D&D Basics (Getting started)

The Absolute Basics

First you will want to grab either the Basic rules (Free), the Starter Set (Cheap), or the Players handbook, Dungeon Masters Guide, and Probably Monster Manual

Then you need to have at least a few items

• Dice (Phone apps will work if absolutely necessary, or these)
  
• Paper & Pencil (for notes)
  
• Character Sheet (In the free PDF or an app)
  
  The starter set is nice because it does a bunch of the work for you, it has an easy to follow adventure, pre-made characters, Dice, and rules for the DM and players. And at half the cost of just the players handbook AND including an adventure, it is an incredible value.
  
  Once you finish that then looking at at least a players handbook for the extra races, classes, backgrounds, and other things is a good deal. That should let you run free adventures people have put online.
  
  The DM's guide will let you get deeper into rules and the right way to call them, break them, and make them.
  
  The monster manual can be a great tool to make better encounters.
  
  If you want to run a commercial adventure after the one's included in the starter set, "Tales from the Yawning Portal" includes the Sunless Citidel, considered by many to be an excellent adventure for those new to the game and just recently brought up from 3.5e into 5e
  
  

  Common Tools of the Trade
  

  
  As you start running more complex adventures you are going to want to have a few tools to keep things moving, either as a player or as a DM.
  
  

  As a Player
  

  
  The bare essentials every players should have are listed above, but most players agree having a few extras can make the game run really quick.
  
  

  Spell Cards
  

  
  These cards have all the spells available for specific classes or from specific books on really well organized cards that make it easy to set aside your prepared spells and quickly reference all the core details.
  
  Cleric, Arcane, Ranger, Druid, Bard, Paladin, Martial Powers and Races, Xanathars Guide to Everything
  
  

  Binders & Sheet Protectors
  

  
  Keeping everything neat and organized can be a huge time saver and make it much easier for you to find what you need. Binders can be a great way to keep your notes and other materials organized. In addition many sheet protectors easily erase dry erase markers making it easy to keep track of spells and other changes without ruining character sheets with constant erasing.
  
  

  As a DM
  

  
  DMs have their work cut out for them. But a few simple tools can make the game run smooth and leave everyone having that much more fun.
  
  

  Index Cards
  

  
  A set of index cards can go a long way to speeding up the game. Players can put details on spells or magic items on them. You can prepare loot for the game ahead of time and hand it out allowing players to look over the gear as the game continues. You can also use them to hide portions of a battle map or commerical map to give the effect of fog of war.
  
  

  Game Mats
  

  
  A game mat let's you make single maps by drawing on them with dry erase or wet erase markers. Many are made of vinyl and can last a long time. Normally they will have either 1" squares or hex shapes.
  
  

  Minitures
  

  
  These things can be expensive, but giving your game that 3D upgrade and helping players better manage space in a game can be well worth it. You can use actual miniatures (Like those from Reaper), Create custom ones on Hero's Forge, or even just buy some cheap stand in tokens from Game Mash.
  
  If you just need a cheap way to keep track of positions army men, bottle caps, colored game pieces, and even legos can all play the role.
  
  No matter what you use, you can pick up colored rubber bands to mark status conditions or other information.
  
  

  Where Can I Play?
  

  
  You can find tons of places to play D&D.
  
  

• Get together a gaming group.
  
• Find a Guild or club in your area. Meetup.com,
  
• Most hobby shops and especially comic book and gaming shops offer games, usually Adventure League. WotC offers a tool to find stores here.
  
• /r/lfg can be a great way to find others to play online with.
  
• Play by Mail sites like RPoL allow you to play by forum post.
  
  

  Also:
  

  
  Critical Role - Voice actors playing DnD, Matt Mercer (The DM) is an amazing Dungeon Master and shows how the game should be played.
  
  Matthew Colville - Amazing videos on being a DM, must watch material for every DM. Even when your opinions differ he gives good reasons and great advice.
  
  

  Compendiums
  

  
  These let you ciew all the free open rules (SRD & Basic Rules) for D&D 5e at no cost.
  
  Roll20 Compendium - Has all the open rules for the game, so a good source for monsters, items, spells, etc.
  
  DnDBeyond - A more official source for the content, plus you can buy all the materials released by WotC to use, and has a great character builder.
  
  

  Adventures & Maps
  

  
  DMsGuild - Tons of free and paid adventures and other materials. The quality can be varying, but many are free and that can be great.
  
  /r/dndmaps/ - What more can they say, D&D Maps.
  
  Mike Schley Makes many of the maps for the D&D Adventures.

Since people have covered the "what do I do with my abilities", here's a couple notes on supplies.

The Player's Handbook has a good selection of supplies. Ask your DM what your funds are (or if you're limited to your standard starting goods), and browse.

In general, my recommendation for a new player is to take:

• a weapon that seems fun or flavorful (for a cleric, you probably want a one-handed weapon, so you can still cast),
  
  
• a generic adventurer's pack of your choice (it's a good "starter pack" of sorts),
  
  
• an item of personal value or superstition to your character (a cleric will have a holy symbol, but is there something else they hold valuable? There's also a table for selecting a valueless free trinket in the player's handbook)
  
  And then, if you have any remaining gold, I would recommend saving some of it (your character should still be able to afford food and lodging)- but honestly, just have a look through the equipment tables and see what's interesting for the rest. A mirror for looking around corners? Extra lamp oil? Whatever you think your character will use and what tells a good story.
  
  As for outside-the-game equipment:
  
  
• A good character sheet (the default's fine!)
  
  
• Pencil, and spare paper of some sort (you don't want to note-take everything, but noting things your character would remember that you may not will save your hide.
  
  Most other materials are extras, and "nice to haves".
  
  If you end up playing a lot, you can also purchase:
  
  
• A deck of spell cards for your class of choice (5E Cleric/etc cards here) - this is to make spellcasting easier to track. There's also a variety of digital tools for this, though - I just personally prefer keeping my phone and computer put away if possible, to prevent being distracted
  
  
• If playing in-person, you might consider finding a miniature to represent a character that you are fond of and you believe to be long-term. I wouldn't do this unless you've played for a bit, love your character, and trust your group to continue. Also, keep in mind that depending on group your character can die. Buy figures for characters you want to remember after the game is over, or you could reuse. Some people use HeroForge for this, but there's no shame in a generic mini.
  
