I’m a tabletop game fanatic – here’s what I’m picking up this Prime Day
Prepare for your next games night and grab a bargain
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Your support makes all the difference.As someone who writes about videogames for a living, I also like to spend a fair amount of my remaining free time playing tabletop games as well. There’s something inherently social and rewarding about setting up a table and playing them with friends or family that can’t be captured in a videogame in quite the same way.
Even then, I like playing board games so much, I like to play them by myself. It’s a good way to pass the time and simply focus on a set of rules and intricately designed game pieces.
But they can be expensive. A lot of “designer” board games are made by smaller publishers with custom parts, which not only means they’re expensive to manufacture but their price often reflects this. The sheer volume of games that are released every year can also make it intimidating to know which ones are worth picking up.
On the plus side, they also go on sale frequently. It’s never too difficult to find sales on top sellers, such as the usual classics, like Monopoly and Scrabble titles but also large scale role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons.
If you want to find out the best board game deals to shop on Amazon Prime Day then keep reading the rest of the article below.
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Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion: £41.22, Amazon.co.uk
While this is an expansion to the original Gloomhaven, it can also be played as a standalone game, with four new characters on a brand new adventure set before the events of the original game. It’s a parred down experience but in many cases that may make it less intimidating for newer players.
Gloomhaven was our top pick for best solo board game and for good reason. It’s mechanical depth and lengthy campaigns mean that it can go a long way in being the next big undertaking for you and up to three friends. Plus, Jaws of the Lion provides existing fans with new scenarios and characters to try out as well, if they already own the original.
Disney Villainous: £30.76, Amazon.co.uk
An asymmetrical competitive board game made for Disney fans of all ages, players will take control of one of six infamous villains such as Maleficent and Ursula. It’s been a very popular tabletop game since it first released in July 2018 and quite often goes on sale during the Prime Day sales. As you’d expect from a Disney tie-in the game pieces are hihgly detailed and this is definitely a game worth picking up at a hefty discount.
Pandemic: £24.95, Amazon.co.uk
Pandemic has been a popular board game since it was first released in 2008. Four diseases have broken out in the world, each threatening to wipe out a region and two to four players must work together to control the outbreak, each playing one of seven possible roles: dispatcher, medic, scientist, researcher, operations expert, contingency planner, or quarantine specialist.
There have been several variations of Pandemic since it first released but it’s tough to beat the original. It’s often discounted on Prime Day and is an essential purchase for anyone looking for a co-operative board game.
7 Wonders: £36.99 , Amazon.co.uk
This is one of those board games that has become synonymous with interesting tabletops as its popularity has spread through word of mouth. Each player takes control of a civilization of antiquity and must lead them to prosperity through military, scientific, cultural and economic strategy. It’s previously been discounted quite generously on Prime Day and is one we would expect to see in this year’s sales.
Dungeons & Dragons essentials kit: £20, Amazon.co.uk
If you’re completely new to the world of Dungeons & Dragons (or ‘DND’ for short) then the essentials kit is a good place to start. It’s a similar collection of materials to the starter kit that was released at in 2014 but this new collection includes not just a new open-world campaign, Dragon of Icespire Peak, but also an introductory rulebook, 6 blank character sheets, a dungeon master screen, a double sided map, and 81 cards for the magic items and sidekicks featured in this adventure. Of course, it also comes with a set of 11 polyhedral dice.
It’s suitable for 2-6 players (with one acting as the DM) and the rulebook will help players create their own characters for the fantasy setting. While the starter kit takes place in the “theatre of the mind”, the extra pieces in this essentials kit will help newer players to visualise the action as described by the dungeon master, for a more tangible experience.
Wingspan: £42.93, Amazon.co.uk
About as wholesome as a board game can get, players are tasked with attracting birds to their aviary to score points. Birds can be summoned based on their preferred habitat and as the number of birds start to grow, players can use their abilities to create a chain reaction that benefits them such as laying more eggs or gathering more food tokens.
The base game comes with 170 uniquely illustrated bird cards as well as other high quality pieces and even a dice tower shaped like a bird feeder. It’s family-friendly appeal is ideal for anyone who might be initially intimidated by other complex board games and this is one we quite often see at a discount on Amazon.
Voucher codes
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