If you have shopped for games recently, you may have noticed that they aren’t always what I would label as inexpensive. Arbitruaily attaching a fixed price amount to all games, and then saying anything below $X.00 is a bargain while anything higher is expensive isn’t a good approach. If you were to find a game called Gloomhaven for $50.00, that would be a steal. While I would say if you paid more than $20 for Star Realms – you would have overpaid.

Fortunately, we can simply remove the whole factor of price by playing some great “Print and Play” games. A print and play game is exactly as it sounds. You don’t need to go anywhere, you just print the materials right from your computer. You might need to gather up a few dice, pencil, and tokens. But you shouldn’t need to purchase anything. They tend to be more of the “puzzle” nature – but not always the case. Here is a very simple print and play game. (Answers all the way at the bottom of the page)

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<P align=center><A title="" href="https://www.thatsagoodgame.com" target=_blank>Emoji Game</A>© Matt Anderson 2020<BR>This chart is used courtesy That's A Good Game
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There are a ton of great print and play games for free you can get a hold of right now. Part of the reason why is due to the pandemic. Several publishers have released a slew of their retail games into print and play versions. You can go to the appropriate website and download a printable version for free. I’ll be first to say that they are no substitute for the “real deal” but they do offer a nice way to be introduced to the game.

In addition to the big-name publishers releasing print and play games – there are a ton of self-published games on the internet. At the onset of the pandemic, Shut Up and Sit Down, (a board game review site) – published a great video highlighting some of those games. I should say that the focus of the following video is on “solo” play print and play games.

If you watch the video, you know that they relied solely on Board Game Geek. The link will take you to a page of the winners. From there you need to search for any game that looks of interest. It really is a great way to explore some games. Then you’ll need a Board Game Geek account to access the file to download. However, if that seems a bit daunting – I made some available right here. Either via direct link, or the game itself.

However if you are really into digging deep and finding some gems – check out these links!

Temple Antics

You are an adventurer stranded on a legendary cursed island. Starting from your parachute you have to work your way across the island. If you can recover the cursed idol from the temple and reach the plane before sun falls you will escape and lift the curse.

BGG

Agent Decker

AGENT DECKER is a mission-based deckbuilding game for one player where you’ll acquire gear and skills by facing obstacles. The alarm raises every turn, so you must pick who you take out. Do you go for the cool weapon, or take out the security camera?

from the designer

Under Falling Skies

If there is a great example of not judging a book by its cover – it is Under Falling Skies. Under Falling Skies was developed as a free print and play – but has been picked up by a major game publisher. It’s a beautiful game that is extremely challenging. It is a great game for people under quarantine, or those seeking a formidable challenge.

It is still available for download here: https://blog.czechgames.com/2020/04/21/under-falling-skies-free-print-and-play-game/

Bargain Basement Bathysphere

Find the files and rules Here

designed for the 2018 solitaire print-and-play contest on BGG, is a campaign-styled roll-and-write game with legacy elements; the game becomes more complex as you work your way through the maps. It’s designed to be a “no build” game (at least initially), so once you print out the pages you can immediately jump in and play — but try not to look ahead!

description from the designer

Print and Play: Marvel Ultimate Spiderman Sinister 6 Roll & Write

Kingpin put a price on the head of Spider-Man, an alliance of villains has answered the call, will this be the end of Spider-Man? A game to play in solitary mode with games of about 15 minutes and recommended for people over 7 years of age.

Roll and Write Games

Get the game here

In our next segment, I will highlight print and play games that are constructed for more than two players. In the meantime, get some of these great games or do some exploration on your own.