Holiday Board Game Gift Guide 2024
Happy Holidays everyone. Its that time of year again and this year we are bringing you a big list of great games that you can get for your loved ones or heck even yourself. Normally I dont like to do lists of games but I fell this is in the spirit of the holidays. This is not an exhaustive list by any means its just a short list to get you going on your holiday shopping. So with out making you read too much more I give you the 2024 Gift Guide. Do not forget to show your Friendly Local Game Store (FLGS) some love this season.
Big Games | Small Games | RPG | Solo Games | Family Games | Accessories
Big Games
Seti
In the game Seti players will search for alien life in our solar system. Players will send out probes and analyze signals from space to confirm alien life. The game has huge table presence and looks great. The board rotates around in several rings around the sun in the middle of the board that gives players a real sense that they are in a dynamic solar system.
Players: 1-4
Age: 14+
Time: 40 minutes per player
Kutná Hora: The City of Silver
The next game on the list brings us to the middle of the Czech Republic in the 14th century. Kutná Hora became one of the most important cities in Europe when silver was discovered. Players will build out their cities and also head underground to build the silver mines. This city building and economic engine building game is a sure hit for the heavy gamer in your life.
Players: 2-4
Age: 13+
Time: 30 minutes per player
Arcs
Lets take a trip back to space (Its been a big couple of years for space). Arcs is the latest game designed by Cole Wehrle, designer of Root and John Company. Arcs is a card driven area control game. Players have a hand of cards they they play against other players in a trick taking style to determine what actions they can take. This is a very innovative game that offers a fresh take on the area control game. Arcs is perfect for the lover of the asynchronus factions in Root and area control games. Arcs twist on traditonal area control and action points is sure to please.
Players: 2-4
Age: 14+
Time: 60-120 minutes
Small Games
Moonrollers
Moonrakers, a break out deck building game published in 2020 by IV Studios created a world where pilots recruit crews and complete missions in space. Moonrakers had people making deals to complete missions. Now after a sucessful 2023 relaunch of Moonrakers including more expansions IV Studio has released Moonrollers a game based in the same ecosystem. Moonrollers will be a competitive press your luck game with the essence of working together. At a price point under $30 USD this game is sure to make the gamer in your life happy.
Players: 2-5
Age: 14+
Time: 30-45 minutes
Seers Catalog
Bezier Games sticking with its bread and butter theme werewolves. Your village is being overrun by werewolves and players will seek help from the Seers Catalog (We all know how much I like a pun). Players will try to shed their hands... but not all the way. When a player runs out of cards then scoring happens and if a player has less than 5 cards left in their hand then they score the lowest point value in their hand. The are a lot of special cards with distinct affects on the game. If your loved one likes card games then this is sure to please.
Players: 2-5
Age: 8+
Time: 30-45 minutes
The Gang
The Gang is a cooporative poker game. Players guess who has the best to worst hand and as each card is delt to players they have a chance to refine their guesses. This game has a theme of a bank robberery but it doesnt need that at all. This game is super fun with a larger group and it puts a great twist on a classic game.
Players: 2-6
Age: 10+
Time: 20 minutes
RPG
Shadowdark
Shadowdark is an old school RPG experience that has a modern edge and ease of use to it. If your loved one is into old school dungeon crawlers or your think they should be then Shadowdark is a great gift for them. This is an award winning game that brought in over 3 million dollars on its kickstarter campaign. There are also solo supplements valible for the nights your gamer cannot get the group together.
D&D Dungeon Master Guide (2024)
The newest Dungeons and Dragons book is the Dungeon Master Guide (2024). This is a rewrite of the 5e DM guide that came out in 2014. This is a great choice for your D&D enthusiast (provided they didnt run out and get it already). This presents the 5e rules in a new light with a ton ov new treasure and magic items. The new DM guide is focuced on making running a game easier. There are also the new bastion rules and a Greyhawk setting. Best of all there is a big and easy to use glossary.
Everyday Heroes
Everday Heroes is a great system for modern day roleplaying. Its based off the D20 system (D&D 5E). There are a ton of awesome cinematic supplements. My group recently ran through the Highlander supplement and everyone loved it. Everday Heroes puts players in the shoes of classic hero architypes. This is a must have in every TTRPGer's library.
