By: Blaze Aldrich | July 18th, 2024
(Lamontagne, 2006)
Top 10 Out Of Print Board Games Wished To Be Reprinted
I am always in disbelief when I play a remarkable game then later to find out it's no longer sold. Hence "Out of Print"! We can always wish upon a star and maybe miraculously the publisher will reprint the board game. I understand that concerns from IP to licensing get in the way of having the game remade, but who cares! Just make the game again for our sake, is that too much to ask? Maybe so lol. The most popular out of print games get more expensive the longer they sit in that awful status of "OOP". Or the publishers are like OOPs we stopped making the game even though thousands of gamers really really enjoy playing this transformational Revolutionary game. I may sound salty about this, but who is kidding... I am. I have listed 10 out of print games that many people want to be reprinted including myself. If you find a Kickstarter version of these games, it will cost you even more.
10. Ethnos ($95)
In Ethnos, players summon fantasy tribes like giants and merfolk to control the land, with the most glory after three ages determining the winner. Each game uses six of the twelve tribes, creating a deck from their cards, which come in six colors corresponding to Ethnos's regions. Three glory tokens are randomly placed in each region. Players start with one card, and 4-12 additional cards are laid face-up on the table. On their turn, players either recruit an ally from the face-up cards or the deck or play a band of allies by matching cards in tribe or color, discarding the rest, and placing a token in the matching region. At the end of each age, players with the most tokens in a region score the indicated glory. After the first age, the highest scorer in each region earns glory; after the second, the top two scorers earn glory; and after the third, the player with the most glory wins.
9. Vegas Dice Game ($95)
Las Vegas features six cardboard casino mats, each representing a side of a six-sided die. Players draw money cards for each mat until at least $50k is shown, with the total potentially being much higher, making some casinos more desirable. Each player has eight dice of a unique color and takes turns rolling them. After rolling, players must place all dice showing the same number on the corresponding casino mat (e.g., dice showing 1 go on the mat marked "1"). This continues until all dice are placed. The player with the most dice on each mat wins the money cards there, and in case of a tie, the highest-valued money card goes to the next non-tied player.
8. The Estates ($110)
The City Council approved The Estates, a new urban development with high-end infrastructure, granting six real estate firms millions in loans. The plan calls for two rows of four buildings between the River and Main Street, leaving the meadows as a recreational area. However, investors, aiming for higher profits, started developing three rows. The Mayor, seeing profit potential, planned a mansion to double the value of one row. Using dubious permits, investors also built beyond the designated zone. In response, the Council decreed that once two rows are complete, any buildings in the third row will be demolished, causing losses. Players act as investors, bidding for and placing building pieces. Completed rows score positive points, incomplete rows score negative points, and a game lasts about 40 minutes, playable in multiple rounds.
7. Carcassonne: The City ($120)
Carcassonne: The City is a standalone game in the Carcassonne series where players collaboratively build the old town by placing tiles. As the town expands, wooden walls start from a gate and grow around it, creating a beautiful medieval town by the end of the game. In addition to slightly modified tile-laying rules, players can place followers as guards on the walls for extra points, providing a wide view of the town. Each player also receives three to six cylindrical wooden towers, depending on the number of players, enhancing the town walls' aesthetic appeal.
6. Rurik Dawn of Kiev ($125-200)
Rurik: Dawn of Kiev is a euro-style realm-building game set in the 11th century Eastern European Kingdom of Kievan Rus, incorporating area control, resource management, and an innovative "auction programming" mechanic. Players assume the roles of potential successors vying for the throne after the death of Vladimir the Great in 1015. To establish their legacy and win the hearts of the people, they must build, tax, fight, and accomplish great deeds. Designed by Russian game designer Stanislav Kordonskiy with illustrations by Ukrainian artist Yaroslav Radeckyi, Rurik vividly brings the ancient culture of Kievan Rus to life. In the game, players bid for actions using advisors; stronger advisors offer greater benefits but act later, while weaker advisors act quickly with lesser benefits. This auction programming mechanic creates engaging strategic tension throughout the game.
