Author Topic: Board games... why so expensive :(  (Read 20384 times)

ender

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Board games... why so expensive :(
« on: January 10, 2016, 02:14:08 PM »
Hey folks,

I like board games. Recently my wife and I have been getting more interested in playing them together. For much of the past five years I've mooched off others and not really bought any games myself, but since getting married I can't rely on my roommates anymore :-)

The thing is, they are expensive. This list is a good sampling of what I'd like to purchase on Amazon. Many are $30-50 or so.

I don't live in a good area for Craigslist/garage sales, either, which is the natural way to get them cheaper.

Anyone have any clever ideas about ways to get games like that cheaper? I guess I could setup camelcamelcamel rules to ping me if the prices go below points but... so much money.

Thoughts?

SeanMC

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #1 on: January 10, 2016, 02:21:10 PM »
Join a table top gaming group and make friends who have the games. You can find them on meet-up or at game shops or otherwise online.

Borrow and get in habit of trading with other people who have games. Only buy the ones you want to play the most with just you & your wife or that play well with only 2 people (some of the best board games are not really interesting with just 2 people so you're always going to be looking for other people to play with anyway).

Also, $30 to $50 for a game that has lots of cards and pieces is really not that much if you get a lot of plays out of it. It's only expensive if you don't play it to justify the cost. That's why groups are such a great way to try out games and see what you like for repeats (besides meeting other people to play with).

aFrugalFather

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #2 on: January 10, 2016, 04:25:51 PM »
Post above is good advise.  I find that I buy too many games and really only play a few.  To me its more about the company than the game itself, the game is just a way to get together and have fun, so I'd focus on building a fun set of games that will satisfy the need and then not go too crazy (speaking from experience here) with games that have similar mechanics and just vary the theme a bit.  Stuff like carcassone goes on sale pretty regularly, I think less than $15 recently.  I also got splendor from Amazon in December, for pretty cheap (less than 11/$12?)  Just setup alerts on camel and also sites like slick deals and you can get them for cheap.  Same with dominion, also got it for more than 50% off in December.  Just be patient and once you have a couple fun ones the rest are just excess luxury items IMHO :)

Zamboni

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2016, 04:30:24 PM »
Get a part time job at a game shop. That is what my co-worker did when he got really into board games. One evening per week at the game shop got him a little bit of side hustle money, an employee discount, and instant access to tons of other people who enjoyed the same hobby. The owner's wanted him to know how the games work, so the store gave him a huge discount on the games to encourage him to buy them and learn how to play them.

Metta

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2016, 04:53:44 PM »
Hey folks,

I like board games. Recently my wife and I have been getting more interested in playing them together. For much of the past five years I've mooched off others and not really bought any games myself, but since getting married I can't rely on my roommates anymore :-)

The thing is, they are expensive. This list is a good sampling of what I'd like to purchase on Amazon. Many are $30-50 or so.

I don't live in a good area for Craigslist/garage sales, either, which is the natural way to get them cheaper.

Anyone have any clever ideas about ways to get games like that cheaper? I guess I could setup camelcamelcamel rules to ping me if the prices go below points but... so much money.

Thoughts?

Boardgamegeek.com has a marketplace that a lot of people I know use to trade, buy, and sell games. That's where I would go if I were in the market to buy.

My current strategy is to buy no games and simply mooch off my husband and friends. It's a natural convergence: they need people to play with and I'm a person. Plus I ply them with food when they bring their games over to play.

ReadySetMillionaire

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2016, 05:59:49 PM »
Board games are a one time purchase that, in the long run, will save you thousands of dollars because you will go out less.

Buy your whole list (or the games you know you will play a bunch) and don't lose any sleep over it. Board games will give you an amazing return on your investment.

ETA: also check your local library. The Columbus library had board games and it was awesome.
« Last Edit: January 10, 2016, 06:03:26 PM by ReadySetMillionaire »

FausseBourgeoise

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2016, 06:07:40 PM »
I like to think of my board games in terms of cost per hour. It pays to get good ones because they will hit the table more.

