Ratings: Budget-Friendly Board Games: The Best 15 Picks under €15 – with Board Game Searcher

7.1
2
Complexity: 1.6

The Fox in the Forest is a trick-taking game for two players. Aside from the normal ranked- and suited-cards used to win tricks, fairy characters such as the Fox and the Witch have special abilities that let you change the trump suit, lead even after you lose a trick, and more.

You score points by winning more tricks than your opponent, but don't get greedy! Win too many tricks, and you will fall like the villain in so many fairy tales...

Not available

The Fox in the Forest is a trick-taking game for two players. Aside from the normal ranked- and suited-cards used to win tricks, fairy characters such as the Fox and the Witch have special abilities that let you change the trump suit, lead even after you lose a trick, and more.

You score points by winning more tricks than your opponent, but don't get greedy! Win too many tricks, and you will fall like the villain in so many fairy tales...

7.1
2 Players
30 Mins
Age: 10+
Complexity: 1.6
Not available
7.4
3-6
Complexity: 1.0
Language dependency: 1.0

nana, which was later reprinted as Trio, is a card game in which players are looking for three of a kind.

The deck consists of 36 cards, numbered 1-12 three times. Players receive some cards in hand, which they are required to sort from low to high, and the remaining cards are placed face down on the table.

On your turn, choose any single card to reveal, either the low or high card from a player's hand (including your own) or any face-down card from the table. Then, do this again. If the two cards show the same number, continue your turn; if they do not, return the cards to where they came from and end your turn.

If you reveal three cards showing the same number, take these cards as a set in front of you. If you are the first player to collect three sets, you win — except that a player wins immediately if they collect the set of 7s or two sets that add or subtract to 7, e.g., 4s and 11s.

Note that nana and Trio contain identical components, but nana is labeled for 2-5 players, while Trio is labeled for 3-6 players. Trio has slight changes to the rules, with players using all cards no matter the player count. Additionally, you play in normal mode — winning with three sets or the 7s — or "spicy" mode, winning with two linked sets or the 7s. Finally, Trio includes rules for playing in teams with four or six players.

Not available

nana, which was later reprinted as Trio, is a card game in which players are looking for three of a kind.

The deck consists of 36 cards, numbered 1-12 three times. Players receive some cards in hand, which they are required to sort from low to high, and the remaining cards are placed face down on the table.

On your turn, choose any single card to reveal, either the low or high card from a player's hand (including your own) or any face-down card from the table. Then, do this again. If the two cards show the same number, continue your turn; if they do not, return the cards to where they came from and end your turn.

If you reveal three cards showing the same number, take these cards as a set in front of you. If you are the first player to collect three sets, you win — except that a player wins immediately if they collect the set of 7s or two sets that add or subtract to 7, e.g., 4s and 11s.

Note that nana and Trio contain identical components, but nana is labeled for 2-5 players, while Trio is labeled for 3-6 players. Trio has slight changes to the rules, with players using all cards no matter the player count. Additionally, you play in normal mode — winning with three sets or the 7s — or "spicy" mode, winning with two linked sets or the 7s. Finally, Trio includes rules for playing in teams with four or six players.

7.4
3-6 Players
15 Mins
Age: 6+
Complexity: 1.0
Language dependency: 1.0
Not available
7.4
1-4
Complexity: 1.5

The city of London has commissioned you to redesign its underground network! Optimise connections, serve as many sights as possible and exploit the tunnels that pass under the Thames. Be careful to respect the specifications set by the city.

Reveal the next Station card.

Draw a new section

Optimise the 4 tube lines

Who will be the best project manager?

Which of you will be the best project manager?

—description from the publisher

Not available

The city of London has commissioned you to redesign its underground network! Optimise connections, serve as many sights as possible and exploit the tunnels that pass under the Thames. Be careful to respect the specifications set by the city.

Reveal the next Station card.

Draw a new section

Optimise the 4 tube lines

Who will be the best project manager?

Which of you will be the best project manager?

—description from the publisher

7.4
1-4 Players
25-30 Mins
Age: 8+
Complexity: 1.5
Not available
7.1
2-5
Complexity: 1.6
Language dependency: 1.0

The merchant players in Port Royal, which won the Austrian Game Designers Competition under the title Händler der Karibik, are trying to earn as much as they can out of the Caribbean Sea, but if they set their goals too high, they might take home nothing for the day.

The 120-card deck depicts a coin on the back of each card — with players earning and paying coins throughout the game — and different items on the card fronts. On a turn, a player can first draw as many cards as he likes, one at a time from the deck, placing them in the harbor (an area near the deck). Each card shows one of the following:

Person, who stays in a face-up row next to deck.

Ship, which the player can attack immediately if he has enough swords on his people cards, after which the ship is discarded; otherwise, the ship stays in the harbor.

