Settlers of Catan Board Game Zone

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Can someone recommend a board game?

I am looking for a low random chance game for me and my family (four people) to play. The games we like are ones like Catan and Caylus where there is a lot of strategy going on. Preferably, I need a game that is on the cheap side as I already spent a lot on the other two games (spent $70 for Catan and it's expansion and $45 for Caylus). So, a game that is around $15-20 would be preferable. Also, strategic card games are good too (I was looking at Dominion, but I don't want to spend another $45).

Hoo-boy... The tough part is well... You've entered the world of "Designer" Board Games, games where the name of the person who designed it is on the cover. These games are going to be more expensive than games that you can find at normal stores, but if you keep an eye out you can sometimes find some really good bargains at online stores.
Oh and I came from the end of the list to say "If you have never been to Board Game Geek, you should check it out, it's a great resource for all things related to Board Games." Because, really, I mention BGG a lot on here and if you've never been... well you should go, it's a great site for fans of Designer Games.

I'll try and think of my favorite games that are around $20, but they're mostly card games, so not so much relying on deep strategy and instead using lots of luck.

Before that I'll mention "Endeavor". It's an amazing game where there is NO CHANCE involved it the game at all. The game is set up the same every game, and everyone has a chance to do the same actions, but depending on what your opponents choose to do and what you can do with your workers it changes. It takes a couple of games to get the hang of it, but I really like it and look forward to playing it more in the future. I think it's a game that's around $45-60 dollars, I haven't priced it as my Game Group already has a copy.

And while I'm still in the "OMG These games are expensive but good" section:
Dominion is well worth the money.
Puerto Rico is an amazing game. It's the first Worker Placement game I played, it's more accessible than Caylus and still has a lot of strategy in it. As in Caylus the Workers you place and where you place them decides what you do each turn. And there's Role Selection, where everyone takes the same action(such as building a building), but the person who chose the role gets an advantage(like one gold less for building). You can probably find a copy on E-bay or on the Board Game Geek Market Place for around $20, maybe less.
Agricola: I feel I should also mention Agricola. For about three years Puerto Rico was the favorite game and highest rated game on Board Game Geek, then Agricola came out and replaced it completely. It's still extremely popular and so finding a cheap used copy may be hard to do. I haven't personally played this, but everyone says it's amazing. And there is no luck involved, it's all planning and timing.

OK... so I said I'd list some cheaper games that I love...

Forbidden Island: $15
This is from the same designer as Pandemic and is a more accessible version of Pandemic. It's easy to learn, easy to teach and takes only about an hour at most. Players are trying to rescue four idols off of an island that is sinking and everyone works together. Spaces sink underwater at the end of each turn and there are lots of ways to lose, like losing both sites for any given treasure, losing the helicopter pad where everyone has to be to escape the island, or if you are on a space that sinks underwater and there's no space adjacent you die and everyone loses. It's a great game. The co-op aspect of it makes everyone work as a team and the island starts sinking faster and faster as the game goes on.

GLOOM: $20(I think)
This is probably my favorite card game. The cards are clear plastic so you can lay them on top of each other and see the card below, this is integral to the game. In the game each player has a family and they have to tell a story about what happens to the family and make it as unhappy and as full of tragedy as possible so that their next life will be a much happier one. The "tragedy" in this game includes being chased by ducks or dissed by the Queen or being attacked by manatees, so it's not really a dark game, regardless of the fact that it's about making people unhappy and ultimately killing them. The tone of the cards is great, the stories that you tell are really funny and there's just enough planning on your turn to make it a little more strategic than some card games. But really this is all about the story telling for me and not about Strategy. The cards almost all have little circles on them that reflect the points that card is worth when placed on a character, and since the cards are see through they can lay on top of each other and you can either have a set of points in each of the three rows of points or you can cover up another player's points with something more positive making it worth less at the end of the game. I really like this game. In fact I think I'm going to go play right now.

Um... like I said I don't really know a lot of cheap games that are still Designer Games. There are some out there and there's plenty of Print and Play games. Also be sure to check the Market Place on Board Game Geek, they have some great deals sometimes.
Well... I hope this has been helpful. I'm off to play Gloom.

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