Some of the more expensive board games are that way because they have so many components, and IMO should be treated as art entertainment. It's an excellent cerebral workout and a great way to spend time with people. My friends usually have some game that they want to play, so I try that.

As an example Eldritch Horror and Robinson Crusoe can take an entire day on your first playthrough. Games like this are theme-rich and have huge replayability.

BoardGameGeek is a must-see for extra resources, printables, rules, etc. I have a laminator which cost me $30 initially and 50-75 cents a sheet, and I print rule summary cards and laminate them for friends. I can spend hours just learning a game by looking over the rules and doing the legwork myself so that we can play when everyone finally has time to sit down and play.

But yes absolutely, there are tons of people who just have stacks and stacks of games, play them once, and toss them aside to move on to the next shiny thing. I think this is a shame and prefer to have a small collection.

Trudie

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #7 on: January 10, 2016, 06:30:39 PM »
If you're on Facebook post a list of what you're looking for.  You never know what's lurking in someone's game closet.  I've sold some great board games at sales for next to nothing.

I've also seen great games at thrift stores.  Do you have any of those nearby?

MrsPete

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2016, 07:37:43 PM »
Great answers!  I agree that it's easy to find advice online about which ones are best.  We've held "game nights" as Saturday night activities at church -- a great family-oriented activity, and a chance to get to know people in other age groups /other Sunday School classes.  AND a way to try a game before you buy it.

We tend to give (and receive) board games as Christmas gifts, and the best ones get lots of play time.  If cared for, board games are a lifetime investment, making them a "good spend".

purplepear

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #9 on: January 10, 2016, 07:43:08 PM »
I would definitely suggest play-testing games before you buy them. It sucks to spend $50 on a game, then figure out that either you dislike it... or no one wants to play it with you. If you play a game often though, $30-$50 is totally worth it. I've saved so much money by countering invitations to bars with counter offers to play board games and drink at my house instead.

Maybe just spread out the buying of games? Buy one every couple months or something? It's not likely that you'll get to play all the games if you buy them right away.

Borrow and get in habit of trading with other people who have games. Only buy the ones you want to play the most with just you & your wife or that play well with only 2 people (some of the best board games are not really interesting with just 2 people so you're always going to be looking for other people to play with anyway).


I like the idea of trading/borrowing board games with friends. I participate in a lot of board game nights, but we never let each other borrow games. Such a simple idea, yet it's never occurred to me.

MRae99

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #10 on: January 10, 2016, 07:59:52 PM »
My husband and I play a ton of board games and have quite the collection. We tend to just keep an eye out on Amazon and try to purchase on deal days. Also, my husband just found a site called boardgameprices.com. It is kind of hit or miss and the shipping can be rough, but some of the games are super cheap on there.
P.S. Right now on Amazon, you can get the Lord of the Rings Deck Building games for $10 each! We love them (they have versions for Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, Return of the King). Highly recommended!!!

Will

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #11 on: January 10, 2016, 08:03:30 PM »
http://www.coolstuffinc.com/ and http://www.miniaturemarket.com/ are both great less-expensive options.

ender

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #12 on: January 11, 2016, 05:36:36 AM »
Thanks for the feedback everyone!

Post above is good advise.  I find that I buy too many games and really only play a few.  To me its more about the company than the game itself, the game is just a way to get together and have fun, so I'd focus on building a fun set of games that will satisfy the need and then not go too crazy (speaking from experience here) with games that have similar mechanics and just vary the theme a bit.  Stuff like carcassone goes on sale pretty regularly, I think less than $15 recently.  I also got splendor from Amazon in December, for pretty cheap (less than 11/$12?)  Just setup alerts on camel and also sites like slick deals and you can get them for cheap.  Same with dominion, also got it for more than 50% off in December.  Just be patient and once you have a couple fun ones the rest are just excess luxury items IMHO :)

I might put some alerts on the bigger items, especially.