Expedition, which remains above the harbor until a player fulfills it by discarding people who have the items required for the expedition.

Tax Increase, which forces everyone with twelve or more coins to discard half their money, after which the card is discarded.

If the player draws a ship with the same name as a ship already in the harbor, he's spent too much time dilly-dallying and his turn ends (after using the ship to attack, if possible), with all the cards in the harbor being discarded. Otherwise, the player can stop whenever he likes, then use/acquire one card if three or fewer ships are in the harbor, two cards if four ships are present, and three cards if five ships are present. Players rob ships, collecting the number of coins shown on them, then discarding the card, while they hire people, paying the number of coins depicted. After the active player takes his 1-3 cards, each other player may pay the active player one coin in order to take one card in the same way.

When one player has at least twelve influence points — which are on both people and expedition cards — the game is played to the end of the round, giving everyone the same number of turns, then the player with the most influence points wins.

• Port Royal differs from Händler der Karibik in that it includes ten more cards to allow for play with up to five players and players can win without fulfilling an expedition.

Not available

The merchant players in Port Royal, which won the Austrian Game Designers Competition under the title Händler der Karibik, are trying to earn as much as they can out of the Caribbean Sea, but if they set their goals too high, they might take home nothing for the day.

The 120-card deck depicts a coin on the back of each card — with players earning and paying coins throughout the game — and different items on the card fronts. On a turn, a player can first draw as many cards as he likes, one at a time from the deck, placing them in the harbor (an area near the deck). Each card shows one of the following:

Person, who stays in a face-up row next to deck.

Ship, which the player can attack immediately if he has enough swords on his people cards, after which the ship is discarded; otherwise, the ship stays in the harbor.

Expedition, which remains above the harbor until a player fulfills it by discarding people who have the items required for the expedition.

Tax Increase, which forces everyone with twelve or more coins to discard half their money, after which the card is discarded.

If the player draws a ship with the same name as a ship already in the harbor, he's spent too much time dilly-dallying and his turn ends (after using the ship to attack, if possible), with all the cards in the harbor being discarded. Otherwise, the player can stop whenever he likes, then use/acquire one card if three or fewer ships are in the harbor, two cards if four ships are present, and three cards if five ships are present. Players rob ships, collecting the number of coins shown on them, then discarding the card, while they hire people, paying the number of coins depicted. After the active player takes his 1-3 cards, each other player may pay the active player one coin in order to take one card in the same way.

When one player has at least twelve influence points — which are on both people and expedition cards — the game is played to the end of the round, giving everyone the same number of turns, then the player with the most influence points wins.

• Port Royal differs from Händler der Karibik in that it includes ten more cards to allow for play with up to five players and players can win without fulfilling an expedition.

7.1
2-5 Players
20-50 Mins
Age: 8+
Complexity: 1.6
Language dependency: 1.0
Not available
7.5
1-4
Complexity: 2.7

Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express is a puzzle game modeled after escape rooms.

One murder, eight suspects. By chance, the world-famous private detective Achilles Pussot happens to be on board the train - but he has been knocked out. Can you use his documents to solve the case before the Orient Express reaches Constantinople?

An unforgettable, unique gaming experience. Solve all of the puzzles as fast as you can! Can you solve the case before it's too late?

Starting with season 3, the Exit series is divided into difficulty levels. "Dead Man on the Orient Express" is categorized at hard level.

This game can only be played once. To solve the riddles, you will have to write on, fold, and cut the game materials. This makes it possible to have especially diverse riddles. The paper and cardboard components are recyclable!

Not available

Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express is a puzzle game modeled after escape rooms.

One murder, eight suspects. By chance, the world-famous private detective Achilles Pussot happens to be on board the train - but he has been knocked out. Can you use his documents to solve the case before the Orient Express reaches Constantinople?

An unforgettable, unique gaming experience. Solve all of the puzzles as fast as you can! Can you solve the case before it's too late?

Starting with season 3, the Exit series is divided into difficulty levels. "Dead Man on the Orient Express" is categorized at hard level.

This game can only be played once. To solve the riddles, you will have to write on, fold, and cut the game materials. This makes it possible to have especially diverse riddles. The paper and cardboard components are recyclable!

7.5
1-4 Players
60-120 Mins
Age: 12+
Complexity: 2.7
Not available
7.1
2-6
Complexity: 1.2
Language dependency: 1.9

Point Salad is a fast and fun card drafting game for the whole family. There are over 100 ways to score points. Players may use a variety of strategies and every game of Point Salad is unique!

Cards come in six different types of veggies, and the back of each card has a different scoring method. So for instance, one scoring method may award 2 points for every carrot you have, but deduct a point for every onion. By drafting combinations of veggies and point cards that work for your strategy, you can amass the most points and win.

