It’s that time of the year again! A time to eat, be merry, play games and give (receive) gifts! By now everyone should know that board games make the best gifts, right? Thinking of that perfect game to gift this season? Well, look no further because UnGeek’s got you covered!
Be it a casual, party, euro, competitive, or any type of tabletop gamer, there is sure to be a game for everyone! So just sit back and relax as we go through our very own game recommendations this holiday season!
The Essentials
To start the list lets start with the bestsellers! These are the staple games that make every gamer’s list, expect lots of playtime with these time-proven gems.
Kingdomino
This won Spiel des Jahres (Game of the Year) for a reason guys. Not only does the game look great on the table, this easy to learn kingdom building title has a really neat turn based domino picking mechanism. The best part? Each game only takes 20 minutes to play. Perfect for kids and adults alike.
Pandemic
Whether its the classic globe trotting adventure or one of its variants (Cthulhu, Iberia etc), you’ll never go wrong with this cooperative classic!
Other recommendations: Dixit, Ticket to Ride, Puerto Rico, Catan, Carcassone, Monopoly Gamer
Party Games
Some people just want to have fun! These games make the perfect gift to those who always play with a large group. Check out these awesome party games!
Secret Hitler
Secret Hitler is a deduction-based party game in the same vein as Avalon or Werewolf. The game begins as five and up ten players are each given a secret package containing an affiliation card and a character card which could either be liberals and Fascists. Hitler is also in the game, but the unique twist to him is that although he is considered to be a fascist, he doesn’t really know who his allies in the game are! Expect every game to be filled with lies, doubts and accusations!
Other recommendations: Captain Sonar, Codenames, Mysterium, Hugot
Cooperative Games
Some gamers prefer to play as a group. Whether they win or lose together, it’s all about the camaraderie… And the occasional accusation of your teammate being the betraitor (the unholy combination of BETRAYER and TRAITOR)! Squad goals anyone? Take a look at our recommendations for cooperative games!
The Mountains of Madness
One of the sleeper hits for me this year, this game takes on a new twist in the coop genre with the use of its madness cards! Without spoiling much, this simple mechanic alone really invokes the essence of a good Lovecraft game… Because those components, aside from providing some physical or mental challenges to the player, it can also (because of specific instructions from the cards) make you look like you are really going crazy in front of the other players!
Marvel Legendary
Essentially all things Marvel in a box , this deck building game can recreate almost any Marvel storyline you can think of (provided you get the expansions). The base game alone provides tons of replay value, you really can’t go wrong with this one.
Other Recommendations: Gloomhaven, Dead of Winter, Eldrtich Horror, Descent 2nd Edition, The Grizzled. Mechs vs Minions
Strategy Games
For those who want a bit more meat in their games, these games certainly fit the bill! Ok now I’m hungry. @__@
Twilight Imperium 4th Edition
The gran-daddy of all 4x space opera games! Nothing comes close to this beast. Expect a lot of new tweaks and improvements from the last edition… Just be sure to devote a a good chunk of time for this EPIC game,
Clank! In Space!
The better (and meatier) version of Clank! yet. For those unfamiliar, at its heart the game is a deck building game similar to Ascension… But with a dungeon crawling twist! Aside from the DBG mechanic, the game is also a dungeon crawl! You now actually have an avatar who is moving around the board looting stuff! The original game was good, but this one really ups everything in terms of scope… And the science fiction parodies are nice too.
Other Recommendations: Scythe, Blood Rage, War of the Ring 2nd Edition
Euro Games
Still my favorite genre. Nothing beats a good cube pusher or resource management game. Here are some of my brain burning recommendations!
Terraforming Mars
I can’t get enough of this game! It has all the board game mechanics I want and more! It has tile laying, resource management, drafting… The list goes on! Though the components feel somewhat cheap, the gameplay truly makes up for it! Plus I don’t have many games set on Mars.
Clans of Caledonia
If you like Terra Mystica then you definitely should try this sleeper Kickstarter hit! This action selection, resource management game based on wine making truly refines some time tested mechanics and packages it to something that looks daunting at first, but plays simple once you get a round or two in. After playing this once I think I have to Jones Theory TM, because I personally believe this is the better game.
Other recommendations: Agricola, Tzolkin
Games That Wont Break the Bank
For those who like Love Letter then you’ll probably love this card game based on the popular Philippine superhero. For P150 (roughly $3) Darna will give you the most bang for your buck. The best part is you can find this game practically everywhere, not just your friendly local game store.
For P450 or $9, this party game, which borrows itself from Cards Against Humanity is sure provide tons of laughs (or tears, depending on the group) for the holiday season. Know someone single who’s gonna be cold this Christmas? Hugot might be the perfect gift!
There are other awesome boardgames out there not on this list, but these are sure to fill the needs of any gamer’s stocking. Any games that we might have missed? (And of course there are plenty) Shout it out in the comments below! Happy holidays everyone and till next time! Keep on gaming!