I like to think of my board games in terms of cost per hour. It pays to get good ones because they will hit the table more.

This is a good way to think about it. Realistically, buying a game and playing it once has close to the same total cost per hour as going to the movies would... not that I do that often hah!

My husband and I play a ton of board games and have quite the collection. We tend to just keep an eye out on Amazon and try to purchase on deal days. Also, my husband just found a site called boardgameprices.com. It is kind of hit or miss and the shipping can be rough, but some of the games are super cheap on there.
P.S. Right now on Amazon, you can get the Lord of the Rings Deck Building games for $10 each! We love them (they have versions for Fellowship of the Ring, Two Towers, Return of the King). Highly recommended!!!

Interesting. I might grab all three as it looks like a fun game to play as a team game - my wife and I also love LoTR so that might be even more awesome. I've played a few games with similar mechanics to this before, too, and know I enjoy them.

I would definitely suggest play-testing games before you buy them. It sucks to spend $50 on a game, then figure out that either you dislike it... or no one wants to play it with you. If you play a game often though, $30-$50 is totally worth it. I've saved so much money by countering invitations to bars with counter offers to play board games and drink at my house instead.

Maybe just spread out the buying of games? Buy one every couple months or something? It's not likely that you'll get to play all the games if you buy them right away.

Well to be fair I know that if I buy $200 worth of games in January or over the course of the year it's the same total cost ;)

But yeah, it's nice to save money with offering to host board game nights. Plus my wife and I have talked about doing this for ages and haven't yet. More choices might lead to more board game nights and more socialization :)
« Last Edit: January 11, 2016, 05:38:42 AM by ender »

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #13 on: January 11, 2016, 06:50:50 AM »
Historically, Amazon raises the price on a lot of games post-Christmas. DW handles all of the buying, so I'm not sure if they've fallen yet, but I thought I'd mention it.

YouTube is a great way to get a sense of how a game plays if you can't play it in person first. The show "Tabletop" is arguably the best but there are a number of other quality channels that do tutorials and let's plays. Just search by game title.

Board gaming isn't that expensive of a hobby but it's not a free hobby either.

rubybeth

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #14 on: January 11, 2016, 07:04:30 AM »
We usually buy games via Amazon or the local game store. Some games we pay full retail price, some games we don't, because the savings is significant or we want to buy local (the game shop guy gives great recommendations, so we like to patronize his store). I've purchased many via the Amazon "used" or "buy new" links, and also have purchased games via eBay.

One factor I'm not sure that was mentioned was re-playability. Some games just have that factor of being able to be played in multiple ways, so you want to keep replaying it, as the strategy changes each time (or somewhat changes). I am not familiar with most of the games on your list, but one game I'd highly recommend is the Dominion Big Box--it has so many options for playing again because the cards you play with can change with every game (and if it's just you and the wife, it also works well as a two player game). I just gave this to my husband for his birthday in December, and it's been great--it's also very easy to teach new players, so the bar is pretty low as far as getting a third or fourth player involved.

Also like the ideas of game swapping, or sharing your list with friends who also collect games, then getting together for game nights. We do this with my family (different family members own different games) and it works very well. And you may discover you don't really enjoy a game as much as you'd thought, or that you absolutely must own your own copy of something (for example, one play of Lords of Waterdeep and I wanted to own it, but I've played Flapjacks & Sasquatches many times and have no desire to own--happy to play with the friends that own it, though).

Edited to add: the supposed high cost of games is totally worth it to me. A lot of time goes into good game development/design. I recently paid for two games via Kickstarter to see them made, and will do anything I can to help these projects along--one is Wizard School by Hank Green, the other is Secret Hitler by one of the guys from Cards Against Humanity. Designing a great game is tough work, and not very lucrative. I'm happy to pay the price of games to have game designers keep making them.
« Last Edit: January 11, 2016, 07:06:28 AM by rubybeth »

I'm a red panda

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #15 on: January 11, 2016, 12:07:38 PM »


Edited to add: the supposed high cost of games is totally worth it to me. A lot of time goes into good game development/design. I recently paid for two games via Kickstarter to see them made, and will do anything I can to help these projects along--one is Wizard School by Hank Green, the other is Secret Hitler by one of the guys from Cards Against Humanity. Designing a great game is tough work, and not very lucrative. I'm happy to pay the price of games to have game designers keep making them.