—description from the publisher

Not available

Point Salad is a fast and fun card drafting game for the whole family. There are over 100 ways to score points. Players may use a variety of strategies and every game of Point Salad is unique!

Cards come in six different types of veggies, and the back of each card has a different scoring method. So for instance, one scoring method may award 2 points for every carrot you have, but deduct a point for every onion. By drafting combinations of veggies and point cards that work for your strategy, you can amass the most points and win.

—description from the publisher

7.1
2-6 Players
15-30 Mins
Age: 10+
Complexity: 1.2
Language dependency: 1.9
Not available
7.4
1-4
Complexity: 2.3

Doppelt so clever follows the model of 2018's Ganz schön clever. Each turn the active player rolls six dice, chooses one of them to mark off a space on their scoring grid, places any dice with lower numbers aside, then re-rolls any remaining dice. The white die is a joker and can be used as any one of the other five colors. After the active player chooses at most three dice, then the other players each choose one of the set-aside dice for use on their scoring sheet.

Doppelt so clever has five new dice-marking challenges and a new action beyond the re-roll and "use one more die" actions of the earlier game.

Not available

Doppelt so clever follows the model of 2018's Ganz schön clever. Each turn the active player rolls six dice, chooses one of them to mark off a space on their scoring grid, places any dice with lower numbers aside, then re-rolls any remaining dice. The white die is a joker and can be used as any one of the other five colors. After the active player chooses at most three dice, then the other players each choose one of the set-aside dice for use on their scoring sheet.

Doppelt so clever has five new dice-marking challenges and a new action beyond the re-roll and "use one more die" actions of the earlier game.

7.4
1-4 Players
30 Mins
Age: 10+
Complexity: 2.3
Not available
7.4
1-6
Complexity: 2.5

Everyone meant to use the cabin only as a shelter for the night, but come the morning the door has been secured by a combination lock, with no one knowing the combination of numbers that will let them leave. The windows are barred as well. An enigmatic spinning code dial and a mysterious book is all that you have to go on. Can you escape from this abandoned cottage?

In Exit: The Game – The Abandoned Cabin, players must use their team spirit, creativity, and powers of deduction to crack codes, solve puzzles, collect objects, and earn their freedom bit by bit.

Not available

Everyone meant to use the cabin only as a shelter for the night, but come the morning the door has been secured by a combination lock, with no one knowing the combination of numbers that will let them leave. The windows are barred as well. An enigmatic spinning code dial and a mysterious book is all that you have to go on. Can you escape from this abandoned cottage?

In Exit: The Game – The Abandoned Cabin, players must use their team spirit, creativity, and powers of deduction to crack codes, solve puzzles, collect objects, and earn their freedom bit by bit.

7.4
1-6 Players
60-120 Mins
Age: 12+
Complexity: 2.5
Not available
7.5
2-6
Complexity: 1.1

The noble Princess is looking for an ideal partner and confidant to help with her royal duties when she one day assumes the throne. You must prove your worth and gain her trust by enlisting allies, friends, and family of the Princess to carry a letter of intent to her. Can you earn the Princess' trust and become her confidant?

Playing cards one at a time, players in Love Letter use the abilities of these key people in the Princess' life to outwit their opponents and successfully deliver their letter and gain her favor. Players must utilize each character's special skill to avoid being caught and successfully deliver their letter to the Princess. Once a set number of favor tokens are acquired, that player wins and becomes the Princess' confidant.

This 2019 edition of Love Letter features new artwork by Citadels artist Andrew Bosley, screen-printed tokens, and two new characters (five cards in total) that allow for games with up to six players. When played, the Chancellor (value 6) allows you to draw two new cards, add those to your hand, then place two cards of your choice on the bottom of the deck. The Spy (value 0) wins you a favor token if you were the only player to play or discard a spy during the round.

—description from the publisher

Not available

The noble Princess is looking for an ideal partner and confidant to help with her royal duties when she one day assumes the throne. You must prove your worth and gain her trust by enlisting allies, friends, and family of the Princess to carry a letter of intent to her. Can you earn the Princess' trust and become her confidant?

Playing cards one at a time, players in Love Letter use the abilities of these key people in the Princess' life to outwit their opponents and successfully deliver their letter and gain her favor. Players must utilize each character's special skill to avoid being caught and successfully deliver their letter to the Princess. Once a set number of favor tokens are acquired, that player wins and becomes the Princess' confidant.

This 2019 edition of Love Letter features new artwork by Citadels artist Andrew Bosley, screen-printed tokens, and two new characters (five cards in total) that allow for games with up to six players. When played, the Chancellor (value 6) allows you to draw two new cards, add those to your hand, then place two cards of your choice on the bottom of the deck. The Spy (value 0) wins you a favor token if you were the only player to play or discard a spy during the round.