Heroes of Barcadia
Alright this is more of game but it fits the RPG category. Dungeon crawl with your friends and use your charecter themed cups to track your hit points. Players will move their cups through the hex dungeon. Heroes of Barcadia isnt a coroporative game like most RPG games so be the first to get to the Grand Drink Gaurdian first to win the game. The player that gets there first may have won the game but everyone will win the night with Heroes of Barcadia.
Solo
Sherlock Solitare
Sherlock Solitare is a card game that has players creating sets to solve the case. Players however will need to do this before they take three wounds. This is a fun puzzle like game where players have a hand of four cards and need to place them all each turn. The player will need to make choices to mitigate the acumulation of wounds. Sherlock Solitaire can be played 2 player also. or under $10 this makes a great stocking stuffer.
Players: 1-2
Age: 12+
Time: 20-30 minutes
Gloomhaven: Buttons and Bugs
Gloomhaven is a very big game and so is its follow up Frosthaven, but there is an alternative and its even smaller than Jaws of the Lion. Gloomhaven Buttons and Bugs brings all the fun of Gloomhaven to a micro format. The playing map is on a playing card and the minatures well they are adorable. I have been playing this alot lately and I am enjoying it a lot.
Players: 1
Age: 14+
Time: 20-30 minutes
Salton Sea
Salton Sea is a much bigger game compared to the other solo games in the list. Salton Sea is infact not just a solo game but it plays up to 4. Salton Sea has players geothermal mining and extracting lithium in the Salton Sea near the California and Mexico border. I know this theme wasnt on your bingo card for 2024 but its worth it and the gamer in your life will enjoy it. Salton sea combines contract completions, hand management and worker placement to deliver a highly sophisticated game with a ton of fun.
Players: 1-4
Age: 14+
Time: 120 minutes
Family Games
Little Alchemists
Little Alchemists has been in heavy rotation at our house. Our 5 year old is really into it. Little Alchemists is a deduction game that has legacy aspects to it. Players will setup 2 ingredients on their stand and scan them with a phone that has the companion app on it. The app will then tell the players what potion they have made. As players fill out their matrix of potions they can then make guesses at what combinations make what potions. The game is short enough to keep the littlest gamers attention. Little Alchemists is fun for the whole family!
Players: 2-4
Age: 7+
Time: 20-40 minutes
Things in Rings
Things in Rings is a logical deducion game where players place things into a Ven Diagram. This is a run game where players are trying to figure out what the rings in the diagram are so they can play cards into them to get rid of their hand first. One player is the knower and will place cards into the right part of the diagram for players if they do not place them corectly.
Players: 2-6
Age: 6+
Time: 20 minutes
Doomlings
Doomlings is alight strategey card game that is packed full of cards. The bbasegame comes with 167 cards (no two are the same). It only takes a few minutes to learn to play Doomlings. Players will build their tableaus to increase their scores. Each card has a special ability to manipulate the game. With as man cards that it comes with and all the expansions that are avalible players will never play the same game twice.
Players: 2-6
Age: 10+
Time: 20-45 minutes
Accessories
Bag of Holding
The Bag of Holding once saved my butt on a trip to the netherlands. I needed a carry-on bag in a pinch (missed the check luggage window). I was able to stuff everything I needed for the trip in this bag including a pair of ski pants. This is a rework of that original bag. This bag is reinforced and is way better that the bag I remeber. So if you are looking for a great bag for that special someone this is it. There are also a bunch of great accessories for the bag like custom soulder straps. Did I mention it has backpack straps too?
Gamer Susan
Ever sit down to a game and have to read everything and look at the gamebord upsidedown? We have all been there. Thankfully there is a solution to this (It's not musical chairs). The solution is GamerSusan. GamerSusan is a modular lazy susan for board games. You can customize the size to whatever you are playing. At GenCon this year it was used for Twilight Imperium. They come on three customizable sizes. I like to use it for games like dominion too so you can read all the card stacks at once. Turn things around for your favorite Gamer with GamerSusan.
Around the World in 80 Games
If your favorite gamer is done reading all the rule books of the games they have bought and haven't played yet then Around the World in Eighty Games might be just the thing. Author Marcus du Sautoy takes us on a tour of the worled through the lense of gaming. There are some classic favoites in there and some games you probablly haven't heard of. Around the World in 80 games offers a fresh look at games and the culture around them.
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