The Halloween candy has been portioned out, the hectic rush of Black Friday, Cyber Monday or Sleeveless Drunken Online Shopping Tuesday have yet to hit us. So here, for your collecting pleasure are a whole bunch of relatively inexpensive gift ideas for the upcoming holiday season!
Sometimes it’s hard to shop for your geek friends, family and loved ones. What if you’re not sure what to get them? You know they have a stuffed meeple, but that’s it. Here then are some suggestions for you!
Last year I posted 70 board games and geek toys for (mostly) under $20. This year, I’ve upped it to 80+ geek gift ideas (board games, RPGs and related neat stuff) that will make great geek gifts all for mostly under $20. These make great gifts as they can be used over and over again. Click the picture to go directly to the purchasing site.
As an added bonus, I’ve added a bunch of games, toys, books and movies that I very much enjoy, but which don’t fall into the under $20 or game categories.
These less expensive games tend to be smaller, making them easier to store and lug around. By way of disclosure, many of these are through amazon, and yes I get a small percentage of any sales. This goes directly in to keeping this site alive. Another trick, Amazon has free shipping for orders of $35 or more, but with Amazon prime, it’s free 2nd day shipping on many of these. Remember, if you’re a student, prime is free!
Items that have red prices cost over $20. Items that are green are 20 bucks or less. Click the images to go directly to Amazon and DriveThruRPG. All prices are subject to change at the unreadable whim of Amazon.com. PLEASE NOTE: I don’t control the pricing at Amazon, as much as I wish I did. These prices change constantly! They may be off by a dollar or two, or you may get really lucky and they may be $5-10 less.
If you have any suggestions you’d like to see on the list, feel free to let me know!
Now, in no particular order, 80+ games and table top gifts costing mostly under $20.
Age of War – $12.00
Can you unite the clans amidst the tumult of war? Age of War is a fast-paced dice game for two to six players by world renowned game designer Reiner Knizia. You and your fellow players assume the roles of daimyos competing to unite the warring clans of feudal Japan and assume control of the nation. During play, you muster troops by rolling seven custom dice, and you use. these troops to lay siege to one of fourteen different castles, each of which requires you to assemble a unique combination of troops in order to conquer it. Castles grant points towards your victory, and you can gain more points by uniting an entire clan. The daimyo with the most support at the game’s end is the victor!
BraveRats – $10.00
In the Highlands of Medieval Scotland, an epic battle is taking place underfoot! Rivaling rat clans clash in a bid for the throne in this fast take on the card game War. Both players have a hand of eight cards, numbered 0 to 7, with each character on the card possessing a special power. In a calculated duel, both players reveal a card. The victory goes to the higher number, unless the special power overrules. The first player to win four rounds claims the kingdom for their clan. This minimalist wonder plays in just minutes but packs rich game play and plenty of suspense.
Marvel Dice Masters: The Uncanny X-Men – $14.95
At first, extremely hard to come by, the Dice Masters system is now coming into stock and lots and lots of people are loving it. Showcasing fan-favorites like Wolverine, Magneto, Cyclops, Iceman, Psylocke, and the Sentinels, Marvel Dice Masters: The Uncanny X-Men features X-citing game-play that supports two players in epic dice battles! Featuring more than 30 new characters (and their respective dice), Marvel Dice Masters: The Uncanny X-Men brings X-cellent action to your next Dice Masters game! This series is offered in 60-count gravity feeds of individual foil packs containing two cards and two dice, as well as 2-Player Starter Sets comprised of 44 custom dice, 38 cards, two dice bags, and the complete Dice Masters Core Rulebook – everything two players need to play Marvel Dice Masters.
Castles of Burgundy – $26.00
A wonderful introduction to the world of Euro-style games. The Castles of Burgundy is a detailed strategy game set in the Loire Valley of France during medieval times. Players assume the role of princes trying to build the greatest estates in the land by becoming more prosperous than their competitors. Over the course of five rounds, players collect points by trading, livestock farming, city building and scientific research. They must buy and sell goods or labor and use action tiles for building, shipping, mining, livestock and knowledge across two game boards.
Star Realms – $15.00
Sometimes a bit hard to track down, Star Realms is possibly one of the best deck building games I’ve played recently. Compact, fast, very fun! Star Realms is a spaceship combat deck building game designed by Magic Pro Tour Champions and Hall of Famers Darwin Kastle and Rob Dougherty (developer and cofounder of the Ascension Deck building Game). Star Realms offers all the thrills of traditional trading card game style combat, combined with the fun of a deck building game. Play powerful ships, destroy enemy bases or blast your opponent directly on your way to victory!