—description from the publisher

7.5
2-6 Players
20 Mins
Age: 10+
Complexity: 1.1
Not available
7.5
2-4
Complexity: 1.5
Language dependency: 1.0

During your turn, you assemble your hand, maybe place cards for their effect, and decide if you want to end the round. But do you think you are the one with the most points in hand?

You will have to choose: stop the round immediately or give the others an extra turn to try to extend the gap? Is it worth taking the risk?

The game ends when you reach 30/35/40 points (4/3/2 players).

The excitement of ending the round to catch your opponents off guard

The pleasure of playing your effect cards and making combos

It's a set collection card game like Rummy. The origami created especially for the game is just the illustrations on the cards.

Not available

During your turn, you assemble your hand, maybe place cards for their effect, and decide if you want to end the round. But do you think you are the one with the most points in hand?

You will have to choose: stop the round immediately or give the others an extra turn to try to extend the gap? Is it worth taking the risk?

The game ends when you reach 30/35/40 points (4/3/2 players).

The excitement of ending the round to catch your opponents off guard

The pleasure of playing your effect cards and making combos

It's a set collection card game like Rummy. The origami created especially for the game is just the illustrations on the cards.

7.5
2-4 Players
30-45 Mins
Age: 8+
Complexity: 1.5
Language dependency: 1.0
Not available
7.6
1-4
Complexity: 1.9
Language dependency: 1.0

Choose your dice cleverly in Ganz schön clever (German for "That's Pretty Clever") to enter them into the matching colored areas on your score sheet, putting together tricky chain-scoring opportunities, and racking up the points! The dice you don't use are as important as those you do, because every die with a lower value than the chosen one can be used by the other players, keeping everyone in the game at all times.

Not available

Choose your dice cleverly in Ganz schön clever (German for "That's Pretty Clever") to enter them into the matching colored areas on your score sheet, putting together tricky chain-scoring opportunities, and racking up the points! The dice you don't use are as important as those you do, because every die with a lower value than the chosen one can be used by the other players, keeping everyone in the game at all times.

7.6
1-4 Players
30 Mins
Age: 8+
Complexity: 1.9
Language dependency: 1.0
Not available
7.7
2-4
Complexity: 1.8
Language dependency: 1.0

Introduced by the Moors, azulejos (originally white and blue ceramic tiles) were fully embraced by the Portuguese when their king Manuel I, on a visit to the Alhambra palace in Southern Spain, was mesmerized by the stunning beauty of the Moorish decorative tiles. The king, awestruck by the interior beauty of the Alhambra, immediately ordered that his own palace in Portugal be decorated with similar wall tiles. As a tile-laying artist, you have been challenged to embellish the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora.

In the game Azul, players take turns drafting colored tiles from suppliers to their player board. Later in the round, players score points based on how they've placed their tiles to decorate the palace. Extra points are scored for specific patterns and completing sets; wasted supplies harm the player's score. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Not available

Introduced by the Moors, azulejos (originally white and blue ceramic tiles) were fully embraced by the Portuguese when their king Manuel I, on a visit to the Alhambra palace in Southern Spain, was mesmerized by the stunning beauty of the Moorish decorative tiles. The king, awestruck by the interior beauty of the Alhambra, immediately ordered that his own palace in Portugal be decorated with similar wall tiles. As a tile-laying artist, you have been challenged to embellish the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora.

In the game Azul, players take turns drafting colored tiles from suppliers to their player board. Later in the round, players score points based on how they've placed their tiles to decorate the palace. Extra points are scored for specific patterns and completing sets; wasted supplies harm the player's score. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

7.7
2-4 Players
30-45 Mins
Age: 8+
Complexity: 1.8
Language dependency: 1.0
Not available
7.8
2-5
Complexity: 2.0
Language dependency: 1.2

In the co-operative trick-taking game The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine, the players set out as astronauts on an uncertain space adventure. What are the rumors regarding the unknown planet about? The eventful journey through space extends over 50 exciting missions. But this game can only be defeated by meeting common individual tasks of each player. In order to meet the varied challenges communication is essential in the team. But this is more difficult than expected in space.

With each mission the game becomes more difficult. After each mission the game can be paused and continued later. During each mission it is not the number of tricks but the right tricks at the right time that count.

The team completes a mission only if every single player is successful in fulfilling their tasks.

The game comes with 50 missions, with three additional missions published in spielbox 2/2020.

Not available

In the co-operative trick-taking game The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine, the players set out as astronauts on an uncertain space adventure. What are the rumors regarding the unknown planet about? The eventful journey through space extends over 50 exciting missions. But this game can only be defeated by meeting common individual tasks of each player. In order to meet the varied challenges communication is essential in the team. But this is more difficult than expected in space.

With each mission the game becomes more difficult. After each mission the game can be paused and continued later. During each mission it is not the number of tricks but the right tricks at the right time that count.