I agree. The games that cost a lot are usually not widely distributed.
You can find games like Monopoly or Life for like $10 in some stores. But a great game like Settlers of Catan is going to be closer to $40; it's just not as well known. And Settlers is widely enough distributed now it is in Walmart! (YAY btw! More people getting into gaming means more games!)

So for a really great game, I think it's worth the $40-$50. Because developing one, and making high quality components for it, isn't cheap.

Metta

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #16 on: January 11, 2016, 12:42:31 PM »
One more thing that won't help you today but might in the future. Lots of game companies have major sales where they get rid of surplus product, especially late in the year. My husband waits for Fantasy Flight Games' sale every year (November/December) and buys games for as little as $5 a game. (He stockpiles some of them as gifts.) You will know about this if you are on their mailing list.

As I recall he has purchased some of our favorite games during this sale. This year he bought miniatures for Arkham Horror/Eldritch Horror for something like .99 a figure. The sale ended on Dec 1.

FFG: http://store.fantasyflightgames.com/catalog.cfm?CatPos=86

Lizzy B.

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #17 on: January 12, 2016, 06:02:02 AM »
These are great tips, thanks for all the suggestions. I also recently discovered that many board games have an app which is MUCH less expensive than the game itself. It's not as much fun as having the real pieces, but I figured I'd mention it in case it helps anyone.

MrsPete

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #18 on: January 12, 2016, 04:51:56 PM »
As I recall he has purchased some of our favorite games during this sale. This year he bought miniatures for Arkham Horror/Eldritch Horror for something like .99 a figure. The sale ended on Dec 1.
Wow, I had no idea.  We love their stuff.  I'm adding my name to their mailing list, and I'm writing it on my calendar. 

Syonyk

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #19 on: January 12, 2016, 08:43:18 PM »
Board games are a one time purchase that, in the long run, will save you thousands of dollars because you will go out less.

Buy your whole list (or the games you know you will play a bunch) and don't lose any sleep over it. Board games will give you an amazing return on your investment.

^^ Seriously, this.

Board game nights are cheap.  People bring sides/beer/whatever, we usually get some Papa Murphys pizza (though could just as easily make it ourselves), and you have a night's worth of entertainment for 4-6 people for about $25.

Also, Kickstarter has some nice game projects.  Accept that some will be utter crap, but the overall value of our Kickstarter funded games has been well worth it.  And you get to be "that couple" with the new games nobody has played.  :D

I don't even think twice about spending money on board games.  They're an amazing way to spend evenings, and a one time cost of "about the cost of going to the movies without dinner first" that can be played hundreds of times?  Yes, please!

Astatine

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #20 on: January 12, 2016, 08:59:11 PM »
+1 to the try before you buy. I love Settlers, Dominion and Tsuro for example. But I loathe and detest Munchkins (and all the variants) to the point where I will sit out of any rounds. However some of my friends love Munchkins. It can be hard to predict in advance what games you'll like to play more than once.

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #21 on: January 13, 2016, 12:39:16 AM »
50 USD for something you can and three friends can do for a couple hours is cheap. If the game is any good and those people play it 20-30 times, the price, per play, per person goes down to laughable numbers.

Frugal and board games are peas and carrots.

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #22 on: January 13, 2016, 05:48:15 AM »
+1 to the try before you buy. I love Settlers, Dominion and Tsuro for example. But I loathe and detest Munchkins (and all the variants) to the point where I will sit out of any rounds. However some of my friends love Munchkins. It can be hard to predict in advance what games you'll like to play more than once.

Glad we're not the only ones. DW and I tried it a few times and tried to like it but never clicked. Ended up selling our copy to a friend who loves the game but had never gotten a copy for themselves.

