pic422889_t.jpgThe 1.0 release of the Skirmish Wars: Advance Tactics print ‘n’ play wargame (a wargame heavily inspired by the popular Nintendo DS game of similar name). So while I strongly encourage you to check out this excellent gem (and a big thanks to the three authors!), now seems like a great time to check out some affordable (costing only what it takes you to print them out) board games that you’ve probably never heard of.

  • Zombie in My Pocket is a quick little game where players wander through a mansion attempting to survive while working to ensure that they don’t end up on the wrong end of a team sacrifice!
  • Merchant of Venus is an old Avalon Hill classic where players trade goods, upgrade their ships and battle for supremacy – the game has been out of print for many years, but has found new life thanks to the efforts of the people at Board Game Geek (BGG)
  • Magic Realm is an epic empire game with a fantasy setting – the game is another that has been out of print for quite some time, but has been updated and given a nice new presentation by the folks at BGG
  • Reiner Knizia’s Decathlon is a series of 10 sweet and short dice games strung together like its namesake
  • Pocket Civ is a rich and interesting, solitaire civilization game – it doesn’t sound like much, but this one has really struck a chord in the boardgame community, achieving a 7.05 rating on BGG
  • Oh No, There Goes Tokyo! is a fun little wargame where each player controls a portion of the Japanese military, desperately trying to stop Godzi…err..generic giant monster from destroying the city (or their part of it at any rate!)

Need more print ‘n’ play goodness? Check out this list at BGG and the Games by Spielers section at the Spiel podcast forums.