The team completes a mission only if every single player is successful in fulfilling their tasks.

The game comes with 50 missions, with three additional missions published in spielbox 2/2020.

7.8
2-5 Players
20 Mins
Age: 10+
Complexity: 2.0
Language dependency: 1.2
Not available
8.1
2-5
Complexity: 2.0
Language dependency: 2.6

In the trick-taking card game The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, you and the other players work together to search for the lost continent of Mu. This new adventure takes your crew deep down into the abyss on a search for the fabled sunken land. How far you get depends entirely on how well you work together as a team. Card by card, trick by trick, your search party will discover the challenges that lie ahead and forge a path to Mu.

This new version of The Crew has the same innovative co-operative trick-taking mechanism as the highly lauded original game — but with some exciting new surprises! While communication between your crew members is severely limited by your submerged state, it is also critical to your success; finding the hidden land in the murky depths depends not only on winning tricks, but also on carefully negotiating the order in which they are won. If things don't go as planned, you might just be able to salvage the operation, but it will take near flawless execution and perhaps a little luck to finally reach Mu.

—description from the publisher

Not available

In the trick-taking card game The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, you and the other players work together to search for the lost continent of Mu. This new adventure takes your crew deep down into the abyss on a search for the fabled sunken land. How far you get depends entirely on how well you work together as a team. Card by card, trick by trick, your search party will discover the challenges that lie ahead and forge a path to Mu.

This new version of The Crew has the same innovative co-operative trick-taking mechanism as the highly lauded original game — but with some exciting new surprises! While communication between your crew members is severely limited by your submerged state, it is also critical to your success; finding the hidden land in the murky depths depends not only on winning tricks, but also on carefully negotiating the order in which they are won. If things don't go as planned, you might just be able to salvage the operation, but it will take near flawless execution and perhaps a little luck to finally reach Mu.

—description from the publisher

8.1
2-5 Players
20 Mins
Age: 10+
Complexity: 2.0
Language dependency: 2.6
Not available
8.2
1-4
Complexity: 3.9
Language dependency: 2.9

A Feast for Odin is a saga in the form of a board game. You are reliving the cultural achievements, mercantile expeditions, and pillages of those tribes we know as Viking today — a term that was used quite differently towards the end of the first millennium.

When the northerners went out for a raid, they used to say they headed out for a viking. Their Scandinavian ancestors, however, were much more than just pirates. They were explorers and founders of states. Leif Eriksson is said to be the first European in America, long before Columbus.

In what is known today as Normandy, the intruders were not called Vikings but Normans. One of them is the famous William the Conqueror who invaded England in 1066. He managed to do what the king of Norway failed to do only a few years prior: conquer the Throne of England. The reason the people of these times became such strong seafarers was their unfortunate agricultural situation: crop shortfalls caused great distress.

In this game, you will raid and explore new territories. You will also engage in the day-to-day activity of collecting goods with which to achieve a financially secure position in society. In the end, the player whose possessions bear the greatest value will be declared the winner.

--gameplay description from @StoryBoardGamer's review:

A Feast for Odin is a points-driven game, with a plethora of pathways to victory, with a range of risks balanced against rewards. A significant portion of this is your central hall, which has a whopping -86 points of squares and a major part of your game is attempting to cover these up with various tiles. Likewise, long halls and island colonies can also offer large rewards, but they will have penalties of their own.

Each year follows a familiar pattern of preparation, worker placement, and then meeting the requirements of your feast. The main phase of each year is a worker placement affair. You start with a selection of Vikings, and a large action board with a whopping 61 different options to choose from. Each of these will be arranged from left to right in one of four columns. Each column requires an additional Viking to activate, but they are proportionally more powerful.

At the end of each round, you will need to fill a feast table with food, alternating between plants and vegetable matter. You will also have a chance to lay the valuable green and blue tiles into your main hall. The configuration of these tiles must follow certain requirements, but your main goal is to both cover up a line of coin icons to increase your income, while otherwise encircling certain printed icons to generate those.

You will build your engine over time, following an alternating pattern of outward expansion and hunting against development and cultivation. It all comes down to how much you’re willing to take on at any one time, and what risks you’re willing to set yourself up with for their rewards.

UPC 681706716909

Not available

A Feast for Odin is a saga in the form of a board game. You are reliving the cultural achievements, mercantile expeditions, and pillages of those tribes we know as Viking today — a term that was used quite differently towards the end of the first millennium.

When the northerners went out for a raid, they used to say they headed out for a viking. Their Scandinavian ancestors, however, were much more than just pirates. They were explorers and founders of states. Leif Eriksson is said to be the first European in America, long before Columbus.

In what is known today as Normandy, the intruders were not called Vikings but Normans. One of them is the famous William the Conqueror who invaded England in 1066. He managed to do what the king of Norway failed to do only a few years prior: conquer the Throne of England. The reason the people of these times became such strong seafarers was their unfortunate agricultural situation: crop shortfalls caused great distress.

