Video games, board games and pen & paper games are now constantly shaking hands: There are some really great tabletop recommendations in the Steam Summer Sale.
Many people in our editorial team are passionate about pen&paper and all kinds of tabletop games. Our boss Heiko spends hundreds of euros on the absolute bosses of board games, Steffi and I are part of a P&P group on cyberpunk – and our DSA god Fabiano recently finished his mega-campaign in The Dark Eye after five years.
In other words, we’re pretty deep into the subject matter. Maybe we should do a theme week on tabletop games. Another topic, Steam Sale!
As usual, hundreds of games are reduced in the Steam Summer Sale 2024 – we’ve already recommended some of the highlights to you. But there are also some really cool games for tabletop and pen & paper fans that are really worthwhile for little money. That’s why we put our heads together and present our recommendations, which are either based on a board game or P&P on Steam or are at least based on a license
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader
- Genre: Role-playing game
- Developer: Owlcat Games
- Price:32,50 Euro(35 percent discount)
I know, I know, 32 euros is still a lot of money, I can almost get a burger and coke for that in Munich, but: It’s currently more worthwhile than ever to give Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader a chance!
As is unfortunately typical for developer Owlcat Games (Pathfinder: Kingmaker), the Warhammer role-playing game was released at the end of last year with great ideas but major technical problems. In the meantime, however, the game has received several patches, including a really big one in preparation for the first story DLC Void Shadows
This patch not only removes bugs, but also fixes gameplay vulnerabilities and exploits. This makes Rogue Trader even more of what it is supposed to be: A wonderfully old-school Warhammer role-playing game based on the Rogue Trader tabletop, in which you find your own place in the glorious empire of mankind, make decisions, resist the temptations of Chaos (or not) and prove yourself in crisp round-robin tactical battles.
If you love classic role-playing games like Baldur’s Gate or already have a soft spot for Pathfinder, this is a wonderful role-playing introduction to the dark world of Warhammer 40,000. And you don’t have to paint a single model yourself.
Everdell
- Genre: Construction game
- Developer: Dire Wolf
- Price:13 Euro(25 percent discount)
At the beginning of the year, I fell head over heels in love with the board game version of Everdell and it’s now one of my favorite board games ever. It’s one of those nice little games that you can always dig out. No matter who you’re sitting at the table with. Just make sure you have a soft spot for fairytale creatures that live in a dreamy forest.
If that’s too cheesy and childish for you, there’s always Blood Rage and co. Personally, I love this world and like to turn on a little fairytale soundscape while I’m building my forest settlement. At its core, this is a flawless building game. On the hunt for the highest score, I hoard sticks, pebbles or amber, hire a raven as a teacher for my school or a turtle as a judge for the court.
None of this charm is lost in the PC version. The atmosphere is spot on-even if it doesn’t reach the highest heights of the evergreen in terms of graphics.
But the digital version is particularly worthwhile if you want to try a few solo rounds. Everdell can also be experienced wonderfully in pairs, but even that is not always possible on some days. Unfortunately, the Steam version does not yet offer all expansions, but the first DLC, Glimmergold, was unveiled on June 3!
Gloomhaven
- Genre: Strategy
- Developer: Flaming Fowl Studios / Saber Interactive
- Price: 14 Euro (60 percent discount)
Gloomhaven is quite a beast that I’ve been lurking around ever since boss Heiko raved about it to us. I even bought the smaller brother, The Lion’s Paws, directly as a board game, but the big box was always too expensive and too bulky for me. Besides, I already force my friends to play pen & paper games regularly, so there’s not much time left for group activities
That’s why Gloomhaven as a PC game was my perfect solution! Much cheaper, doesn’t take up any space on the shelf and I can play a few levels at any time. Even in co-op if someone has time. The rules are complex, the numerous classes offer lots of specialization options, tacticians will get their money’s worth here.
