Monthly Rambling: Boardgames with Cost per Play Below RM10 (USD2)
Cost per Play is an interesting method to measure the value you're getting from a boardgame relative to its price. The formula is relatively simple in that it is calculated by dividing the price of the boardgame by the number of times you play it. For example, if a boardgame costs $50 and you play it 10 times, the CPP would be $5.
Back in my early days of the hobby, I would do "reviews" that were more akin to impressions and one of the metrics I would include in the "review" would be CPP, which didn’t make sense at the time because CPP is a metric that only goes down or stays the same over time. CPP did make sense from the perspective of a boardgame enthusiast with a limited budget. Whilst rare, it is possible that a more expensive game with high replayability might have a lower CPP than a cheaper game that's played only once or twice.
Now that I have a good thirteen years of purchasing my own boardgames behind me, I thought it would be interesting to see what were the boardgames with the lowest CPP in my boardgame library. So here is every boardgame in my library with a CPP below RM10 (USD2).
FOR SALE (Cost per Play: RM1.64)For Sale has been in my collection for 12 years, I have played a lot of For Sale and I still play a lot of For Sale to this day. Whilst For Sale is a boardgame about who ends up the richest from buying and selling assets, the truth is there is zero math necessary. You don’t have to remember how much the asset cost you and whether you made individual profits or losses on each asset, you just have to make sure you get the biggest return possible for your assets. What For Sale really has going for it is the exciting bidding process and interactive selling process that can be enjoyed by adults and children of all ages.
THE MALAYSIAN DREAM (Cost per Play: RM1.86)The Malaysian Dream is a local boardgame which I guess makes it cheap (RM39) and leads to a lower CPP. It is such an easy boardgame to break out and play with anyone. The gameplay is simple as it is basically a reskinned Monopoly Deal with Player powers. The theme is of course what makes the game relevant to any local, topped with penalties and rewards that are designed to create hilarious interactions amongst Players and you have a fun boardgame that can be used to close game night.
SUSHI GO PARTY! (Cost per Play: RM2.03)The artist, Nan Rangisama, totally nailed this iconic look for the Sushi Go series of games. Gamewright did a great job ensuring continuity in the look which not only draws you in with the animated drawings but also really creates the feeling that you are collecting pieces of sushi off a conveyor belt. Not being able to collect that last piece of sashimi to complete a set is my favourite pet peeve when playing this boardgame. Definitely go with Sushi Go Party! instead of basic Sushi Go, you get so much more variety for just an additional RM40.
7 WONDERS (Cost per Play: RM3.26)7 Wonders broke ground by having a civilization themed boardgame be compressed into 30 minutes, that still felt like a civilization boardgame and could be played up to 7 Players without any additional game time due to simultaneous play. Small wonder (pun intended) that it has stood the test of time and is still remains in the BGG Top 100 after 13 years of existence. No boardgamer has ever turned down a game of 7 Wonders with me, even those who have never played the boardgame before, because even if you end up disliking the boardgame, you’ve only lost 30 minutes of your time, sometimes shorter. And no one has told me that they dislike 7 Wonders so far.
HARBOUR (Cost per Play: RM3.53)The smallest worker placement in my collection, Harbour is not about building an engine that turns resources into a gajillion points. Rather you are operating on slim margins of turning 1 thing into 2 things or 3 things if you really know what you’re doing. It is about preparing your resources and initiating a sell-off at just the right moment to obtain the most funds and buy the building with most VPs. It is about customizing your powers to either build upon your unique character abilities or try to be a jack of all trades. All this in a box the size of my phone, at the cost of RM60. But it is the 18 different playable characters that make Harbour special to me, and makes me keep coming back to it. It is a shame that it can be a tough game to add to your collection these days.
DRAFTOSAURUS (Cost per Play: RM5)Draftosaurus with just the dinosaur drafting and different location scoring makes it a good boardgame. The dice which prohibits you from placing in whatever location it rolls up, is a true menace and is nearly as bad as a critical miss in THE boss fight during your favourite D&D RPG night, but is actually what makes Draftosaurus great. I also find it especially easy to adjust playing with children and adults. With the kids, I am not observant of what is in my opponent’s play areas and just focus on myself, whereas with adults, we all climb of Towers of Saruman to keep a watchful eye on the coloured dinos moving across the table. We are a little sadistic in that when the dinos have to go in the river, everyone gives you the evil eye like you just drowned a poor, helpless animal.
BARENPARK (Cost per Play: RM7.55)Barenpark or Bearpark as Padawanbabygeek likes to call it, has a tetris-like attraction to make polyominoes fit and the best part is you get to choose the pieces you want / need. The distinction between want and need is because some pieces give you higher points but are a canker sore to fit into your 4x4 enclosure. Naturally I love playing Barenpark with the younger boardgamers but what keeps me coming back to it is the opportunity to take the pieces that other adult Players might need.
RACE FOR THE GALAXY (Cost per Play: 8.58)The CPP for Race for the Galaxy should be much, much lower. I bought 3 expansions for RFTG when I just needed the one more. Prestige and takeover powers were just a bit too much and unnecessary in my opinion. That and many of the late-night plays of RFTG in the bedroom with my brother went unrecorded. 2 Player games of RFTG go by in a quick flash and making your engine go off is extremely satisfying. It is really a shame that RFTG doesn’t quite work at higher Player counts despite being able to accommodate up to 6 Players with the expansions.
This could also be a list of the most played boardgames in my collection, with only Gloomhaven and Castles of Mad King Ludwig (Collector’s Edition) being left off this list because of the higher price point. Making this list, I realize that there are many common factors amongst these boardgames that result in high replayability and hence a low CPP.
Factors such as low playing time, simultaneous play, quick setup and of course absorbing gameplay are all major attractive factors in the boardgames above. Also goes to show that a fun boardgame doesn’t have to be all blinged out and definitely does not need minis or metal coins.
Until next time, keep calm and play better.
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