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Print and Play

2023-05-21

I've discovered the world of print-and-play board games. Oh my god, it is full of stars.

This might very well be the next step in simplifying our lives. Already we've returned to board- and card games, rather than computer games, as part of our entertainment. However, we find it difficult to find board games that meet our criteria:

They have to be very well playable for two players. Quite often commercial games are playable with two players, but when done they lack some depth. Settlers of Catan is a great example. The whole trading part of the game becomes more or less meaningless. So, more often than not a game is lacking unless played with three people or more.
Simple design. I don't want to be forced to read a long complicated manual every time I pick a game after several months of pause. Nor do I want to spend half an hour to set up the game with dozens of tokens, counters, figurines and cards. No, I want to skim through a few pages of manual to recap what I forgot and then go.
Gameplay depth / replayability. We both like world-building games with some gameplay complexity. Emergent situations. Carcasonne does this well - simple rules, infinite replayability.

…and now I've come across the PNP Arcade website and the genre of print-and-play games. These are card or board games made often by single individuals and put online. Often for a small fee, sometimes free. The idea is that you print the PDF(s) out, maybe take a scissor to some of the pages and maybe add some die or counter tokens you have.

There is no publisher (other than the website that acts as intermediate), no cardboard box, …just you, the PDF and a printer. It is a fascinating idea.

A bit like the indy scene in computer games, you find all sorts of games in the PNP world, often quite quirky and niche.

Yesterday we've tried Scuttle!, a pirate-themed card game. Very fun. Quick to learn and one game takes maybe 10-15 minutes.

Also, 6x6 Tales by David D. This one is a die-rolling RPG adventure game. One sheet of paper is the rulebook, a second one is the event index. You can reuse these sheets indefinitely. The third and last sheet is your adventure journal, which is being used up. Aside from that you need two die, as well as a pencil and eraser. Although this is a solo adventure, we had good fun playing it as a team, collaboratively guiding our adventurer through the island. Game progress is highly dependent on your die-rolls but we felt there are enough decisions made by us to feel in control. What we liked especially is the 6x6 tile map that gives the game its name. It starts off empty and you discover the island as you play, sketching in roads and terrain as you go. Infinite replayability. What a gem.

I've downloaded more games but we haven't tried them yet.

Links

the PNP Arcade

Scuttle! A pirate-themed card game

6x6 Tales, a tiny adventure game

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