314 – Games under $20 – The Family Gamers Podcast
Episode 314
Top (Dozen or so) Games under $20
This week, we talk about some of our favorite “cheap” games… that is, games you can find under $20 just about everywhere.
314 fact
314 is like 3.14… or the mathematical concept of π.
The symbol for Pi was introduced by William Jones in 1706 and made popular by the mathematician Leonhard Euler.
The record for reciting the most number of decimal places of Pi was achieved by Rajveer Meena at VIT University, Vellore, India on 21 March 2015. He was able to recite 70,000 decimal places.
And π has a connection to Egyptian mythology! The vertical height of the pyramids of Giza have the same relationship with the perimeter of their base as the relationship between a circle’s radius and its circumference.
What We’ve Been Playing
FYFE (Pegasus Spiele)
Laniakea (Clemens Gerhards)
Cryptid Cafe (25th Century Games)
Papageno (Helvetiq)
Welcome new members
Stop in to the community and say hi!
SNAP Review – Ghosts Love Candy Too
We think this game is a great fit for families looking for a non-scary Halloween game. It’s very playful.
Watch the video or read the transcript on the SNAP review page.
Games for $20 or Less
Amazon Prime days have just passed, Black Friday is still a month away. We’ll be releasing a holiday gift guide soon, but it’s not out yet.
So we’re revisiting the topic of “budget-friendly” games (episode 208 in 2020, episode 35 “budget games” and episode 62 “Top Target Games” in 2017).
We tried to stick with games that you should be able to find in local, big box stores like Barnes & Noble, Target, or Walmart.
Our top choices for games that are easy to find under $20:
| Game | Why we recommend it | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Similo (Horrible Guild) | A ton of versions, super easy to learn. Great for everyone. (our review) | $10 – $12 on Amazon $10 – $15 at Walmart |
| Sushi Go! (Gamewright) | A good drafting game – not our favorite (that would be Draftosaurus), but you can’t beat the price, even for the more-complex Sushi Go Party! | $6.29 on Amazon $6.29 at Target $8.72 at Walmart $12 at Barnes & Noble |
| The Crew: Quest for Planet Nine The Crew: Deep Sea (KOSMOS) | Two fantastic games, both full of cooperative trick-taking puzzles to solve. (our review of Quest for Planet Nine) | $10 – $15 on Amazon $10 at Target $15 at Walmart $15 at Barnes & Noble |
| Monopoly Deal (Hasbro) | “Like Monopoly but fast and cheap.” Keeps the fun parts and gets rid of the lengthy roll-and-move mechanic. | $6 at Walmart $7 at Barnes & Noble $8 on Amazon |
| Railroad Ink Challenge (Horrible Guild) | or the traditional Railroad Ink, but we prefer the “Challenge” edition. Self-contained roll-and-write. | $17 – $20 on Amazon $17 at Target $17 – $20 at Walmart |
| Super Mega Lucky Box (Gamewright) | One of our favorite games of 2021. A flip-and-write that feels very Bingo-like. (our review) | $17 at Amazon $17 at Barnes & Noble |
| Kingdomino (Blue Orange) | A modern classic and you can find it everywhere. (our review) We prefer Kingdomino Origins, which does more, but the original is lovely and simple. | $20 at Amazon $20 at Target $20 at Walmart ($30 at Barnes & Noble with expansions) |
| Ticket to Ride: New York (Days of Wonder / Asmodee) | Al “bite-size” Ticket to Ride. You could also go for other city versions (London, San Francisco, Amsterdam). Plays in about 20 minutes. | $12.50 at Walmart $13 on Amazon $20 for TTR: Amsterdam at Barnes & Noble |
| Deep Sea Adventure (Oink Games) | Up to six players, not a lot of space needed… drown your friends! | $11 – $23 on Amazon $20 at Barnes & Noble $20 at Target |
| Just One (Repos/Asmodee) | A fantastic group game for up to seven players, but it does require writing and keeping a secret. | $20 at Amazon $20 at Walmart $25 at Barnes & Noble |
| Pan Am (Funko) | Our favorite game of 2020. Often goes on sale for under $20, and we recommend it to anyone looking for a strategic game. | $20 at Barnes & Noble $22 at Amazon |
Community contributions:
We also asked the community. Here’s what they recommended:
Point Salad (our review)
Love Letter / Infinity Gauntlet version
Deep Sea Adventure
Kingdomino
7 Wonders Duel
Floriferous
Herbaceous
Welcome To… (our review)
Campfire Smokeout (contact Jeff Johnston, Pair of Jacks Games)
Zombie Dice (a long time favorite of ours)
Abandon All Artichokes
Hanabi
Friday
That’s Pretty Clever!
Berried Treasure
Best Treehouse Ever (our review of the stand-alone expansion/sequel)
Sunny Day Sardines (our review)
Mint Works
Bohnanza
Do you have comments or a favorite “cheap” game we didn’t include? Let us know!
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