Finding the right Christmas gift is hard. We want to buy something that will gets used. The saddest thing I can think of is a regifted present. Some of the most popular presents in my family are board games. They bring people together in a fun, competitive way. With Christmas just days away, you may find yourself shopping for some last minute gifts or stocking stuffers. Whatever your reason for looking for more gifts, consider the following 8 tabletop games as possibilities.
If you are buying for a classic video game lover, then Boss Monster may be the game for you…or whoever you are buying for. This is a dungeon building game where players compete to entice heroes into their treacherous halls in order to collect souls. Whoever collects 10 souls first, wins.
This is a fast paced game for between 2-4 players; although from experience, you can play with as many as 5 players comfortably. The initial game comes with 150 cards, but there are expansions and sequels that accommodate for more players and increased fun.
Who doesn’t want to get dysentery while crossing the Great Planes? If you grew up in the 80s then you are familiar with Oregon Trail. This tabletop game takes the library game of your childhood and puts in on your kitchen table. Join 2-6 other players in traveling from Independence, Missouri to Willamet, Wyoming.
While this game is fun for all ages, it’s geared more towards the nostalgic 30 something who wants to relive the joys of childhood.
There are some games you have to know a lot of useless trivia to play. There are some games you have to be good at reading your opponent to play. Wits and Wagers is a combination of the antithesis of those games. Wits and Wagers is a fun party game that has contestants answer questions and then bet on who got the closest to the right answer. So it’s kind of like the Showcase Showdown on The Price is Right.
But even if you can’t guess the right answer, you still get points for misleading your opponent. And in the end, isn’t playing games all about making other people lose?
If you love to hate your family, buy Settlers of Catan immediately. Catan has players build settlements and cities and compete over a limited number of resources. Start out on the wrong square or if the dice don’t favor your resources and tempers can flair with even the most loving of family members. All in all, it’s a great game and one with high replayability.
The base game is meant for 3-4 players, but you can buy add-ons and expansions to increase the number of players and the difficulty level of the game.
Munchkin is everything that Boss Monster is not. No, that’s not true at all. The games share some similarities. Both are silly, fun tabletop games that have players enter dungeons and fight things. The goal of players in Munchkin is to fight monsters, win treasure, and stop your buddy from winning.
The game play is simple enough and can take anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours. The base set comes with 168 cards and a six-sided dice. You’re going to need lose change to play; it’s how you keep score.
The nice thing about this game is it can easily be played with as few as two people. So if you and your significant other are looking for something fun to play on the snowy evening after Christmas, hey guess what. You’ve got something. According the games description on Amazon, there is a significant backstory involved in this game. This is news to me.
Ticket to Ride is a game where you link one city to another via certain train destinations. Some destinations are harder than others and therefore worth more points. It’s not a high-intensity game that requires a lot of attention. It’s the kind of game you can play while binge watching Netflix or Hulu, as long as you trust your competitor.
What else can I say about Ticket to Ride? It’s got trains. It’s essentially a map of the United States or Europe. So…if you suck at geography, this game can help.
When you play Apples to Apples, do you try and make the game inappropriate as possible? How often do you say “That’s what she said?” If either of those questions describe you, then you should buy this game, pending you tend to find enjoyment in the perverse.
Cards Against Humanity is what Apples to Apples would be if it were locked in a basement for a month, forced to listen to trance music, and high on ecstasy. It’s a great drinking game or something fun to play with a slightly racist uncle.
The base game comes with 550 cards and there are 6 additions that you can truly explore your inner circles dark side.
This game made Kickstarter history as the most backed project ever. In history. People really wanted this game to exist and we are glad they did. From the mind of the Oatmeal, Exploding Kittens plays like a reverse Uno mixed with Russian roulette. Players draw cards until some draws an Exploding Kitten card. They can survive by defusing the bombs. The game ends when the last player is left alive.
Despite its name, Exploding Kittens is a family-friendly game, so long as your family doesn’t mind the idea of combusting cats. The game is meant for between 2-5 players and can be combined for as many as 9 if you combine it with other decks. The base pack comes with 56 cards.
Spazz plays a lot like UNO mixed with Egyptian Rat Screw and Gestures. Players take turns flipping cards and looking for a match. When there is a match, they have to perform the corresponding action. The last person to do the action takes the pile of cards. While the game itself is a relative newcomer to the card game community, the idea for Spazz has been around for almost 40 years. The designers of this game just descided to make it official. They prettied it up and added some new cards. And like Exploding Kittens, Spazz is another game that got its official start on Kickstarter. For the backstory on this game, you can check out my interview with one of the game’s designers here.
With the exception of Spazz, you can find all of these games online at Amazon or at any number of a dozen other retailers. You can order Spazz online or stop by the Gaming Goat in Houston. But if you’re in a pinch, you can find most of the others at your local Target or other tabletop game store. What games do you think would make great last minute presents or stocking stuffers? Leave a comment in the space below.
Dec 22 2016
8 Last Minute Shopping Ideas for Tabletop Game Enthusiasts
Finding the right Christmas gift is hard. We want to buy something that will gets used. The saddest thing I can think of is a regifted present. Some of the most popular presents in my family are board games. They bring people together in a fun, competitive way. With Christmas just days away, you may find yourself shopping for some last minute gifts or stocking stuffers. Whatever your reason for looking for more gifts, consider the following 8 tabletop games as possibilities.