5. Fast Sloths ($185)
In Fast Sloths, players are sloths at a country resort, too lazy to move themselves. Instead, they let other energetic animals carry them around to collect tasty leaves. The game is a race where sloths are the cargo in a pick-up-and-deliver style. Each game uses six out of twelve animal species and offers four different game board combinations. On their turn, players draft 2-3 animal cards and play as many cards of a single type as they want, with each animal providing unique movement or interaction, like ants forming a chain or an elephant throwing them with its trunk. Fast Sloths is free from randomness, relying on player interaction without "take that" mechanisms, aside from snatching animals from others. With 256 different combinations and numerous starting positions, each race presents new challenges to reach the trees faster than the other sloths. New game boards and animals are also in development for more variety.
4. Lord of the Rings: Confrontation Deluxe ($185)
The Confrontation is a two-player board game where one player controls Sauron's forces aiming to find the One Ring, while the other leads the free peoples of Middle Earth trying to destroy it in Mount Doom. Renowned as a top-tier board game, The Confrontation by Reiner Knizia combines bluffing and strategy in a compact 30-minute gameplay experience featuring characters from Tolkien's trilogy. The Deluxe edition enhances the game with a larger board, new artwork, sculpted stands, and 18 additional characters, offering players the option to play a classic game or explore new variants. With the fate of Middle Earth hanging in the balance, players can immerse themselves in a gripping battle between Good and Evil, deciding the outcome in this standalone game of strategic depth and adventure.
3. Betrayal Legacy ($200)
Betrayal Legacy combines the exploration of a haunted mansion from Betrayal at House on the Hill with the long-term narrative and legacy elements seen in Daviau's Risk Legacy and similar games. The game unfolds across a prologue and thirteen chapters spanning decades, where players portray family members who evolve across generations. Despite the mansion's history of horrors, the allure of exploration persists through curiosity or a daring belief in overcoming past mistakes. Like other Betrayal games, Betrayal Legacy emphasizes storytelling, with each game session contributing to a unique narrative history. Items and tools gain personal significance, tied to specific families across generations, offering strategic advantages as cherished heirlooms passed down through familial legacy.
2. Mechs & Minions ($225)
Mechs vs. Minions is a cooperative tabletop campaign designed for 2-4 players set in the vibrant world of Runeterra. Players assume the roles of four adventurous Yordles: Corki, Tristana, Heimerdinger, and Ziggs, who band together to pilot newly-crafted mechs against hordes of marauding minions. Featuring modular boards, programmable command lines, and a narrative-rich campaign, each mission presents unique challenges that test your teamwork, programming prowess, and piloting skills. The game includes ten missions, each lasting approximately 60-90 minutes. Inside the box, you'll find five game boards, individual command lines for each player, painted mech miniatures, ability and damage decks, a sand timer, a bomb-like power source miniature, metal trackers, acrylic shards, dice, and a whopping 100 minion miniatures.
1. Glory To Rome ($400)
Players in Glory to Rome take on the role of aides tasked with rebuilding the city and restoring its former splendor. This card-based game combines city building and resource management with a unique card usage system: each card can function as a building, client, raw material, or resource, leading to strategic decisions about their optimal use. Gameplay revolves around a discard pool, where players compete for card access and trigger actions through role selection. Scoring involves completing buildings, storing resources, and earning bonuses for diverse resource holdings. The game offers player-controlled game length and features controversial minimalist artwork in some editions, contrasting with more traditional art in others.
Final Thoughts
It's unfortunate that these 10 board games and many others are out of print. I hope one day these games are remade so thousands of other gamers have the opportunity to play and enjoy how wonderful they are. For now, there are easy ways to find them for decent prices. We have a blog that talks about how to find Out of Print games. However, If you are lazy, many of those games can be found on elevatedboardgames.com. What are some board games that you wished to be reprinted? We would love to know. Happy Gaming!
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