Metta

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #23 on: January 13, 2016, 06:12:14 AM »
As I recall he has purchased some of our favorite games during this sale. This year he bought miniatures for Arkham Horror/Eldritch Horror for something like .99 a figure. The sale ended on Dec 1.
Wow, I had no idea.  We love their stuff.  I'm adding my name to their mailing list, and I'm writing it on my calendar.

We love their games as well! One of the best things about being on this board is finding so many people into the same things we are: gaming, hiking, cooking, and the other simple joys of life. It's so much so that I wonder whether gamers are simply drawn to FIRE because it's all one big game to us. :)

ender

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #24 on: January 13, 2016, 06:48:20 AM »
As I recall he has purchased some of our favorite games during this sale. This year he bought miniatures for Arkham Horror/Eldritch Horror for something like .99 a figure. The sale ended on Dec 1.
Wow, I had no idea.  We love their stuff.  I'm adding my name to their mailing list, and I'm writing it on my calendar.

We love their games as well! One of the best things about being on this board is finding so many people into the same things we are: gaming, hiking, cooking, and the other simple joys of life. It's so much so that I wonder whether gamers are simply drawn to FIRE because it's all one big game to us. :)

So true! haha.

SeanMC

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #25 on: January 13, 2016, 10:58:55 AM »
+1 to the try before you buy. I love Settlers, Dominion and Tsuro for example. But I loathe and detest Munchkins (and all the variants) to the point where I will sit out of any rounds. However some of my friends love Munchkins. It can be hard to predict in advance what games you'll like to play more than once.

This reminded me of more "hard to predict" parts until you try or have a regular sense of how you play and with whom:

How long does one "play" of the game really take (counting set up of pieces and put away) if it's not a game that you'll play a whole bunch of quicker games in the same session?

How does the game play for newbies mixed with oldhats, if you are joining with people? Some games blend easier. Some games it just doesn't work.

That stuff gets mixed in with other preferences (cooperative vs. competitive play, role of luck in game success, style of game, etc.).

neo von retorch

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #26 on: January 13, 2016, 11:08:51 AM »
I think this was mentioned somewhat, but now is just kind of a bad time to buy for the "best prices." A lot of games that were ~$32 this past fall are now $40-55! Some are close to selling out their current printing, or the prices are just jacked up to soak up gift cards. Take advantage of CCC and wait for the games to fall back below $35, if you can. Watch out for sales - this fall there was an Amazon b2g1 sale at the same time that Amex was giving $15 back for spending $60. I ended up spending ~$65, getting $15 back, so $50 total for 3 games that were normally $32 each. Of course, that's a rare confluence of sales, but then with budding board game addictions, you want as many games for your money as possible :)

Also poke around boardgamegeek.com and reddit.com/r/boardgames to get lots of feedback on games as well as kickstarters. I haven't done any KS yet but... there are some pretty promising games on there in the $15-25 range!

ETA: Poking around your wish list, it's good to see games like Castles of Burgundy and Power Grid are back to the $32 price range! Race for the Galaxy looks like a steal (though maybe Roll for the Galaxy is a better sibling?) I managed to print my own Splendor game and use pieces from other games as color matched tokens. After playing that version... my wife wants the real thing :) I also want to add 7 Wonders: Duel to our 2-player collection. 7 Wonders is one of our favorites, along with Lords of Waterdeep.
« Last Edit: January 13, 2016, 11:11:13 AM by neogodless »

ender

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #27 on: January 13, 2016, 11:30:54 AM »
I think this was mentioned somewhat, but now is just kind of a bad time to buy for the "best prices." A lot of games that were ~$32 this past fall are now $40-55! Some are close to selling out their current printing, or the prices are just jacked up to soak up gift cards. Take advantage of CCC and wait for the games to fall back below $35, if you can. Watch out for sales - this fall there was an Amazon b2g1 sale at the same time that Amex was giving $15 back for spending $60. I ended up spending ~$65, getting $15 back, so $50 total for 3 games that were normally $32 each. Of course, that's a rare confluence of sales, but then with budding board game addictions, you want as many games for your money as possible :)

Also poke around boardgamegeek.com and reddit.com/r/boardgames to get lots of feedback on games as well as kickstarters. I haven't done any KS yet but... there are some pretty promising games on there in the $15-25 range!