  TLDR
  The Player's Handbook will generally not guide you wrong in terms of reccomended starting equipment- there should be some notes in the class and background that you've chosen.
  
  Outside the game, the general rule is bring you, your character sheet, a pencil, and a willingness to roleplay and learn. You'll figure out what else you want as you go.
  
  In general: this game is fun, do what you think will be fun, and don't worry too much about being effective! For your abilities, trust the advice of the wizened gurus who have posted their advice - but keep in mind, ultimately, the goal you have is to have fun, and so you should take what you think would be cool.

So before my grandpa passed away at 98, he was legally blind, but could still "kinda" see with the right help(macular degeneration). He played bridge with his wife until he was 96 or so when his vision deteriorated too much. He taught me how to play(I really suck though), and when we played and he won a bid, he would just let me play the hand and his was the dummy(bridge talk).

A few tips for you:

1. Get her one of these. It is amazingly helpful in many situations. Good lighting and magnification was huge for him.
   
   
2. Card holders also helped because it was difficult to hold the card under the lamp in the right place to see them. So he would adjust the light so it showed the cards he wanted to see. Something like this or bigger maybe depending on preference.
   
   
3. Lastly, if she still uses the computer, get her to learn how to use the zoom feature on her computer as well as the narrator and where those buttons are located while she can still somewhat see. Not sure if she uses windows or what, but here is a tutorial for windows zoom. Believe it or not, my grandpa actually played solitaire on the computer up until his last days. He would zoom in on each card at the beginning and remember what was on each pile. He might not have been able to see or hear too well, but his mind was still sharp.
   
   
4. My grandpa loved getting emails and used the narrator to have them read aloud to him. Unfortunately I can't find a good tutorial on narrator, but these days I'll bet there's an app or extension that might be better than the built in one on Windows.
   
   As his sight deteriorated, he took to grabbing people's arms to walk him around, which was a little strange the first couple times, but eventually we just started walking arm in arm with him and I think it was comforting to him not to have to grab us to walk him around. He also taught me that people are still sensitive about their age at 98. I went to his 98th birthday celebration at the assisted living home and he didn't want me to tell people how old he was. I found it amusing, but he was serious about it. I guess some things never change no matter how old you are. Best of luck to you, hope these were helpful.

Mmmmm this contest makes me drool a little. I love video games.

I would love Beyond Two Souls for the PS3. It looks beautiful and my friends have loved it and have made me reeeeeally want to play it!

For the Xbox360 I would love Borderlands 2 Game of the Year because my SO and I love playing Borderlands together and while we have played 2 we really want to play the all of the DLC together. :3 For valentines day I even altered nerf guns to look like guns from Borderlands.

For the DS I would love Tingles Rosy Rupeeland because I am crazy about Zelda and this game totally cracks me up as a spin off. :P

As for a card game I would love Cthulhu Fluxx because my friends and I have game nights and a couple of them have Fluxx so we are trying to get a bunch of different versions of Fluxx.

Wildcard- Gamecube, Metroid Prime 2 because I have the rest of the series, but still need #2 O.O Definitely go for a used one though. XD


Pretty much anything is fine used by me!

Thanks so much for this contest! I had a lot of fun kind of going through everything.

My favorite game is... Zelda Ocarina of Time because it was one of my early games and that and Majora's Mask got me hooked onto the video game world.

Being stationed on Okinawa is hard. Yes, it is beautiful, but the language barrier makes it extremely tough to make friends off base. I also don't have a lot in common with the military wives (no babies), and the ones with grown kids are older. I was talking to my husband about this contest, and he brought up a board game. We have a couple that we used to be friends with, until their older friends got stationed here, and now we feel like we aren't apart of the group anymore. I feel like this is a sob story, but I'm really not trying to make it that, I'm just trying to be real.

The point I am getting at is that this game extension would probably make life both easier, and happier. We would be able to invite BOTH couples over for game night, instead of only being able to invite one couple. The original game (that we already own) is only a 4 player game.

Another game Fluxx is another that would serve the same purpose, and is around the same price but a little cheaper.

Games are a good way to make friends. Which in real life is hard! Not everyone is as inviting as they are here =)

Thank you for the contest!




Before the Goddamned Marines get all of the credit.

If you're doing G/W tokens, I highly recommend Trostani over Tolsimir. Tolsimir is a built in anthem, but Trostani's populate on a stick is useful, and the life you'll be gaining is not negligible. You can even just throw in both so he can swap generals.

Another fun G/W deck is Karametra. Any creature is better when it comes with a free Rampant Growth, and the extra mana she brings allows you to curve a little higher so he can throw around all kinds of goofy things. Most landfall cards are cheap, and you can get away with making the deck be mostly creatures and run Primal Surge as a win condition. Cards like Lurking Predators and Abundance are ridiculous in this sort of deck. The only real issue is that Avenger of Zendikar is amazing in this, but a bit expensive. However, you can order [Nature of the Beast] (http://www.amazon.com/Magic-Gathering-Commander-Nature-Beast/dp/B00FUSBCCC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397739211&sr=8-1&keywords=nature+of+the+beast) for 20$ off Amazon and that gets you stuff like Avenger, Rampaging Baloths, Wrath of God, Tempt with Discovery, and some other useful stuff. Just cut the red stuff and use the rest of your budget to fill out the deck.

Or since the precon is all the colors he likes, just add cards to it with the rest of your budget, but I'd still say cut it down to two colors since decent three-color manabases are $$.

