Amazon has billed today’s Deal of the Day as its “Epic Daily Deal,” and the shoe certainly fits when it includes one of the most epic RPG-in-a-box titles of all time. Gloomhaven is currently on sale, tying its all-time low price of $85 just for today. This shaves 40 percent off its usual MSRP of $140. If you have ever considered playing Dungeons and Dragons but could never get one of your friends to buckle down and put in the work as gamemaster, Gloomhaven might be the perfect solution for you and up to three friends.
The cardboard gaming deals don’t end there, with plenty of lighter and easily approachable titles also on sale. If you’re partial to simple games that use cards and dice and can be learned and played in less than an hour, consider Dragonwood for only $10. Are you a murder mystery fan? You can pick between two Cold Case games by ThinkFun to solve, A Story to Die For, and A Pinch of Murder — each just $10. Prefer something totally unique? Grow trees in the beautifully designed game of Photosynthesis for $23. Want to play co-operatively with friends and family in a fantastical game of exploration and survival against the elements? Gamewright’s Forbidden Island and Forbidden Desert are amazing introductions to getting newer players into designer board games, and they’re only $14 and $17, respectively.
If some of those titles are relative unknowns to you, this one might need no introduction. Catan helped create the era of modern tabletop and board games we currently live in. It has been an institution of the gaming world since it was released in 1995 and has maintained popularity and influence throughout the years. There are many expansions and spin-offs, as well as myriad games taking inspiration from it. The base game of Catan is currently on sale at Amazon for just $30, while the 25th Anniversary Edition is $52, and some further expansions range from $16 to $30.
There are so many great games to choose from, with enough variety in genres that should satisfy classic and modern board game fans alike. Here are a few more highlight titles we recommend: