Board games are insanely expensive in several ways.

They used to be a cheap for of entertainment, costing $15 to $20... or maybe up to $35 if they are large or fancy. But now? They're so large and complicated that $45 to $55 is considered normal, and many games go for $100 or more. Because of this, I have tried to not buy so many new games.

Tried and failed.

Because unless it's some kind of legacy game (like Monopoly), games do not stay in print. Most games don't. They come, maybe get a second or third printing if they're extremely popular, then go. So if you miss picking up a game when it's released, you may never get a chance again without paying astronomical prices on the third-party market.

Take for example, Marvel Champions. This is a game that I bought years after it was first released in 2019. Then I forgot about it... only finally playing it a couple years ago. At which point I discovered I loved it. Problem is, the publisher hasn't reprinted the loads of "hero packs" and expansions that got released, and the only way to find them is off eBay where people are charging insane prices. The Doctor Strange hero pack goes for $200... assuming you can find one for sale. I wanted to pick up Gambit, but he was $340. Other rare heroes aren't available anywhere for any price. It's insanity.

And for that reason if I find a game that looks even remotely interesting, I will either back it's Kickstarter or GameFound campaign... or purchase it in a store... rather than waiting and having to pay double or triple if it sells out and doesn't get a reprint.

My obsession with getting every piece of the Marvel United games, expansions, and upgrades has cost me a pretty penny indeed. Had I only known how much I'd love collecting and playing it, I would have been able to buy it all for 25%-35% the cost I ended up paying.

And so I end up spending more money than I should to save money. Potentially.

At least that's what I tell myself.

   
And because board games are so crazy expensive and there's so bloody many of them, I watch a lot of YouTubers and other social media. And because I'm mostly interested in how a game plays solo, I am usually watching solo play channels and reading solo play sites. Here's some of my favorites...

   
Green
Esmerelda makes videos about things that make her happy. Which, from what I can see, are board games she can play solo. She seems a lovely person who has a pleasant presentation which I love. Because she's in the Netherlands, some of the games she plays are unavailable here (or no longer available), which is a bummer... but I've snagged a few of them I've seen on eBay. Others I've bought at various game stores local and online. Like this Carcassonne variant that looks fantastic...

   
Smidgen Plays Solo
Probably the one board game reviewer whom has the most compatibility with me when it comes to games I like. He's gotten me to buy a lot of games!

   
Tabletop Turtle
I really, really like Mike and Kim's take on games... even though I don't always agree with them. Mike has a pretty good take on solo games, but it feels as though he doesn't play solo very often...

   
Stephen & Zeshawn
Stephen Callaghan owns House Rules Games in Dallas and does social media for his shop. Zeshawn Khan has a social media channel called Board & Shield because he loves games. And both of those channels are worth watching. But my favorites are when they crossover...

   
Rolling Solo
This YouTube channel has a good user community built around board game solo play.

   
Specifically Solo
Another YouTube channel which has loads of content built around solo play.

   
Room and Board
Chris George is a highly entertaining YouTuber who has a unique take on board gaming, with a lot of interesting content around the hobby (not just reviews). And his play-throughs with Zach are legendary...

   
Totally Tabled
Mostly solo play content, but also has a lot of list videos if you're looking for new games to try or buy!

   
True Solo Studios
A fairly new channel with solo board game play content by Josh.

   
slickerdrips
Tom has a pleasant play manner that makes his videos a nice watch. Mostly solo board game play.

   
Sir Thecos
A lot of solo game content that's exceptionally well-presented.

One more day left...