Hey, keep in mind that old commander decks from 2013 and 2014 are super cheap right now. Last year's Commander had mono-colored planeswalker commanders, and the year before that had cool 3-color commanders. Linkage:

2013 Decks (3-color)

• Mind Seize
  
  
  
• Evasive Maneuvers
  
  
• Power Hungry
  
  
• Eternal Bargain
  
  
• Nature of the Beast
  
  

  2014 Decks (Mono Color Walkers)
  

  
  

• Built From Scratch
  
  
• Forged In Stone
  
  
• [Peer Through Time]
  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OI1BX0I?keywords=commander%202014&qid=1449601024&ref_=sr_1_4&sr=8-4)
  
  
• Guided By Nature
  
  
• Sworn To Darkness
  
  ***
  
   
  
  Here is a 9 Minute Video by The Professor exactly why should go back and check out the past two year's commander decks before you decide on the current year. He makes the point that modern staples are not in this year's decks, so they'll likely reduce in price by next year. Also, the beauty of doing it this way and getting 2 different decks is that if you have a doubly good chance of getting one he likes. That's just my opinion, but I think expanding your search to the other 10 would be a smart play!
  
  Happy Holidays, and I hope your in-law loves whatever you choose for him.

Kid most recent fav is
Educational Insights Raccoon Rumpus Game https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATWSQR8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_p3YKAbD0B4JSW

He loves this one since he was 18 mths and still plays it weekly
ThinkFun Roll and Play Game for Toddlers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0070A9OUA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_S4YKAbHTXCEA0

He also loves
HiHo! Cherry-O Game https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D8VHIOE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_C5YKAb4CTGWSV

My niece loves
Educational Insights The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FNK6P6U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_f6YKAb98Y9BHF

Lookup educational insight games on amazon or on the educational insight site and they have fun games - i find amazon has good prices on them.

My 3 yr old also loves kinetic sand.

This is the next one on my list for him since he now loves dinosaurs
Dinosaur Escape https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S288BKI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wbZKAbRVN5AKM

Sushi Go!

Sushi Go! is a quick to teach, quick to play light drafting game. I love it as an intro to the drafting mechanic and as a filler.

No Thanks

Probably my favorite "light" card game. Very easy to teach.

For Sale

Great filler auctioning game. Every time I teach it we end up playing 2-3 games in a row.

Love Letter

A must own IMO. Quick and easy.

Zombie Dice

Under rated push your luck dice game. Plus zombies.

You should be able to pick 2-3 from this list and be happy with it :).

Take a look at Before the Wind

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000V233BA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1418435912&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX200_QL40

It's not difficult to learn, but it is a very good gamer's game. Way more interaction and back and forth than most games, it has an amazing extortion auction mechanic.

It's lesser known, and the theme might need a bit to get past, but it's lovely, small box, and fun.

I personally would not recommend munchkin, but it's difficult to say what to recommend without knowing a lot about them. Some games might be too light for some people, some games might be too thinky.

Another good one to look at would be Innovation
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004196Y06/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1418436254&sr=8-1
, if they don't already have it that's a game that has a very broad appeal

How many more copies of Monopoly do you need?!

This list could use some more Oomph, first off, you need Spot It! It's a small game that's quick and a great ice breaker before you get into things. There are multiple games to be played with the... er, game, but the idea is you have multiple cards with pictures on them, each card has at least one matching picture to another, games typically involve getting rid of or as many cards as possible by matching sets.

You don't seem to have too many games like Arkham Horror, or Firefly, so I'll avoid those, I do think Battle Wizards is up your alley though. It's a game where everyone gets a hand with three stages of a spell, beginning, middle, and end, and you play your cards to do damage to one another, again, it's a quick one, but really fun, and half the fun is naming off your spell.

Also, in the vein of Apples to Apples, and Cards Against, is Game of Things Which I actually think is cheaper in stores, it's like the previous two games in that you have to answer a card, but this time players write down their answers and you guess who wrote what.

I'm surprised you like Monopoly but don't have games like Settlers of Catan or 7 Wonders, both built around building on your resources and denying your opponents certain opportunities.

I'm sorry for the news in your family, if things go south like it sounds know that we're thinking about you!

SPPrincesa is the goddess of all things board games.

I guess that it'd be okay if they brought their own games, but you should warn them about possible damage. Accidents happen.

I thought of two other games for you:

• Monikers
  
• Skull
  
  I heard about both games from Shut Up & Sit Down and I think both are really good party games (people can drop in and drop out) and I think it might work for the couch game or for a party bluffing game.
  
  I wish you the best. Wish I was related to you so I could come play. :)
  
  Congrats again!

Admittedly, I'm using USD pricing from U.S. retailers. I'm not sure what the market is like anywhere else. Hopefully, this is still useful for OP and other readers.

Disclaimer:
> Online prices may vary.

Prices are meant to be a rough idea (not up-to-date) of game value. I haven't figured out a good way to systematically generate links directly to aggregated lowest prices. For example, Innovation is currently $18.30 at Amazon and $16.35 at BoardGameWarehouse excluding shipping. So, I'm not sure what is "way over", but I'm happy to change anything you can prove.

I'm also working with this quote from OP:
> If a game cost you £100 and served you months and months of entertainment then post it! For my benefit £10ish games will help more though haha!

Certainly (in general) the more pieces the game involves, the more costly it's going to be. There's definitely something to be said for having epic games with the immersion that the board and the pieces bring, but I'm also a fan of a number of more compact games.

They're mostly cards with maybe a couple chits, but they're all fantastic and bring a different experience. It's nice having a lower price point, taking up less room, and being more travel friendly -- especially when you're building a collection with friends and playing at each other's apartments/homes.



Game | Price | # Players
---|---|----
Love Letter | $6.84 | 2-4
Fairy Tale | $17 now; I picked it up for $13 | 2-5
Resistance | $15.13 | 5-10
Coup | $13.13 | 2-6
Hanabi | $10.13 | 2-5
Citadels | $19.95 | 2-7
Innovation | $18.30 | 2-4

Just some ideas from someone who finished college not too long ago (All gifts from Amazon).

• Fun Party Games such as: Drunk Stoned Or Stupid ($16.00) Or Exploding Kittens! ($16.99)
  
  
• Quartet Dry Erase Cork Calendar Board Combo ($14.99) - great for organizing as a student!
  
  
• A coffee maker! (find one that fits your price - plenty over and under $20.00) - Every college student needs a coffee maker, ESSENTIAL for late night studying! You can find a ton on Amazon for a good price!
  
