This $12 Bundle Is The Best Way To Start Playing Online Board Games With Friends

With many people still stuck indoors, finding ways of connecting with friends and family online have become crucial ways of retaining some degree of normalcy during these troubling times. While there's certainly no shortage of online multiplayer video games that can fill this need, digital board games are another fantastic way of beating boredom and hanging out with others. Fortunately, the latest Humble Bundle is here to let you snag a collection of great digital board games for as cheap as $12, including some that made our best board games list, like Scythe and Patchwork. All of these games can be redeemed on Steam, and as usual, you have the chance to support a charity with your money. This month's charity is Partners in Health, a nonprofit currently fighting COVID-19.

The Play with Friends bundle includes three tiers of games you can unlock. For just $1, you'll unlock six titles--notably, you'll the popular tile-based tactics game Carcassonne and fantasy game Small World 2 along with one of our all-time favorites, Patchwork, which involves placing Tetris-like tiles on a 9x9 board to slowly assemble a quilt. The $1 level also gets you Kings & Assassins, an asymmetrical game about a tyrant king who must survive deadly assassins; Love Letter, a fun card game about suitors competing to send their message to a royal princess; and Potion Explosion, a game about collecting marbles and crafting magical potions with them.

Upgrade to the next level by paying the average of $10.23, and you'll unlock three more games along with some DLC. This batch includes Splendor, an engine-building and resource management game where you play as merchants during the Renaissance, as well as two expansions: The Cities and The Trading Posts. You'll also get Mysterium, a co-op mystery board game, and Twilight Struggle, a challenging two-player strategy game set during the Cold War. This level also unlocks additional expansions for Carcassonne and Small World 2.

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For a minimum of $12, you'll unlock all of the above along with some additional games and DLC. The real prize here is Scythe, which is a must-play for fans of tabletop strategy games. Set in an alternate-history 1920s Europe, Scythe is an engine-building game that takes place in a land recovering from a great war. It features five factions, each of which is competing to stake its claim in the land around a mysterious city-state known as the Factory. Considering Scythe goes for $20 on its own on Steam, the entire bundle is worth grabbing even for this game alone--but the other great games included make this bundle downright amazing. This tier also unlocks The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Card Game - Definitive Edition, a deck-building card game about assembling a team of iconic heroes to challenge Sauron. Finally, you'll unlock even more expansions for Carcassonne, Mysterium, Small World 2, and Splendor.

More great board game deals

• Betrayal at House on the Hill -- $29.49 ($50)
• King of Tokyo -- $31.73 ($40)
• Codenames -- $15.37 ($20)
• Root -- $51.95 ($60)

If you're looking for some new games to keep you entertained this month and are interested in digital board games, it really doesn't get better than this bundle, which offers over $150 worth of games for as cheap as $12. The bundle is available for the next 10 days, and you can see an overview of what's included below. And for more game recommendations, check out our guide to the best board games to play in 2020.

Humble Asmodee Play with Friends Bundle

Pay $1 or more to unlock:

• Small World 2
• Carcassonne
• Patchwork
• King & Assassins
• Love Letter
• Potion Explosion

Pay more than the average of $10.23 to also unlock:

• Splendor
• Splendor - The Cities
• Splendor - The Trading Posts
• Mysterium
• Carcassonne - Winter and Gingerbread Man
• Carcassonne - Traders and Builders
• Small World 2 - Cursed
• Small World 2 - Be Not Afraid
• Twilight Struggle

Pay $12 or more to also unlock:

• Scythe - Digital Edition
• The Lord of the Rings: Adventure Gard Game - Definitive Edition
• Mysterium - Hidden Signs
• Carcassonne - The River
• Carcassonne - Inns and Cathedrals
• Carcassonne - The Princess and the Dragon
• Mysterium - Secrets and Lies
• Small World 2 - Grand Dames
• Splendor - The Strongholds