Power Grid Sale - Tanga Board Game of the Day

We waited a long time for the reprint of the fantastic classic Power Grid [Amazon, Funagain] to hit shelves. Bt we couldn't wait long enough so we settled on picking up a copy of Power Grid for $50+ at our local hobby shop.

It seems that all bets are off now that the reprint is out. Tanga, a web portal for sales, has Power Grid listed today for 25 bucks. Seriously, that's more than half off the price we paid just a year ago.

Power Grid is one of those tiles from Rio Grande Games that's approachable, plays quickly, and is very deep. It's winner with staying power. The only major drawback we can think of is the depiction of the translated rules (originally German) which are far more complicated than they need to be. Other than that, Power Grid is a huge addition for you gaming pile, especially when it's at this price.

Warhammer Chaos in the Old World Back In Stock (Hurry)

The acclaimed Fantasy Flight Games board game release Warhammer Chaos in the Old World shipped to stores just over a week ago. Problem is - the game is sold out just about everywhere

Currently one of our orders at Amazon (which was out of stock) received an updated status that it won't ship until - get this - the end of October. What the blood clot? Meanwhile every store seems to be sold out of the title as well, except for Funagain Games which is uncharacteristically charging top dollar for the title. They must know their cache is the last stack standing.

Well not exactly. We just got word that Troll and Toad put up 10 copies for sale. We got one, and so did 2 others. There are now seven copies of the game available at the time of this article's printing, Mop 'em up while the moppings good.

Dominion Sale - Act Fast

The critically acclaimed card game in a box Dominion [Amazon, Funagain] is one of our favorite new games on the block, and today lady luck is shining upon you because Dominion has been severely discounted at the online sales website Tanga. Check it out here.

As of 10:30 am this morning they're selling the original copy of the Dominion Card Game you've been reading so much about at 32.99 bucks. This is one of those short term 'while supplies last' sales so check it out sooner rather than later. The deal also includes gobs of card sleeves in case you want to get keep your decks safe and sound from random spills and wild flailing card tears due to high-richter earthquakes or drunken chair falls.

For more information about Dominion, check out our release story: Dominion - A Standalone Collectibe Card Game in a Box

Board Game Spring Clearance Sale at Funagain Games

One of our favorite game sellers Funagain Games is hosting a Spring Cleaning sale, putting gobs of board games on sale. We're talking nearly 450 items on sale.

They're saying it's their biggest sale ever, and we're pretty sure we can't argue.

With all clearance sales, there is an excess inventory of crappy merchandise that nobody truly wants, but still there are quite a few diamons in the rough. Such as:

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1. Hamburgum: a fantastic eurogame with perhaps the worst cover of 2007. Actually, it's probably why it didn't sell well. Such a shame. Anyway, it's at 46% off, nab a copy.

2. Conquest of the Empire at 40% off

3. D&D; 3rd Edition Materials at 30%-40% off. We know some of you decided not to take the leap to 4th Edition, and now's your chance to clean up. There's about 50 items here, so grab a crate.

4. Eye of Judgement Booster Packs for just a buck.\

5. Puerto Rico for the PC: At five bucks we're not sure how it's stuck around long enough to make on to two consecutive clearance sale lists.

6. World of Warcraft TCG Stuff: Raid Decks, the Fest of Winter Veil and the Darkmoon Faire Collections, and Dark Portal Starter Set are all up for grabs.

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Remember: shop smart. Shop S-Mart.

Funagain Games' February Board Game Sale

One of our favorite online board game stores Funagain Games is running a February Board Game Sale with 30 different titles discounted up to 90% off MSRP. Tough times demand tough talk.

While there's some flotsam in there - all clearance sales have that problem - there are also some worthwhile titles to pick up for cheap. Conquest of the Empire is well renowned wargame and has been discounted 40% to 25 bucks, and the Puerto Rico PC Game (73%) is a measly 5 bucks.

Merchants of Amsterdam, while some older, is still a sold title and is 62% off, and Oasis (66%) is a pretty solid title, too.

Enjoy!

Board Game Sale 70% off at Amazon - Settlers of Catan

If you're one of those wise learned folks waiting until after the Holidays to pounce on a good deal, or in case you need a last minute game for New Years Eve, then you're in luck.