  
• A 7-Quart Crockpot ($19.00) - Always great for cooking easy meals as a college student!
  
  

Clank! Would be perfect, very much recommended. It should take around 90 minutes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01KAC6268/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499512667&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=clank+board+game&dpPl=1&dpID=61ndijnUVdL&ref=plSrch

Another fun party game that is great is Monikers, check it out.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M07OQ1U/ref=mp_s_a_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499512730&sr=8-1-spell&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=momikers

If any of your friends were into CCGs, I also recommend millennium blades. Plays great at 2 players as well as up to 4. Definitely some setup involved but it's an awesome experience.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1936920573/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499512877&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=millenium+blades+board+game&dpPl=1&dpID=61t-Evr5DwL&ref=plSrch

Wish I could :( Its about half price on amazon coincidentally this week:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005E7A3OM?redirect=true&pldnSite=1

May be best to try it out at a friendly local game store first. It has lots of upside down text (unless you play your cards upside down so you opponent can easily read them all) and rules exceptions like a typical American style card game, so if you have friends okay with that, you're good to go.

We do watercolor paints. Cutting with safety scissors (new skill, just snips fringe in the edges of papers, but loves it). Gluing with a glue stick--I cut a bunch of shapes and she glues them on a paper however she wants. She loves sprinkling glitter on glue but I save glitter for playgroup we attend. We play this simple game she got for Christmas ThinkFun Roll and Play Game for Toddlers - Your Child's First Game! (literally just roll the cube, pull the matching color card, do an action).

Board games. This is a favourite in a lower price range https://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Queens-Card-Game-Cards/dp/B0009XBY3A

Books. My kids love books. Magic tree house is a nice gender neutral option. My son got Narwhal and Jelly last birthday, which is super cute. The LEGO creator sets make three models and have a ton under $15 https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Creator-Dinosaurs-31058-Dinosaur/dp/B01KJEOCDW/ref=sr_1_5?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1519156282&sr=1-5&keywords=lego+creator

Science kits. https://www.amazon.com/Scientific-Explorer-First-Blowing-Science/dp/B000BURAP2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1519156359&sr=8-4&keywords=kids+science+kits This one is $15 but I know for sure AC Moore often sells the same one, and bunch by the same company for $10. Plus they often do $9 sales on their large craft kids AND BOGO on Melissa and Doug.

Five Below sells Crayola, Melissa and Doug, Play Doh and a wide variety of board games and other extremely decent craft kits and sometimes LEGO or Megabloks toys.

One last one that has been popular with friends is a small licensed LEGO and matching book. Also runs around $15.

Happy Cake day pumpkin !!!

If you've had fun here, then it's never a waste :)

This would be pretty fun too! :)

Thanks for the contest!

I have found [[Mayael the Anima]] to be a commander that does very well on a budget and is also really easy to continue to revamp and upgrade as you please. My list is currently TCG price around $212, but by taking out the Eldrazi (Ulamog and It That Betrays) and replacing them with just about any 5/x creature you have laying around, you're down to ~$150. There are tons of lists and primers for her, and she can be really fun to pilot since you hardly ever get the same creature twice. If she's in the playstyle you like, I'd definitely have to recommend it.

You can get the basic shell in the Naya C13 precon, which is $16 from this seller on amazon.

Cover Your Assets is a family favorite of ours. Perfect for 2-6 players, only takes about half an hour to play. It's the perfect mix of strategy and luck to be really fun.

Cover Your Assets is our new favorite. Fast enough moving to keep interest yet can still chat while playing. Grandpa Beck's Cover Your Assets Card Game | Fun Family-Friendly Set-Collecting Game | Enjoyed by Kids, Teens, and Adults | From the Creators of Skull King | Ideal for 2-8 Players Ages 7+ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0077Q0NP2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_47NTDbHTBE98Y

It shall be told prior to every date he goes on as long as he lives under my roof. I'll preface the story by saying, "Let me tell you about..."

You know what, I'll let you guys provide suggestions for the rest of that line.

I'm going to sleep, I'll tell you which of your responses was my favorite in the morning. I'll even send my whoever writes my favorite one a prize of a free copy of another of my favorite games that features some lovely double entendré in the title (yes, I'm serious about sending one).

I think I've seen sets of playing cards that are metallic, and meant to be played on a magnetic surface.
The cards themselves aren't magnetic, so can be shuffled.
Although I imagine the cards could become magnetized fairly easily.

I wonder how effective those grippy mats for sticking phones and stuff to the dash of your car would work with cards vs. wind.
Or like, surfboard wax even.

A mechanical solution might work. Something like rubber bands stretched across the table that cards can be tucked under, or clear pockets cards can be stuffed into. Or just card holders like this

You could get her a r ally hilarious game like Exploding Kittens to play when she meets new people? It's a simple, quick, hilarious game, and even just reading the cards gets a laugh. There's a NSFW and a clean edition, so make sure you choose wisely!

Bananagrams - simple word game. A bit like Scrabble only without the scoring system. Really great to play with my kids.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Toys-Winning-Moves-Bananagrams-Game/dp/B00ZR6V5HO


Exploding Kittens - fun as hell card game. Easy to learn and play. Full instruction video on their website. Again, fun to play with my 9 and 13 year old. There's a NSFW version too.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Exploding-Kittens-About-Explosions-Sometimes/dp/B010TQY7A8

(NSFW version http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B010TU7LP2/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?qid=1449901848&sr=8-2&pi=SX200_QL40&keywords=exploding+kittens&dpPl=1&dpID=51g9KWUTKPL&ref=plSrch)

$35 Talrand (U) Plays a bunch of cantrips and counters to get an army of 2/2 drakes and turns them sideways to win. Heavy counterspell may draw some hate at tables.

$50 Brion (UR) Casts fat creatures, and flings them with its commander. Has a few combo wincons.

$56 Isamaru, Hound of Konda (W) One drop commander, pumps him up with a ton of equipment to get 21 commander damage out fast.[Voltron]

I also found a blog with a bunch of budget decks, I'll dump links to all the lists for people searching this to get into the format for cheap.