But beware, you definitely need to be resistant to frustration. Unfortunately, the game is still plagued by annoying bugs. And it also punishes you mercilessly if you make strategic mistakes or forget something in your turn. If you can cope with this, many hours of fun and challenge await you.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist
- Genre: Card game
- Developer: Other Ocean Emeryville
- Price:5 Euro(75 percent discount)
In the almost 20 years of my career as a passionate video game fan, I have tried countless Yu-Gi-Oh games. Some were bad, many were good, a few were outstanding. Legacy of the Duelist stands out in particular, because despite my nostalgic glorification of numerous Gameboy Advance rip-offs, it’s not only the best part I’ve played, but also my favorite
My personal highlight is the story mode, in which you replay the main story of the first five main series with prefabricated decks. You are gently introduced to the complex rules and card types and learn completely new and different tactics.
This is especially a blessing for people who are new to Yu-Gi-Oh or are returning after a long time and are having trouble getting to grips with the many new actions such as Pendulum Summons etc.
And if you prefer to realize yourself, that’s no problem either. With over 9,000 different cards, you can create tons of individual decks without ever getting bored. However, as this can quickly become overwhelming due to the large number of cards, numerous filters help you to find the right ones for your playing style
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
- Genre: Role-playing game
- Developer: Owlcat Games
- Price:12 Euro(70 percent discount)
Yes, the MeinMMO nerds also play role-playing and board games and Dimi has allowed me to introduce one of my favorites here! At over 330 hours, Pathfinder: WotR is one of my longest-played role-playing games of all time – and the only reason it’s not safely in first place is because I have no idea how many days of my youth Gothic took me. I don’t regret a single second of my gaming time
If you know D&D, you’ve probably heard of Pathfinder. The rulebook has moved on from version 3.5 and is a kind of “complex” version of Dungeons & Dragons: more rules, more equipment and many more classes. Wrath of the Righteous, like its predecessor Kingmaker, captured this complexity brilliantly and translated it into a video game.
If you want to commit to a game for many tens or hundreds of hours, WotR is the game for you. But you have to be prepared to learn – if in doubt, through pain. Skill and effect interactions are vital for survival and can overwhelm even pen & paper veterans if they don’t know the system directly
In the meantime, the last DLC of Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous has been released.So the game is complete and has kept me hooked for over 40 hours, even though I’ve already played it through. If you’re more into sci-fi and dystopias, the spiritual successor Rogue Trader is a good choice – Dimi introduces you to it above
(To Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous on Steam)
Cyberpunk 2077
- Genre: Role-playing game
- Developer: CD Projekt Red
- Price:30 Euro(50 percent discount)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXYn-Fn9w48
Peter Bathge: Yeah, okay, that’s notthesecret tip. It’s Cyberpunk 2077, I’m sure everyone has that in their library. I don’t. I, for example, still have to play through the role-playing game. And this sale (which is mirrored on GOG.com and in the Humble Store, by the way) is just right for me!
The pen & paper system Cyberpunk 2020 was of course the great inspiration for the world into which CD Projekt Red takes us, and its inventor Mike Pondsmith was on hand to advise the developers. You can see that in every corner of Night City
What is completely different from the original, however, are the action-packed battles. And you can only play your own character within certain limits, as the story of protagonist V is roughly predetermined for each playthrough. But it doesn’t matter, because for many fans of the pen & paper role-playing game, Cyberpunk 2077 is still a dream come true
Basements n’ Basilisks: Storms of Sorcery
- Genre: Role-playing game
- Developer: Envy Softworks
- Price:2 Euro(35 percent discount)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ0mPb0_MNE
setting for all those who can’t stand lengthy rulebooks and months-long gaming sessions. As you can easily tell from the title, the role-playing game/visual novel hybrid takes the time-honored Dungeons & Dragons and serves you an entertaining role-playing campaign with a small map and three iconic, wacky companions.
Just like in the original, you make decisions and roll your dice to navigate your way through the fantasy story. Basements n’ Basilisks feels wonderfully streamlined. Instead of mighty D20 dice, you only have two D6s on the virtual gaming table. And you don’t need to look for friends for a long campaign – B&B is easily completed on your own in around five hours.
This combination makes the role-playing game wonderfully beginner-friendly. And let’s be honest: for just two euros, you can’t really go wrong here
