Get ready to burn through a lot of ink!

September 25, 2008 2:24 PM

"A Solitaire Civization game that's compact enough to play on a plane ... Using only a pad of paper, a pencil, and a specialized deck of cards, lead your civilization through the ages to become ... civilized." A free "print-and-play" board game.

What's that? You're not familiar with print-and-play board games? Friend, get ready to get chummy with your printer!

Start with Board Game Geek's "Free-to-print games that might actually be worth printing." If that's not enough, there's a canonical list, a list of former retail games that are now available at no charge, and for those needing a quick fix, a list of PnP games that can be ready to go in five minutes.

(Oh, there's also a print-and-play podcast which does some really thorough reviews each week, with links.)

posted by jbickers (20 comments total)

Nice. Thanks.
posted by Smedleyman at 3:19 PM on September 25, 2008 [1 favorite]

I love the cross-pollination between BGG and here. The five minute PnP list could have been an entry by itself! I need to print this up and teach it to my son.
posted by mecran01 at 3:40 PM on September 25, 2008

Aw, this takes me back to the day when I suggested to a friend that we print out Magic cards and just enjoy stocking and playing truly customizable decks... and he freaked out because he'd spent so much on his that anyone who wanted to play with him better be prepared to do same. Jerk.

This looks cool. Cheers.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 3:41 PM on September 25, 2008

Wait, are we talking civilized enough to institutionalize slavery or civilized enough to commit genocide?
posted by sondrialiac at 4:00 PM on September 25, 2008

You're my hero.
posted by Caduceus at 4:09 PM on September 25, 2008

Best of the web. Great post, thanks.
posted by Samuel Farrow at 5:02 PM on September 25, 2008 [1 favorite]

I was going to link to How To Host A Dungeon, as being a kind of fantasy version of this that in the end produces a cavern layout suitable for adaption for group pen-and-paper RPG play, but I just noticed it's gone the "pro/lite" route, where the full, a.k.a. real, version is 5 bucks.

So, no link for them. Google it if it sounds interesting.
posted by JHarris at 7:31 PM on September 25, 2008

This is excellent. Thanks!
posted by Kwine at 7:42 PM on September 25, 2008

This is one of the most awesome posts I've seen here in a while.
posted by JHarris at 8:10 PM on September 25, 2008

I'm having a vision of the color laser printer in my work area getting quite a workout...
posted by MikeMc at 9:03 PM on September 25, 2008 [1 favorite]

Whoa. Crazy cool. Thank you!!
posted by brain cloud at 10:01 PM on September 25, 2008

I need to figure out how to print cards without readily available perforated cards.

I suspect it involves accuracy with a paper cutter, but it's hard to be THAT accurate.

Any alternative suggestions? Or just be less twitch?
posted by Lord_Pall at 10:09 PM on September 25, 2008

That would be less twitchy, not less twitch.

See my problem?
posted by Lord_Pall at 10:13 PM on September 25, 2008

x-acto blades and an aluminum ruler have always been my preferred method of cutting paper.
Just run the knife down the edge of the ruler like you're drawing a line.
Lock your wrist on the hand with the knife and use your elbow and shoulder instead.
Stand at a table instead of sitting down.
Be careful not to cut off the thumb of the hand holding the ruler.
posted by Richard Daly at 10:57 PM on September 25, 2008

@Lord_Pall Two other approaches:

1. print directly onto business cards
2. print onto labels and stick them to cards
posted by icheyne at 3:18 AM on September 26, 2008

I can tell just by looking at this that my boyfriend is going to totally hate you for posting this as it will probably lead to me, like other game addictions before, ignoring him. So I thank you -- for now at least :)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:03 AM on September 26, 2008

If you're willing to spend a few bucks for a game (and literally, I mean a few bucks), this site is also excellent. Solitaire Caesar could easily fetch $30 if it were in a box on a store shelf.
posted by jbickers at 11:14 AM on September 26, 2008

Other wonderful free and cheap games can be found over at Cheap Ass Games, though, occasionally, their descriptions are more enjoyable than the games themselves.
posted by The Great Big Mulp at 1:54 PM on September 26, 2008 [1 favorite]

anyone playing this game right now? I'm trying to find an explanation for the "a" and "b" on the event cards
posted by Sam.Burdick at 1:51 PM on September 29, 2008

anyone playing this game right now? I'm trying to find an explanation for the "a" and "b" on the event cards

Go ask over at the game's page on boardgamegeek and they'll help you out in a hurry.
posted by mecran01 at 9:51 PM on October 4, 2008