$38 Niv-Mizzet (U) Draws a ton of cards to deal damage, subthemes are spell copying and spell recursion. Can go infinite with the addition of cards like [[Curiosity]] and [[Ophidian Eye]]

$27 Azami (U) Draw cards, counter spells, make flashy timmy plays. Has cool wincons including [[Diviner's Wand]].

$31 Bruna (UW) Another voltron deck, this one uses Auras to pump up the commander instead, and the commander's ability to cheat them on from the hand and graveyard.

$30 Pharika (BG) Reanimator with lots of ETB effects. Commander can create 1/1 deathtouch tokens for 2 mana at instant speed.

$36 Scion of the Ur-Dragon (Five-Color) Dragon tribal with some reanimator. Infinite combos off [[Hellkite Charger]] + [[Bear Umbra]] and[[Niv-Mizzet, The Firemind]] + [[Ophidian Eye]]

$36 Kamahl (G) Good old mono G battlecruiser. Contains tons of ramp, tokens, and Timmy spells. Commander has [[Overrun]] as an activated ability.

$38 Sharuum (BUW) Artifact reanimator with goodstuff from all three colours. Uses [[Shimmer Myr]] to play most of its deck at instant speed.

I'd also like to give an honorable mention to the Commander pre-constructed decks, which can be had for $20 online, and the newest ones are at a $35 MSRP. They're all legal and playable out of the box, but I hear that the power level on some of the older ones is lacking a bit. I'd recommend the 2014 Commander decks as I have experience with them being competitive at local tables outside of the box. I would have the warning that they're all split down the middle into multiple subthemes to allow the list to be re-focused using the alternate commanders provided, and so they end up playing fairly differently than a deck that was built from the top to be more focused.

Yes! Game of Things is a favorite amongst my friends. Loaded Questions is great. Also, Cards Against Humanity is an always a good one.

Sure thing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP1aH9Ncyh8

Note here that he's pulled a few strings on his price point (and it originally said under $20 on this video, but he bumped it up to $25 after some discussion. It's closer to $30.)

For the item shop folder, I recommend these card sheets:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CR8UI36/ref=psdc_166239011_t1_B01CR8I2HU

I accidentally bought what I thought was a slightly cheaper option, but ended up being only 10 sheets instead of 15. So now for saving less than 50 cents, I am about 4 card slots short of what I need. (I use one slot per category to label Prosperity 1, Prosperoty 2, Random Items, Solo Items, etc.) My shop goes all the way through the solo items, and I want to add the Forgotten Circles cards later. 15 sheets will be more than enough.

I originally tried a slightly cheaper option (about $5 for 20 sheets instead of $7.50 for 15) but the card slots were juuuust too small, and could hold one card, but not more than one. Sleeves didn't work well either, and I want mine sleeved. But the card sheets in the link I posted don't have that problem.

So, pick up those pizza boxes (I got the big ones and I store then in two rows of 4, rotated 90 degrees from how he has them in this video). Use the card boxes for road and city events like he does, but also use a 3rd card box for the extra small cards (curses, blesses, battle goals, etc.). They are usually sold in packs of 5 so you aren't costing yourself anything to do that, vs. buying 8 more pizza boxes just to have one more. Plus I think it stores better than a 9th pizza box would. Then snag those specific card sheets. (I actually tried a business card holder first, which works fine, but the slots are larger than needed which is a little ugly for these cards, and the cards are turned sideways, which is okay, but the 4 x 4 sheets here are better, enough so that I'm taking the time to move my items all over from the old sheets to the new 4 x 4 ones.)

The item shop is a chore to set up, but very satisfying to have complete. I went through it and cut out a rectangular piece of printer paper for each locked item to slide behind them, so that you can't see what they are from the back when flipping through the shop. If you can stomach the chore, the end result is sooo convenient.

Have a look for Roll & Play, it's a big stuffed dice and some cards with actions on. My youngest is 15 months and loves picking up random cards and occasionally rolling the big dice (she doesn't put the two together yet). It's still great fun acting out what's on the card for her :)

http://www.amazon.com/Thinkfun-Roll-Play-Board-Game/dp/B0070A9OUA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394653094&sr=8-1&keywords=roll+and+play

I feel bad for you. Monopoly is like.. the worst game ever made. There's some seriously fun stuff out there! Like For Sale! its a much quicker game but very enjoyable! Kinda like monopoly in that you buy property off an auction then resell it in a reverse auction. Unlike monopoly its done in like 30-40 mins tops.

Yep! Pretty fun, too, IMO. It's both a cooperative and competitive game and pretty easy to get the hang of.

Bloodborne: The Card Game https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HYVKY80/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_zjHLyb26N6QG2

There is a website called meeple like us run by /u/drakkos focused on things like this. These are some games that you might want to take a look at, although the accessibility tear-downs will go in to a lot more detail and it is definitely worth checking them out.


I would definitely recommend getting some card holders. There are tons of them on the internet, but something like this makes the cards very visible, and he can say "play the second one from the left" or whatever. Some games are better suited to this than others, and that is part of what makes the accessibility tear-downs so valuable.


Edit: I forgot to say that if this does get deleted, you might want to consider reposting in /r/MeepleLikeUs

My seven-year-old daughter and five-year-old son both love these games. They’re both quite affordable and well-rated.

Sleeping Queens

This is a nice little card game targeted at kids. I find it interesting enough to not be completely mind numbing for adults, too — though it’s definitely a kids game.

Splendor

This is an adult strategy that was given to me as a gift, but is quite playable for both of my kids — despite saying it’s for 10 years and up. One nice thing about this game is that there is no hidden info, so it’s easy to advise and assist others without having to see something that is normally private. It’s a fun game with somewhat simple strategy, but that can actually be a bit more deep or advanced than it initially might seem.

I think you should branch into Munchkin. It's great to play when you need a D&D/Pathfinder break.

Or if you already Munchkin, THIS expansion pack looks like all kinds of fun.

And a Roman d4 might help alleviate some caltrop related issues.

It's ok twisty, you weren't going to win the bomb anyways! Also, you aren't a pervert

Do you have/have you played Exploding Kittens yet?

/u/Raewynrh, come & join the fun!