ETA: Poking around your wish list, it's good to see games like Castles of Burgundy and Power Grid are back to the $32 price range! Race for the Galaxy looks like a steal (though maybe Roll for the Galaxy is a better sibling?) I managed to print my own Splendor game and use pieces from other games as color matched tokens. After playing that version... my wife wants the real thing :) I also want to add 7 Wonders: Duel to our 2-player collection. 7 Wonders is one of our favorites, along with Lords of Waterdeep.

We like 7 Wonders (I already own it though :).

I ended up getting the following from CardHaus Games:

- 1x Race for the Galaxy, Board Games
    $22.49
 - 1x Istanbul, Board Games
    $27.62
 - 1x Power Grid (Second Edition), Board Games
    $29.59
 - 1x The Castles of Burgundy, Board Games
    $26.99
 - 1x Splendor, Board Games
    $25.99
 - 1x Cosmic Encounter, Board Games
     $38.99

Those prices all seemed reasonable to me and were comparable to the low Amazon prices. Buying over I think $125 gave me free shipping, too.

Metta

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #28 on: January 13, 2016, 12:10:21 PM »
My husband recommends Cool Stuff Inc as the place he has found with the best prices. http://www.coolstuffinc.com

ender

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #29 on: January 13, 2016, 12:10:54 PM »
My husband recommends Cool Stuff Inc as the place he has found with the best prices. http://www.coolstuffinc.com


They had comparable prices, but could have been named CoolStuffWeAreSoldOutInc.com :)

Metta

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #30 on: January 13, 2016, 12:11:54 PM »
My husband recommends Cool Stuff Inc as the place he has found with the best prices. http://www.coolstuffinc.com


They had comparable prices, but could have been named CoolStuffWeAreSoldOutInc.com :)

LOL!

neo von retorch

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #31 on: January 13, 2016, 12:27:30 PM »
CardHaus looks pretty good - I don't need MORE GAMES right now but I was able to put together a list of games for $144 that I want. *sigh*

NV Teacher

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #32 on: January 13, 2016, 12:59:35 PM »
What about letting people know that you would enjoy board games as a gift or present for birthdays or Christmas? 

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #33 on: January 13, 2016, 01:15:56 PM »
Splendor is probably one of my top 5 games. Love it but I'm too damn good at it and DW never wants to play anymore :P

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #34 on: January 13, 2016, 03:34:35 PM »
Splendor is probably one of my top 5 games. Love it but I'm too damn good at it and DW never wants to play anymore :P

That's good to hear. I played it for the first time last week on holidays with friends. I immediately loved it but wasn't sure if it was one of those games I'd get bored of once I worked out the strategy. But, if you still love it after many games that's a good sign. Now I just have to remember to buy it. (None of my local friends has it)

ender

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #35 on: January 17, 2016, 06:00:33 PM »
People interested in board games might like this thread - I made some really neat inserts for board games that are annoying to store/setup - http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/do-it-yourself-forum!/foamcore-board-game-box-inserts/

michaelrecycles

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #36 on: February 16, 2016, 08:13:07 PM »
Any of you game fiends aware of virtual games that friends at a distance can play? I'm not really looking for MMORPGs. More like an online version of hosting game night, and maybe a simultaneous Google Hangouts session so everyone can talk. Have any of you done this?

(sorry for the thread hijack, tell me to move on if too unrelated)

swick

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #37 on: February 17, 2016, 10:02:20 AM »
Any of you game fiends aware of virtual games that friends at a distance can play? I'm not really looking for MMORPGs. More like an online version of hosting game night, and maybe a simultaneous Google Hangouts session so everyone can talk. Have any of you done this?