In this game, you will raid and explore new territories. You will also engage in the day-to-day activity of collecting goods with which to achieve a financially secure position in society. In the end, the player whose possessions bear the greatest value will be declared the winner.

--gameplay description from @StoryBoardGamer's review:

A Feast for Odin is a points-driven game, with a plethora of pathways to victory, with a range of risks balanced against rewards. A significant portion of this is your central hall, which has a whopping -86 points of squares and a major part of your game is attempting to cover these up with various tiles. Likewise, long halls and island colonies can also offer large rewards, but they will have penalties of their own.

Each year follows a familiar pattern of preparation, worker placement, and then meeting the requirements of your feast. The main phase of each year is a worker placement affair. You start with a selection of Vikings, and a large action board with a whopping 61 different options to choose from. Each of these will be arranged from left to right in one of four columns. Each column requires an additional Viking to activate, but they are proportionally more powerful.

At the end of each round, you will need to fill a feast table with food, alternating between plants and vegetable matter. You will also have a chance to lay the valuable green and blue tiles into your main hall. The configuration of these tiles must follow certain requirements, but your main goal is to both cover up a line of coin icons to increase your income, while otherwise encircling certain printed icons to generate those.

You will build your engine over time, following an alternating pattern of outward expansion and hunting against development and cultivation. It all comes down to how much you’re willing to take on at any one time, and what risks you’re willing to set yourself up with for their rewards.

UPC 681706716909

8.2
1-4 Players
30-120 Mins
Age: 12+
Complexity: 3.9
Language dependency: 2.9
Not available
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Ratings: Budget-Friendly Board Games: The Best 15 Picks under €15 – with Board Game Searcher

7.1
2
Complexity: 1.6

The Fox in the Forest is a trick-taking game for two players. Aside from the normal ranked- and suited-cards used to win tricks, fairy characters such as the Fox and the Witch have special abilities that let you change the trump suit, lead even after you lose a trick, and more.

You score points by winning more tricks than your opponent, but don't get greedy! Win too many tricks, and you will fall like the villain in so many fairy tales...

Not available
7.4
3-6
Complexity: 1.0
Language dependency: 1.0

nana, which was later reprinted as Trio, is a card game in which players are looking for three of a kind.

The deck consists of 36 cards, numbered 1-12 three times. Players receive some cards in hand, which they are required to sort from low to high, and the remaining cards are placed face down on the table.

On your turn, choose any single card to reveal, either the low or high card from a player's hand (including your own) or any face-down card from the table. Then, do this again. If the two cards show the same number, continue your turn; if they do not, return the cards to where they came from and end your turn.

If you reveal three cards showing the same number, take these cards as a set in front of you. If you are the first player to collect three sets, you win — except that a player wins immediately if they collect the set of 7s or two sets that add or subtract to 7, e.g., 4s and 11s.

Note that nana and Trio contain identical components, but nana is labeled for 2-5 players, while Trio is labeled for 3-6 players. Trio has slight changes to the rules, with players using all cards no matter the player count. Additionally, you play in normal mode — winning with three sets or the 7s — or "spicy" mode, winning with two linked sets or the 7s. Finally, Trio includes rules for playing in teams with four or six players.

Not available
7.4
1-4
Complexity: 1.5

The city of London has commissioned you to redesign its underground network! Optimise connections, serve as many sights as possible and exploit the tunnels that pass under the Thames. Be careful to respect the specifications set by the city.

Reveal the next Station card.

Draw a new section

Optimise the 4 tube lines

Who will be the best project manager?

Which of you will be the best project manager?

—description from the publisher

Not available
7.1
2-5
Complexity: 1.6
Language dependency: 1.0

The merchant players in Port Royal, which won the Austrian Game Designers Competition under the title Händler der Karibik, are trying to earn as much as they can out of the Caribbean Sea, but if they set their goals too high, they might take home nothing for the day.

The 120-card deck depicts a coin on the back of each card — with players earning and paying coins throughout the game — and different items on the card fronts. On a turn, a player can first draw as many cards as he likes, one at a time from the deck, placing them in the harbor (an area near the deck). Each card shows one of the following:

Person, who stays in a face-up row next to deck.

Ship, which the player can attack immediately if he has enough swords on his people cards, after which the ship is discarded; otherwise, the ship stays in the harbor.

Expedition, which remains above the harbor until a player fulfills it by discarding people who have the items required for the expedition.

Tax Increase, which forces everyone with twelve or more coins to discard half their money, after which the card is discarded.