These are probably too small. I use the ultra pro mini euro pages and they fit perfectly. I can stack an entire monster ability deck and fit it in a single pocket. When stacked they do hang out the top a little but it’s fine. Singles fit very well. They are only 16 pocket but you can face one forward and one backward.
Edit these

Hmm. Creepiest thing on my list that's under $15 would have to be Cthulhu Fluxx, which would be great for our game nights coming up around Halloween!

Thanks for the contest! I think I direct linked it properly but if not I only have 2 pages of stuff (of I can fix it if you can tell me where I made a mistake on it). :) That, of course, only matters if I win!

The game Sleeping Queens has some great math (it's been a while, I forget exactly what) has a great theme for kids, and is super cheap.

i would start by advising some QoL adjustments to his spell sheet - i myself, ESPECIALLY for classes like clerics which have their full spell list, like to color-code things that i can do on a bonus action and/or that take concentration, and ofc mark off anything that's domain, from a feat, from a race, etc so i don't confuse myself when prepping my shit. that on its own can clear up a lot. if i, say, use my action to toll the dead, i'll take a quick scan through my spell sheet, look for the blue dots i used to mark off bonus actions, and maybe throw out a healing word or spiritual weapon. it can also help to make an additional, filtered list of actions, bonus actions, etc that you use commonly - going through your entire spell sheet and character sheet can be overwhelming, so having a condensed list of everything you use frequently in one place can be handy.

i also went ahead and invested in spell cards and card pages to keep them in - having them as a quick reference is handy, i just keep them in the same binder i keep my sheets in and flip to them when i need to make some decisions.

i will say, the main thing that keeps my cleric so busy in combat is his personality. he's VERY protective, always concerned about his party members, so when i play him in combat, i'm usually trying frantically to make the most of my turn to that effect. i'll use sanctuary on the utility-focused bard and use my movement to get in front of everyone to take hits, or healing word the barbarian while using my action to pry the monk out of a monster's grip, to use some examples from my last session. obviously that kind of thing is gonna differ from character to character, but he could try, if he hasn't already, thinking about what specifically his character wants to accomplish in the average combat, and from there, think every turn about how to best use the tools available to achieve that goal.

In my opinion, the most important thing is to have fun and to play what you think makes sense for your character. Is your character an experienced martial artist: you could use a longsword, are they more the rough and tumble type: warhammer.

As for playing: make sure you at least know your abilities and the rules involved. As a DM I can positively say there is little as annoying as people not knowing what they can do, or worse, thinking they know how it works and getting annoyed when you tell them it's wrong.

As a nice utility if you have 20 bucks to spare: there are spell cards you can buy for cleric, which makes keeping track of your prepared spells a whole lot easier!

Just played Resistance last night. It's pretty damn fun.

Bang is a good game too if anyone's interested.

Does he like board games too? There is a game called Summoner Wars that is like chess had a love child with MTG. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005E7A3OM/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_iBAoub0ZG1P3P
My husband and I love playing it together.

Not to try and change your mind, but for those who are curious, here are some great boardgames at or around the $20 price point:

Forbidden Island

Race for the Galaxy

The Resistance

Innovation

For Sale

Roll Through the Ages

Glory to Rome

Citadels

Acquire

Qwirkle

Bohnanza

2. A game you'll love
   
   
3. And some gear for me, cuz I loves the yoga There's other exercise stuff in my RAOA wish list, so you can look through it
   
   
4. Thanks for the contest!!
   
   

You and I share many of the same interests. That being said, This is one of my all time favourite board games. It is really simple to learn and is fun for everyone. Another one of my favourites is this. It is a much more complex game that is different every time you play it. Both of these games come very highly recommended.

I also bought those pages and came to the same conclusion. For anyone that's wondering alternatives, these Ultra Pro binder pages were perfect for me. They are meant for American sized but are a bit too big to them, letting the larger European ones fit very well even in stacks of 4, only sticking out a bit from the top side.

Woop! Thanks for the contest!

Might get weirder than this, but really depends on who's playing. :D

Happy (early) Halloween!

The Lego Heroica series is a hit around here, both my 11 year old and my 3 year old can play it.

There are a few card games we all enjoy that even the little one can play too, like Sleeping Queens (which was actually designed by a 6 year old little girl) and There's a Moose in the House.

Hmm. Official here is a strong word. Ales Kot is the writer of that comic and to my knowledge, he was privy of no additional information than we are. It's more like a well funded Fan comic.


There's the Artbook, The Vinyl, and the boardgame.


If you just want stuff similar to BB I know of a couple.

I have a 2 year old and 3 year old and we love the game ThinkFun Roll and Play. They roll/throw the big dice, it lands on a color, and then they pick a card that matches the color. The cards say things like: find something red, give a high five, jump up and down three times, make a pig noise: https://www.amazon.com/Thinkfun-Roll-Play-Board-Game/dp/B0070A9OUA/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1480447766&sr=8-7&keywords=games+for+toddlers

I'm going to guess it's a girl! And the only winter birthday in my family is December 21st (my grandma) so that's my guess. Congratulations, by the way! <3

• $20 item
  
  
• $40 item
  
  Thanks for the contest!

We're doing a brunch/no dancing wedding as well, and we'll be putting easy games on the tables. A few that we're definitely doing are:

• Cards Against Humanity
  
• Monikers
  
• Red Flags
  
• Bang!
  
• Spaceteam

Unfortunately those are two of the more expensive decks from the two sets, and would cost you around $65 for the both of them. Assuming that you have Amazon Prime (for the free shipping), these are the combinations I would recommend that are under $50, just based on giving him the most color variety.

Evasive Maneuvers and either Sworn To Darkness or Built From Scratch


Power Hungry and either Peer Through Time or Sworn To Darkness


Nature of the Beast and Peer Through Time

My personal choice of those would be Evasive Maneuvers and Sworn To Darkness, but if you include a gift receipt then he can always exchange them if he needs to.

I HIGHLY recommend Summoner Wars. I absolutely love this game.

http://www.amazon.com/Plaid-Hat-Games-SWMS-Summoner/dp/B005E7A3OM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367881445&sr=8-1&keywords=Summoner+wars


That's if you do sell the GC. ITs a great game.. has multiple factions you can use.. Plenty of variety. Its a strategy board game with cards.