(sorry for the thread hijack, tell me to move on if too unrelated)

Roll 20! https://roll20.net/ mostly used for old school pen and paper games.

Elliot

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #38 on: February 17, 2016, 10:19:57 AM »
What games are on your 2 player lists?

Inaya

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #39 on: February 17, 2016, 01:44:11 PM »
Another option would be to check out Meetup to find like-minded groups for game nights. Local game stores probably also have game nights.


swick

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #40 on: February 17, 2016, 05:19:54 PM »
What games are on your 2 player lists?

Hubs and I just picked up Star Realms. It is a quick and snappy deck builder that is super portable and reasonably priced. We are really enjoying it! It's not super deep meant to be a 15-20 min game, but there is definitely some strategy and tension and the artwork is good. Very quick to set up and start playing.


Elliot

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #41 on: February 17, 2016, 05:21:08 PM »
I don't mind short and snappy at all!

swick

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #42 on: February 17, 2016, 06:04:01 PM »
I don't mind short and snappy at all!

Although you have to play very aggressively and it is usually a complete slaughter, most of the games we have played one of us has trounced the other. Or it tends to be a super, super close game that ends because someone got a lucky draw of their deck.

Might not be the best game to play with someone who doesn't like going head to head - although we like it and usually don't play  "take that" two player games.

SunnyMoney

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #43 on: February 17, 2016, 09:45:30 PM »
Do you attend any board game conventions?  Some of the board game conventions I go to have a flea market or an auction event.  This is where people sell used games at decent discounts.  Also check the boardgamegeek.com forum a few weeks before going to the board game convention.  Sometimes people will do a "Math Trade".  This is a large-scale organized swapping of games.  e.g. I'll give you my game if you give your game to that person and then they give their game to me.


ender

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #44 on: February 18, 2016, 05:36:11 PM »
What games are on your 2 player lists?

A few I like:

  • Castles of Burgundy
  • Istanbul
  • Agricola
  • Cribbage

These are all pretty fun.

neo von retorch

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #45 on: February 19, 2016, 07:40:35 AM »
Quote
What games are on your 2 player lists?

My wife and I also enjoy Castles of Burgundy.

In addition... Lords of Waterdeep, Surburbia (and Castles of the Mad King Ludwig.) 7 Wonders Duel if it's ONLY for 2 players.

rubybeth

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #46 on: February 25, 2016, 05:39:14 PM »
What games are on your 2 player lists?

This is a quest of mine since my husband loves games (I do, too, but he really, really loves them), and we don't have kids.

Dominion (some sets work better for two players, but you'll figure it out)
Citadels
Lost Cities
Battle Line
Ticket to Ride (Nordic version is designed for 2-3 players but all versions work for two)
Rise of Augustus

neo von retorch

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #47 on: February 26, 2016, 08:10:29 AM »
Save money. Improve card games. Build these in two minutes with a table saw!

(My FIL made these, and they are fantastic for Ticket To Ride!)

« Last Edit: February 26, 2016, 08:12:06 AM by neogodless »

SummerLovin

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #48 on: February 26, 2016, 04:34:54 PM »
Try local Goodwill stores, they always have a bunch of games often brand new and sealed. Stores often donate to them after the last of the clearance sales.  Some of the games are missing pieces so that can limit the number of players,but it's certainly worth buying if it's just to try it out. Some  games just need batteries, and some are just used with no issues other than wear and tear. Some games you can only play so many times without purchasing additional booster cards, and that's assuming they've even made them.

Metta

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Re: Board games... why so expensive :(
« Reply #49 on: November 24, 2016, 09:51:06 AM »
Just wanted to let people know that the Fantasy Flights Holiday Sale is on now until Nov 28th. I mentioned this a year ago so I thought I'd remind folks who have been waiting for cheaper games to come back:

https://holiday-sale.fantasyflightgames.com/catalogue/category/fantasy-flight-games/board-games_165/