By: Blaze Aldrich | June 6th, 2024
(Bizzy, 2009)
11 Best Affordable Out of Print Board Games
It's frustrating when great board games go out of print and it's more disappointing when their prices skyrocket because of this issue. Luckily for you, I have put together a list of 11 out of print board games that won't break the bank. The criteria for these games is that they are popular and under $95. I made the threshold $95 because I have one game on the list that costs as much. So don't get mad at me lol. Most of these games are under $50. I have listed these out of print board games from the least expensive to the most expensive.
11. Cutthroat Caverns ($15 - $25)
Cutthroat Caverns board game may be an out of print game but it's one of the most affordable on the list. This is a game of "kill stealing" played over 9 rounds with random encounters. Players compete to land the killing blow on monsters to earn prestige points. Some encounters, like trap rooms, offer no prestige. The player with the most prestige after surviving all 9 encounters wins, but if no one survives, no one wins. The game combines cooperative gameplay with opportunistic backstabbing. So if you like cooperative games, well sorta, then you will really enjoy Cutthroat Caverns.
10. Puerto Rico ($20 - $30)
Puerto Rico has been reprinted as different versions over the years, but the 2002 edition is by far the best version of them all. In Puerto Rico board game, players are colonial governors earning victory points by shipping goods and constructing buildings. They manage personal boards, grow crops for points or doubloons, and buy buildings needing colonists. Players select role cards each round to perform actions and gain privileges. The "governor" token rotates each turn. Victory points come from buildings, shipping goods, and manned large buildings. Hidden shipping points add strategy, influencing late-game decisions.
9. Balloon Cup ($35 - $50)
The expensive price of this game is silly compared to the original price tag of this game. Luckily, Balloon Cup board game is still affordable to purchase and enjoy. During the game, players compete in short balloon flights to collect colored cubes from landscape cards, plains, and mountains. Players use balloon cards to match cube colors on their side, sometimes playing on their opponent's side to disrupt them. High-value balloons go on mountains, low-value on plains. The winning player collects the cubes, flips the landscape card, and refills it. Players earn trophy cards by collecting enough cubes of a color, with five trophies available. The first to earn three trophy cards wins.
8. Baseball Highlights 2045 ($30 - $50)
Baseball Highlights 2045 combines deckbuilding with baseball, but this isn't your ordinary baseball game when robots are involved. The board game is staged in the future. Here's the incredible back story. Since 2032, baseball games have been shortened to six innings, with pitchers encouraged to get bionic arm implants, creating dominant 'Borgs. In 2041, robotic players were introduced for batting, but reports suggest fielding robots are on the horizon. Despite this, human players, known as Naturals, still excel at fielding, though they struggle with hitting and pitching. Some Naturals have adapted by swinging earlier, and those who make it into the league, often adopting names of past stars, are beloved by fans and bring in significant revenue.
7. Santorini ($40 - $55)
Even though Santorini board game is getting a facelift with a recent Kickstarter, the original game is phenomenal. Santorini, continuously refined by designer Gordon Hamilton for over 30 years, is a strategy game that balances accessibility with depth. Players aim to win by moving their builders and constructing buildings, with victory achieved if one builder reaches the third level. The game introduces variable player powers through thematic god and hero abilities, enhancing strategic complexity.
6. Libertalia 1st Edition ($45 - $55)
Yes, there has been a reprint of Libertalia, but the characters of the second edition look more like carebears than actual pirates. So I always prefer the 1st edition. In Libertalia, you face off against rival pirates across three rounds, utilizing cards featuring crew members identical to your piratical allies. Yes, they not only target the same ships but also employ similar ravenous scoundrels as you do! Players have to strategically leverage their characters' abilities. They need to outsmart their competitors by being the most cunning pirates. So dive into the fray and showcase your tactical prowess!
5. Pagoda ($45 - $60)
Pagoda board game is one of the best two-player out of print board games because of its unique art and gameplay. During the game players compete to construct multiple layers of up to six pagodas. Using colored cards, they build pillars and levels, with each pillar's color dictating subsequent placements. Points are earned for each pillar and floor tile placed, with additional actions triggered. The game ends after constructing three pagodas, with the player amassing the most points and emerging victorious.
4. Android: Netrunner ($45 - $60)
Deckbuilders are one of my favorite board game mechanic so I definitely had to add Android: Netrunner to this list. Android: Netrunner is a two-player Living Card Game set in a cyberpunk world where a powerful corporation faces off against resourceful individual runners. Corporations aim to score agendas by fortifying their servers with "ice" while runners strive to breach security. The game ends when a player reaches seven points, often amid risks and challenges.
3. Russian Railroads ($50 - $65)
Russian Railroads is a thrilling competition where players vie to construct the most expansive and sophisticated railway network. To achieve this, players assign their workers to vital tasks. Laying down basic tracks swiftly connects key locations, while upgrading the railway network enhances machinery efficiency. Advanced locomotives extend travel distances, and factories produce cutting-edge technology. Strategic use of engineers can provide the crucial edge needed to outpace rivals.
2. Broom Service ($65 - $85)
Broom Service is a card-driven game where players blend luck and strategy, balancing bluffing with hand management. In this remake of Witch's Brew, players take on roles like witches, druids, and gatherers across seven rounds, executing actions to collect ingredients, deliver potions, and earn victory points. With new illustrations and mechanics, players must navigate risk and reward while vying for victory. Make sure to purchase the board game, not the card game. I'm biased but the board game was a better experience hence the reason why it's more expensive than the card game on 2nd hand markets.
1. RA: The Dice Game ($75 - $95)
Ra - The Dice Game creatively adapts thematic elements from "Ra" into a dice-based format, featuring pharaohs, the Nile, civilizations, monuments, and disasters. Instead of auctions, players roll five colored dice, strategically claiming squares on the central board or manipulating the Ra figure to control Epoch time. Scoring across three Epochs remains faithful to the original Ra, with monuments scored after the third Epoch and tracked on a score track along the board's edge. This version of RA is such a faster-paced game utilizing dice which gamers love.
Bonus. Bus ($89.95)
Well, look at that! Bus has been out of print for a while and I wanted to share the news that Capstone Games is reprinting a complete edition that you can preorder now for $89.95. If you don't know now you know!
Final Thoughts
Usually out of print board games can cost over $100 easily so I am happy to share some of these games that you may enjoy at a fraction of the price. I'm hopeful that some of the most popular board games eventually get reprinted like the game Bus. Let us know what game you hope gets reprinted and did we miss any affordable out of print games off the list? Happy Gaming
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