Amazon is running a Up To 70% Off Sale on Select Board Games through the end of the year. There are a few choice selections in the mix including the high caliber 4th Edition of Settlers of Catan at over 50% off - which remains one of the best gateway games of all time - and the TV centric DVD Trivia Game Scene It? Movie Edition 2 would be slick little ninja pickup for your New Years Eve Party at 50% off.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Cyber Monday Board Game Sales on Amazon

The everything superstore Amazon has been growing in the world of board gaming the last few years. Not only have they been stocking titles of their own, but the third party suppliers have shown up in force this year.

And for Cyber Monday they have a special deal: Each of the Discounted Virtual Storefronts in Amazon's Toys & Games section has Free Shipping on orders of $50 or more.

We dug into the storefronts to find which have the best board gaming titles up for grabs:

• Robinson Gamestore: Critical Gamer's Choice
  
• Fat Brain Toys: Board Games / Party Games
  
• ABCTOY4ME: Collectable Card Games
  
• Toy Ranch Storefront: All Kinds of Games
  
• LB Toys: Classic Games for Kids
  
• Family Board Games: Parlor Games (Chess, Backgammon)
  

There is some fine print: You'll have to check for items in the stores that state the $50 free shipping offer (check for the "Special Offers Available" link near the product image). Also, the deal doesn't count across stores, so you'll need to have at least 50 bucks in one store for that store to ship to you for free. Seems reasonable. Finally, the order has to ship all to the same address.. and that, too, seems like a no brainer.

That's basically it. You can checkout the full terms of the holiday shopping deal at the Main Holiday Shopping Toystore Index

Critical Gamers 2008 Holiday Gift Guide - Board Games, Strategy Games, and Card Games Galore

We know how important it is to find the right game for the right person - it's hard work. And so once again we've lovingly crafted individual guides chalk full of selections tailored for various specific of gaming styles and genres.

Rest assured that you'll find the right game for the right person for some unwrapping goodness come December. Your anchor is this page. Everything you'll need to shop for a gamer spirals out from here, linking to all of our selections for best-bet titles to gift wrap this holiday season.

And here they are:

Critical Gamers 2008 Holiday Shopping Guides:

• Family Board Games and Card Games
• Strategy Board Games
• Wargames
• Party Games

If you haven't found exactly what you're looking for then please also check out our 2006 Holiday Gift Guide and our 2007 Holiday Gift Guide. They're both also chalk-full of great game ideas with staying power - we still play many of these games even years later!

Happy Holidays folks!

WoW TCG: Hunt for Illidan Preorder Deals

It's the eve of July first, and truck fulls of the WoW TCG set expansion The Hunt for Illidan [Amazon, ToyWiz] are on the verge of shipping to excited card players across the world.

Now - a box of boosters is MSRPed for 96 bucks at the official Upper Deck Store. No offense Upper Deck, but that's crazy talk.

We were about to write to you about a sweet deal at StarCityGames where a box of boosters was at $59.99. Unfortunately that was when they still had 250 boxes in stock. Now that they've sold off 200 of them the prices has shot up to 69 bucks. Still not to shabby when comparing to some of the other mainstream stores out there - like this deal at Amazon.com or at ToyWiz.

Thankfully we ran into a similar deal at AnimeOC.com. They're selling boxes of Hunt for Illidan boosters for 59.95, and at price like that then it's probably for the short term. Get on it!

Board Game Sale - Spring Cleaning at Funagain.com

One of our favorite board game online super stores is having a spring clearance sale to make room for the new line of 2008 board game. Over 120 items are on sale, or discounted in board game bundles.

Sure some of these titles are forgettable B-Sides, but there's also some mainstream high quality deals to be had. Things like WoW Maghteridon Raid decks, Dreamblade and Magic the Gathering boosters, Axis & Allies titles, and Cranium expansions! Not too shabby!

Here's the official word from Funagain:

It's time to clean out the warehouse! Funagain is having a massive sale, with almost 250 games getting their prices lowered! Act fast because some of these games are extremely limited. If you place a game into your shopping cart and don't see the sale price listed we're sorry, but that item has already sold out at its sale price. Browse the entire sale list by clicking this link.

While you're saving money, don't forget to check out the other great deals we have going on right now:

We still have a few left of our amazing Axis & Allies Pacific and Conquest of the Empire $50 bundle available (regular Funagain price of $83.90)! Just place those 2 games in your cart and use the promo code AAP&CONQUEST.;

You can also get our Italy Package for only $50! This package consists of Siena, Il Principe, and Oltre Mare... together they have a regular Funagain price of $99.85 but can be yours for just $50 if you put all three in your cart by clicking this link.

Finally, check out the rest of our promotions.

Enjoy your shopping and have a good weekend everybody!