If the player draws a ship with the same name as a ship already in the harbor, he's spent too much time dilly-dallying and his turn ends (after using the ship to attack, if possible), with all the cards in the harbor being discarded. Otherwise, the player can stop whenever he likes, then use/acquire one card if three or fewer ships are in the harbor, two cards if four ships are present, and three cards if five ships are present. Players rob ships, collecting the number of coins shown on them, then discarding the card, while they hire people, paying the number of coins depicted. After the active player takes his 1-3 cards, each other player may pay the active player one coin in order to take one card in the same way.

When one player has at least twelve influence points — which are on both people and expedition cards — the game is played to the end of the round, giving everyone the same number of turns, then the player with the most influence points wins.

• Port Royal differs from Händler der Karibik in that it includes ten more cards to allow for play with up to five players and players can win without fulfilling an expedition.

Not available
7.5
1-4
Complexity: 2.7

Exit: The Game – Dead Man on the Orient Express is a puzzle game modeled after escape rooms.

One murder, eight suspects. By chance, the world-famous private detective Achilles Pussot happens to be on board the train - but he has been knocked out. Can you use his documents to solve the case before the Orient Express reaches Constantinople?

An unforgettable, unique gaming experience. Solve all of the puzzles as fast as you can! Can you solve the case before it's too late?

Starting with season 3, the Exit series is divided into difficulty levels. "Dead Man on the Orient Express" is categorized at hard level.

This game can only be played once. To solve the riddles, you will have to write on, fold, and cut the game materials. This makes it possible to have especially diverse riddles. The paper and cardboard components are recyclable!

Not available
7.1
2-6
Complexity: 1.2
Language dependency: 1.9

Point Salad is a fast and fun card drafting game for the whole family. There are over 100 ways to score points. Players may use a variety of strategies and every game of Point Salad is unique!

Cards come in six different types of veggies, and the back of each card has a different scoring method. So for instance, one scoring method may award 2 points for every carrot you have, but deduct a point for every onion. By drafting combinations of veggies and point cards that work for your strategy, you can amass the most points and win.

—description from the publisher

Not available
7.4
1-4
Complexity: 2.3

Doppelt so clever follows the model of 2018's Ganz schön clever. Each turn the active player rolls six dice, chooses one of them to mark off a space on their scoring grid, places any dice with lower numbers aside, then re-rolls any remaining dice. The white die is a joker and can be used as any one of the other five colors. After the active player chooses at most three dice, then the other players each choose one of the set-aside dice for use on their scoring sheet.

Doppelt so clever has five new dice-marking challenges and a new action beyond the re-roll and "use one more die" actions of the earlier game.

Not available
7.4
1-6
Complexity: 2.5

Everyone meant to use the cabin only as a shelter for the night, but come the morning the door has been secured by a combination lock, with no one knowing the combination of numbers that will let them leave. The windows are barred as well. An enigmatic spinning code dial and a mysterious book is all that you have to go on. Can you escape from this abandoned cottage?

In Exit: The Game – The Abandoned Cabin, players must use their team spirit, creativity, and powers of deduction to crack codes, solve puzzles, collect objects, and earn their freedom bit by bit.

Not available
7.5
2-6
Complexity: 1.1

The noble Princess is looking for an ideal partner and confidant to help with her royal duties when she one day assumes the throne. You must prove your worth and gain her trust by enlisting allies, friends, and family of the Princess to carry a letter of intent to her. Can you earn the Princess' trust and become her confidant?

Playing cards one at a time, players in Love Letter use the abilities of these key people in the Princess' life to outwit their opponents and successfully deliver their letter and gain her favor. Players must utilize each character's special skill to avoid being caught and successfully deliver their letter to the Princess. Once a set number of favor tokens are acquired, that player wins and becomes the Princess' confidant.

This 2019 edition of Love Letter features new artwork by Citadels artist Andrew Bosley, screen-printed tokens, and two new characters (five cards in total) that allow for games with up to six players. When played, the Chancellor (value 6) allows you to draw two new cards, add those to your hand, then place two cards of your choice on the bottom of the deck. The Spy (value 0) wins you a favor token if you were the only player to play or discard a spy during the round.

—description from the publisher

Not available
7.5
2-4
Complexity: 1.5
Language dependency: 1.0

During your turn, you assemble your hand, maybe place cards for their effect, and decide if you want to end the round. But do you think you are the one with the most points in hand?

You will have to choose: stop the round immediately or give the others an extra turn to try to extend the gap? Is it worth taking the risk?

The game ends when you reach 30/35/40 points (4/3/2 players).

The excitement of ending the round to catch your opponents off guard

The pleasure of playing your effect cards and making combos

It's a set collection card game like Rummy. The origami created especially for the game is just the illustrations on the cards.