If you guys are into tabletop/card games, Bloodborne has a nice one you and your friends could play togheter.

Bloodborne is a game very similar to Dark souls, made by the same studio, in case you didn't know.

https://www.amazon.com/CMON-BBN001-Bloodborne-Card-Game/dp/B01HYVKY80

It's not a board game, per se, but get Monikers

The most fun I've had playing a game in awhile.

Since you mentioned toddlers, and most suggestions for kids so far are a little older, I'll add a couple recommendations based on my recent experience:

1. ThinkFun Roll and Play - Got this for my 2 year old. This was great at introducing him to the concept of a "game" and that there is a sequence of "rules" to follow. It's extremely simple: roll the giant die, take the matching colored card, do whatever it says (find something purple, count your fingers, make a lion roar noise, etc). He caught on quick and really likes rolling the giant die. It also helped him solidify colors and learn several things from the cards.
   
   
2. My First Orchard - Just got this one and my now-a-little-over-two year old has really caught on to it. It has large wood pieces for the fruit which are easy for him to move and look really nice. Again, simple game: roll die, move a fruit of the appropriate color to the basket (or move raven, or pick which color fruit to move). We've now established "turns" and he really likes setting everything up, and moving the raven. We just got it on Christmas, and this weekend we were playing it like 4 times a day, while following all the rules.

Sorry I've not played Thunderstone or Dominion either. But I have been thinking of getting Summoner Wars for a while now. I seem to often see Thunderstone and Summoner Wars talked about together. No idea if they are similar as I've never investigated Thunderstone.

That said the great value for money Master Set of Summoner Wars is a great price on Amazon at the moment for $36.80. From what I understand this is a starting set that has everything you need including 6 faction decks.

Summoner Wars

Not sure if it is what you are after but might be worth investigating. Might even add that to the basket myself :)

And if they like it, you can convince them to play Bang!

I got a bunch of sheet protectors for my group.
They go in some dollar store binders with lined scratch paper and some trading card sleeves to put hand written spell and item cards. Combine with cheap dry/wet erase markers and a pencil, and they're good to go for several campaigns.

I have this and really like it. Its a bit pricey and I might NOT get it if I could go back, but I might still get it. Its just not necessary. There are cheaper alternatives that solve the same problems almost 100%. There are plenty of posts around. Plano boxes for monster standees, single and double hex map pieces, and all the health/summon tokens, etc. A binder with these for some of the cards (mainly the items) as well as an accordion folder of some sort for the map tiles (this is suggested on top of the Meeple Realty insert).

I suggest sleeving quite a few of the cards as well, if not all of them. The monster AI decks and all the attack modifier decks get shuffled constantly (Apps coming out to replace this/already available if that is your thing). If you are strapped for cash, i'd suggest spending money on sleeves rather than this.

The base insert in the box is not half bad for the cards (except maybe the monster AI, so if you just get the plano boxes and accordion folder for the map tiles, you really are well off.

There are card holders that can help you hold cards. Then for life tracking use something like the Legion LifeCalc. These solve some of the issues OP is having, I think.

Monikers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00M07OQ1U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FKgODbS0AE8NQ

My favorite party game!

Hope you enjoy it. It is definitely one of my favorite games.

I was curious and checked CSI's posting for the Big Box. It does not seem to list the Filth pack, but it should be in your box - I ordered mine from CSI back in March, and the Filth were included. If, for some strange reason, yours does not contain it, I would contact CSI, because it should definitely be there.

Could just be an oversight on the product page, though.

Edit: Amazon seems to have some copies of the original Master Set in stock for ~$35, which isn't much more than what CSI is asking for, if you're intent on having a complete Summoner Wars collection ASAP.

I recommend something like this

https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Advantage-CTU7387-Blank-Playing/dp/B001UG392E/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1492404782&sr=8-2&keywords=blank+playing+cards

for readability compared to playing cards with sharpie written over them

Aside from the VCR, strongly reminded me of the card game BANG!

http://www.amazon.com/Bang-Wild-West-Card-Edition/dp/B001Q4XWB8

Similarly steep learning curve. Way too much fun.

Combine with blank cards, your own blank folding game board, some neutral pawns, and/or a set with pawns, tokens, timers, and more, and you're set!

Need inspiration? Do a Little. Reading.

If you can find them, I highly recommend the spellbook cards. I give them to my players and it just makes life soo much easier without having to flip back and forth the PHB for your spells and lists.

https://www.amazon.com/73916-Spellbook-Cards-Cleric-Deck/dp/B01N4C1EHP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523129298&sr=8-1&keywords=cleric+spell+cards+5th+edition

> temporarily defused

Reminds me of this

Which is a VERY fun game, by the way!

Something like Things might be good?

The Game of Things Board Game https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CMUEYOE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Kcmrxb68QDP08

Similarly Loaded Questions

Loaded Questions https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004S7ZG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_.emrxbEQ8TA2T

Has anyone played the bloodborne board game?

https://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B01HYVKY80/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1492441638&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=bloodborne&dpPl=1&dpID=51J0iBOencL&ref=plSrch

I'm interested in it, but 3-6 players could be a deal breaker because I would be playing it almost exclusively with one buddy. Any thoughts?

I think they have blank cards that you can print directly on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Advantage-CTU7387-Blank-Playing/dp/B001UG392E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1511467892&sr=8-4&keywords=blank+playing+cards

Pretty cheap and via Prime. Depending on the volume you want, that may be possible.

You seem chill, I like you. Not as much as I like this though.

I guess technically a card game but yes!

Bloodborne Card Game

Cool, we use these, I like the feel, though they aren't reusable.

http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Advantage-CTU7387-Blank-Playing/dp/B001UG392E

It's cheap too

It plays like Cutthroat Caverns, a semi-cooperative dungeon crawl.

So I just had a look.