1. Boss Monster
If you are buying for a classic video game lover, then Boss Monster may be the game for you…or whoever you are buying for. This is a dungeon building game where players compete to entice heroes into their treacherous halls in order to collect souls. Whoever collects 10 souls first, wins.
This is a fast paced game for between 2-4 players; although from experience, you can play with as many as 5 players comfortably. The initial game comes with 150 cards, but there are expansions and sequels that accommodate for more players and increased fun.
2.Oregon Trail
Who doesn’t want to get dysentery while crossing the Great Planes? If you grew up in the 80s then you are familiar with Oregon Trail. This tabletop game takes the library game of your childhood and puts in on your kitchen table. Join 2-6 other players in traveling from Independence, Missouri to Willamet, Wyoming.
While this game is fun for all ages, it’s geared more towards the nostalgic 30 something who wants to relive the joys of childhood.
3. Wits & Wagers
There are some games you have to know a lot of useless trivia to play. There are some games you have to be good at reading your opponent to play. Wits and Wagers is a combination of the antithesis of those games. Wits and Wagers is a fun party game that has contestants answer questions and then bet on who got the closest to the right answer. So it’s kind of like the Showcase Showdown on The Price is Right.
But even if you can’t guess the right answer, you still get points for misleading your opponent. And in the end, isn’t playing games all about making other people lose?
4.Settlers of Catan
If you love to hate your family, buy Settlers of Catan immediately. Catan has players build settlements and cities and compete over a limited number of resources. Start out on the wrong square or if the dice don’t favor your resources and tempers can flair with even the most loving of family members. All in all, it’s a great game and one with high replayability.
The base game is meant for 3-4 players, but you can buy add-ons and expansions to increase the number of players and the difficulty level of the game.
5. Munchkin
Munchkin is everything that Boss Monster is not. No, that’s not true at all. The games share some similarities. Both are silly, fun tabletop games that have players enter dungeons and fight things. The goal of players in Munchkin is to fight monsters, win treasure, and stop your buddy from winning.
The game play is simple enough and can take anywhere between 30 minutes to 2 hours. The base set comes with 168 cards and a six-sided dice. You’re going to need lose change to play; it’s how you keep score.
6. Ticket to Ride
The nice thing about this game is it can easily be played with as few as two people. So if you and your significant other are looking for something fun to play on the snowy evening after Christmas, hey guess what. You’ve got something. According the games description on Amazon, there is a significant backstory involved in this game. This is news to me.
Ticket to Ride is a game where you link one city to another via certain train destinations. Some destinations are harder than others and therefore worth more points. It’s not a high-intensity game that requires a lot of attention. It’s the kind of game you can play while binge watching Netflix or Hulu, as long as you trust your competitor.
What else can I say about Ticket to Ride? It’s got trains. It’s essentially a map of the United States or Europe. So…if you suck at geography, this game can help.
7. Cards Against Humanity
When you play Apples to Apples, do you try and make the game inappropriate as possible? How often do you say “That’s what she said?” If either of those questions describe you, then you should buy this game, pending you tend to find enjoyment in the perverse.
Cards Against Humanity is what Apples to Apples would be if it were locked in a basement for a month, forced to listen to trance music, and high on ecstasy. It’s a great drinking game or something fun to play with a slightly racist uncle.
The base game comes with 550 cards and there are 6 additions that you can truly explore your inner circles dark side.
8. Exploding Kittens
This game made Kickstarter history as the most backed project ever. In history. People really wanted this game to exist and we are glad they did. From the mind of the Oatmeal, Exploding Kittens plays like a reverse Uno mixed with Russian roulette. Players draw cards until some draws an Exploding Kitten card. They can survive by defusing the bombs. The game ends when the last player is left alive.
Despite its name, Exploding Kittens is a family-friendly game, so long as your family doesn’t mind the idea of combusting cats. The game is meant for between 2-5 players and can be combined for as many as 9 if you combine it with other decks. The base pack comes with 56 cards.
9. Spazz
Spazz plays a lot like UNO mixed with Egyptian Rat Screw and Gestures. Players take turns flipping cards and looking for a match. When there is a match, they have to perform the corresponding action. The last person to do the action takes the pile of cards. While the game itself is a relative newcomer to the card game community, the idea for Spazz has been around for almost 40 years. The designers of this game just descided to make it official. They prettied it up and added some new cards. And like Exploding Kittens, Spazz is another game that got its official start on Kickstarter. For the backstory on this game, you can check out my interview with one of the game’s designers here.
With the exception of Spazz, you can find all of these games online at Amazon or at any number of a dozen other retailers. You can order Spazz online or stop by the Gaming Goat in Houston. But if you’re in a pinch, you can find most of the others at your local Target or other tabletop game store. What games do you think would make great last minute presents or stocking stuffers? Leave a comment in the space below.
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By Thaddaeus Brodrick • Games • • Tags: card games, Christmas presents, last minute shopping, tabletop games