlist monitoring** — Feed into automated alerts when target prices are hit
- **BGG data enrichment** — Combine price data with BoardGameGeek ratings and complexity

### Cost

This scraper uses pay-per-event pricing. You are charged $0.005 per result scraped. With `scrapeDetails` enabled, each game with full store pricing counts as one result.

### Tips

- **Start without details** for fast, lightweight price checks
- **Enable `scrapeDetails`** when you need to compare across individual stores
- Use `"browse"` as a search query to find today's biggest price drops
- The site returns up to 24 results per search — use specific search terms for best results
- No proxy needed — Board Game Oracle has no anti-bot protection

# Actor input Schema

## `searchQueries` (type: `array`):

Board game names to search for (e.g. 'catan', 'gloomhaven', 'ticket to ride'). Use 'browse' or 'trending' to scrape homepage price drops instead of searching.

## `maxListings` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of board game listings to scrape per search query. Each search page returns up to 24 results.

## `scrapeDetails` (type: `boolean`):

If enabled, visits each game's price page to get store-level pricing with individual store names, prices, availability, and shipping info. Slower but provides complete price comparison data.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Proxy settings. Board Game Oracle has no anti-bot protection, so proxies are usually not needed.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQueries": [
    "catan"
  ],
  "maxListings": 100,
  "scrapeDetails": false,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchQueries": [
        "catan"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("lulzasaur/boardgameoracle-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "searchQueries": ["catan"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("lulzasaur/boardgameoracle-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searchQueries": [
    "catan"
  ]
}' |
apify call lulzasaur/boardgameoracle-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,lulzasaur/boardgameoracle-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/xVI0UdVcA8rhZcLcK/builds/6VBq5BcgcWIts1HYz/openapi.json