Not available
7.6
1-4
Complexity: 1.9
Language dependency: 1.0

Choose your dice cleverly in Ganz schön clever (German for "That's Pretty Clever") to enter them into the matching colored areas on your score sheet, putting together tricky chain-scoring opportunities, and racking up the points! The dice you don't use are as important as those you do, because every die with a lower value than the chosen one can be used by the other players, keeping everyone in the game at all times.

Not available
7.7
2-4
Complexity: 1.8
Language dependency: 1.0

Introduced by the Moors, azulejos (originally white and blue ceramic tiles) were fully embraced by the Portuguese when their king Manuel I, on a visit to the Alhambra palace in Southern Spain, was mesmerized by the stunning beauty of the Moorish decorative tiles. The king, awestruck by the interior beauty of the Alhambra, immediately ordered that his own palace in Portugal be decorated with similar wall tiles. As a tile-laying artist, you have been challenged to embellish the walls of the Royal Palace of Evora.

In the game Azul, players take turns drafting colored tiles from suppliers to their player board. Later in the round, players score points based on how they've placed their tiles to decorate the palace. Extra points are scored for specific patterns and completing sets; wasted supplies harm the player's score. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Not available
7.8
2-5
Complexity: 2.0
Language dependency: 1.2

In the co-operative trick-taking game The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine, the players set out as astronauts on an uncertain space adventure. What are the rumors regarding the unknown planet about? The eventful journey through space extends over 50 exciting missions. But this game can only be defeated by meeting common individual tasks of each player. In order to meet the varied challenges communication is essential in the team. But this is more difficult than expected in space.

With each mission the game becomes more difficult. After each mission the game can be paused and continued later. During each mission it is not the number of tricks but the right tricks at the right time that count.

The team completes a mission only if every single player is successful in fulfilling their tasks.

The game comes with 50 missions, with three additional missions published in spielbox 2/2020.

Not available
8.1
2-5
Complexity: 2.0
Language dependency: 2.6

In the trick-taking card game The Crew: Mission Deep Sea, you and the other players work together to search for the lost continent of Mu. This new adventure takes your crew deep down into the abyss on a search for the fabled sunken land. How far you get depends entirely on how well you work together as a team. Card by card, trick by trick, your search party will discover the challenges that lie ahead and forge a path to Mu.

This new version of The Crew has the same innovative co-operative trick-taking mechanism as the highly lauded original game — but with some exciting new surprises! While communication between your crew members is severely limited by your submerged state, it is also critical to your success; finding the hidden land in the murky depths depends not only on winning tricks, but also on carefully negotiating the order in which they are won. If things don't go as planned, you might just be able to salvage the operation, but it will take near flawless execution and perhaps a little luck to finally reach Mu.

—description from the publisher

Not available
8.2
1-4
Complexity: 3.9
Language dependency: 2.9

A Feast for Odin is a saga in the form of a board game. You are reliving the cultural achievements, mercantile expeditions, and pillages of those tribes we know as Viking today — a term that was used quite differently towards the end of the first millennium.

When the northerners went out for a raid, they used to say they headed out for a viking. Their Scandinavian ancestors, however, were much more than just pirates. They were explorers and founders of states. Leif Eriksson is said to be the first European in America, long before Columbus.

In what is known today as Normandy, the intruders were not called Vikings but Normans. One of them is the famous William the Conqueror who invaded England in 1066. He managed to do what the king of Norway failed to do only a few years prior: conquer the Throne of England. The reason the people of these times became such strong seafarers was their unfortunate agricultural situation: crop shortfalls caused great distress.

In this game, you will raid and explore new territories. You will also engage in the day-to-day activity of collecting goods with which to achieve a financially secure position in society. In the end, the player whose possessions bear the greatest value will be declared the winner.

--gameplay description from @StoryBoardGamer's review:

A Feast for Odin is a points-driven game, with a plethora of pathways to victory, with a range of risks balanced against rewards. A significant portion of this is your central hall, which has a whopping -86 points of squares and a major part of your game is attempting to cover these up with various tiles. Likewise, long halls and island colonies can also offer large rewards, but they will have penalties of their own.

Each year follows a familiar pattern of preparation, worker placement, and then meeting the requirements of your feast. The main phase of each year is a worker placement affair. You start with a selection of Vikings, and a large action board with a whopping 61 different options to choose from. Each of these will be arranged from left to right in one of four columns. Each column requires an additional Viking to activate, but they are proportionally more powerful.

At the end of each round, you will need to fill a feast table with food, alternating between plants and vegetable matter. You will also have a chance to lay the valuable green and blue tiles into your main hall. The configuration of these tiles must follow certain requirements, but your main goal is to both cover up a line of coin icons to increase your income, while otherwise encircling certain printed icons to generate those.

You will build your engine over time, following an alternating pattern of outward expansion and hunting against development and cultivation. It all comes down to how much you’re willing to take on at any one time, and what risks you’re willing to set yourself up with for their rewards.

UPC 681706716909

Not available
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