Its definitely there, on Amazon (in the UK at least).

https://www.amazon.com/Monikers/dp/B00M07OQ1U

I found these on amazon, it says in the Q&A that with some effort you can clean them off after using dry erase.


https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Advantage-CTU7387-Blank-Playing/dp/B001UG392E/ref=pd_lpo_229_bs_lp_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=R0GHDY8TV44RG7BDKG1M

This is a tiny bit pricier ($22.20 right now), but For Sale is a fantastic, quick filler game. It's all about bidding and blind auctions.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gryphon-Games-1124-For-Sale/dp/B001PQLNY0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375964250&sr=8-1&keywords=for+sale+board+game

BGG: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/172/for-sale

Munchkin Apocalypse https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008H4L3M0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Qt7bAbP4XYNRR

I think my 11 year old and I would enjoy this one.

Thanks for the offer.

Card game:
https://bgg.cc/boardgame/195856/bloodborne-card-game

First talks:
https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/4am0fm/eric_lang_working_on_a_bloodborne_card_game/

Reviews:
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/09/bloodborne-the-card-game-is-actually-pretty-great/
https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/4x2o5t/bloodborne_the_card_game_cool_mini_or_not_review/

How to play:
https://www.reddit.com/r/boardgames/comments/4zdca1/bloodborne_how_to_play_watch_it_played/

On amazon (or check you FLGS):
https://smile.amazon.com/CMON-BBN001-Bloodborne-Card-Game/dp/B01HYVKY80/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504006993&sr=8-1&keywords=bloodborne+card+game

I'm sure I spent as much on this as I would have on an official storage solution like the ones commercially available, but they all had something I didn't really care for, and I've had the game longer than any of them have been available for, so I had to come up with something anyway.

Plano boxes:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EDPS4Q/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Card pages (I think):
https://www.amazon.com/Upgrade-Display-Imperial-Assault-American/dp/B01CR8UI36/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1504722824&sr=1-1&keywords=star+wars+upgrade+card+display

2 Tile pages:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003A7JO20/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Single Tiles pages:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002KDNAU2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Sleeves:
https://www.amazon.com/Dephia-Gloomhaven-Sleeves-Standard-European/dp/B0719TN8MB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504707426&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=gloomhaven+sleeves&psc=1

Like These, or These, or These, or These?

Game Night ppl - Has anyone played Exploding Kittens? Thinking of gifting it to my sis.

Did you play the NSFW version?

There sure is!

Something like this

Our group has gotten a lot of mileage out of [Munchkin Apocalypse] (http://www.amazon.com/Steve-Jackson-Games-1503SJG-Apocalypse/dp/B008H4L3M0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1381261434&sr=8-1&keywords=munchkin+apocalypse) :-)

Well written article, and it found me a neat new card game to check out.

Not sure where you are based, but here it is on Amazon: Clicky

Amazon shows in stock for me? link

Found these on amazon. Much cheaper.

Grandpa Beck’s Cover Your A$$ets. Another comment links to the Amazon page.

Edit: for convenience, here it is

Is Bang! rare or something?

I played it for the first time last weekend and loved it, but I didn't think it was all that sought after. Amazon has it for $16 if you need it that badly.

For you, Cthulu card game


For me, book

I don't know if they are actually related but this is the card game.

https://www.amazon.com/Plaid-Hat-Games-Summoner-Master/dp/B005E7A3OM

https://www.amazon.com/CMON-BBN001-Bloodborne-Card-Game/dp/B01HYVKY80

i think you meant exploding kittens

https://www.amazon.com/CMON-BBN001-Bloodborne-Card-Game/dp/B01HYVKY80/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=1SIVETRFABSPJ&keywords=bloodborne+card+game&qid=1555699265&s=gateway&sprefix=Bloodborne+ca&sr=8-2

Grandpa Beck’s Cover Your A$$ets

The Resistance $19

Ultimate Werewolf $12

Citadels $19

Lost Cities $18

Bohnanza $15

Carcassonne $21

Glory to Rome $20

Innovation $22

Battle Line $18

San Juan $21

Onirim $13

The Hive $25

would this work?

http://www.amazon.com/Plaid-Hat-Games-SWMS-Summoner/dp/B005E7A3OM/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1345660581&sr=1-1&keywords=summoner+wars

These?

Buy some blank cards and get a sharpie. That's what I do.

http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Advantage-CTU7387-Blank-Playing/dp/B001UG392E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368045274&sr=8-1&keywords=blank+playing+cards

This

price history

Never played it, but it's not that expensive of a game.

https://www.amazon.com/CMON-BBN001-Bloodborne-Card-Game/dp/B01HYVKY80

That's right. Here's some price data taken from /r/lowestprice. Its more like a 20 to 30% discount witch is still pretty great

|Name|Price|Usual Price|
|----|----|----|----|
|Forbidden Island|$10.19|$14.50
|Resistance The 2nd Edition|$12|$15.50
|7 Wonders|$28|$33
|Pound-O-Dice|$16|$21
|Dixit|$20|$25
|Say Anything|$15|$19
|Dominion|$59|$74
|Flash Point Fire Rescue 2nd Edition|$24|$30
|The Walking Dead Board Game|$21|$27
|DC Comics Deck Building Game|$23|$30
|Zombicide Base Game|$54|$74
|The Castles Of Burgundy|$22|$29
|Summoner Wars Master Set|$30|$39
|Formula D|$32|41
|The Big Bang Theory: The Party Game|$17|$22
|Axis and Allies 1914 World War I Board Game|$59.39|$75
|Risk Godstorm Game|$30|$36.50
|Saint Malo Strategy Game|$20|$27

No, it's literally a card game. You can visualize this better here: https://www.amazon.com/Cool-Mini-or-Not-BBN001/dp/B01HYVKY80

I'd really quite like the Exploding Kittens card game.

My only sob story is one of my food allergies got me yesterday (was it a breadcrumb? was it a tiny splash of milk? WHO KNOWS) and I've spent most of the day on the loo, missing the only day of summer :(

In addition to others mentioned, Monikers (just bring a partial deck or one of the expansion packs, that's all the cards you need for this purpose) and Spyfall. Dragoon also has a fabric board so it's easy to carry, but takes a bit of time. And of course, Win, Lose, Banana.