The Lord of the Rings Confrontation – $26.00
Designed by the celebrated and prolific Reiner Knizia, players can expect the level of elegant simplicity and strategic depth that he’s known for. Between its stunning artwork and its faithful recreation of the race between the Fellowship and Sauron, you’ll find Lord of the Rings: The Confrontation to be uniquely immersive, so you can enjoy a perilous adventure in Middle-earth!
Diamonds – $24.95
This game was an instant classic with me. It’s a trick-taking game (like Hearts) but with a trick of it’s own. Real faux diamonds! What makes the game of Diamonds different from other trick-taking card games is that when you cannot follow suit you get a “Suit Action” based on what suit you do play. Suit Actions are also taken by the winner of each trick, as well as at the end of a full Round of play. Suit Actions will enable players to take Diamond Crystals from the Supply, moving them to their Showroom (where they may score 1 point) or to their Vault (where they will score 2 points). The Vault is a secure area, but the Showroom is vulnerable to theft by the other players. Whoever has the most points in Diamond Crystals at the end of the game wins!
Any X-Wing Miniature – $11.00 – $20.00
If you know someone who’s played the X-Wing Miniatures game, or who’s a huge fan of Star Wars, then you’ll probably be all right getting them one of the many X-Wing Miniatures expansions that contains a ship. You’ll be getting a nicely scaled, hand painted miniature of a freaking Star Wars spaceship, many of which are available on Amazon for well below their $14.95 suggested retail price. It looks beautiful even if it’ll never be used in the game. Just don’t be tricked into paying more than $15 for one of the smaller models. For the larger ships, check back if they’re not around $20, because they often fall to that price. The link I provided points to the Z-95 Headhunter but other models can be quickly found by looking at the Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought… area.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf – $19.00
One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a fast-paced game where everyone gets to be a different role. In the course of only one night and the following morning, the players will determine who among them is a werewolf…hopefully. One Night Ultimate Werewolf is a micro game of the party game Ultimate Werewolf that doesn’t need a moderator. There’s no elimination and each game lasts about 10 minutes.
Rise of Augustus – $19.95
This is a fun one – utilizing a (yes, really) bingo mechanic to great satisfaction. The full retail price is around $40 but for quite some time the game has been available for under $20. Serving the 1st Roman Emperor, Augustus, you will need to mobilize your legions to control provinces of the Empire and its senators to ultimately obtain the title of Consul. The aim of the game is to earn as many points as possible before any players has taken control of seven objectives. Throughout the game play, players must strategize so as to manage the risk of claiming the rewards that are available to them in order to maximize the points gained. Players also have the opportunity to wreak havoc with their opponents by causing them to lose some of their legions or objectives, thus foiling their plans on becoming the next Consul.
Niya – $12.07
Niya is a pattern matching strategy game, one that I haven’t played yet but it’s high up on my want list! In Japan’s Imperial Garden, courtly manners and nature’s beauty veil a dark political conspiracy among two influential clans. On each turn, players replace a garden tile with one of their clan tokens. The next player can only exchange a token for a garden tile that has an element in common with the previously chosen tile. The first to position their clan in a row, square, or blockade will win control of the garden. And power at court! A simple yet sophisticated abstract strategy game, Niya captivates players young and old.
Roll For It – $14.00
This is a very quick to learn game that plays in about 15-20 minutes. Another great quick game for a game night opener or a family game night. Roll for it! is everything you want in a game. It’s fun! It’s easy! It’s fast! And it has lots of dice with cards to boot! At its heart, Roll for it! is a resource management game that blends the luck of the die roll with a decision making process that will bring smiles and laughter to everyone at the table.
Friday – $18.00
Something a little different here, a solo board game! You are helping Robinson, who came ashore on your island, fight against many hazards. At the beginning, Robinson is not very skillful. With each fight he wins you will improve his abilities, but defeats are also helping to get rid off of his worse habits. However, life on the island is energy-sapping, so that Robinson not only gains experiences during his time there, but also starts aging and tends to get clumsy.
Forbidden Desert – $19.00
Much like it’s younger cousin, Forbidden Island, Forbidden Desert is a cooperative game of survival. You and the other players must survive a ravaging desert storm long enough to find the four parts needed to rejuvinate an ancient flying machine and then high tail it to safety! It’s made for a slightly older audience and is a lot of fun with kids and adults. Gear up for a thrilling adventure to recover a legendary flying machine buried deep in the ruins of an ancient desert city. You’ll need to coordinate with your teammates and use every available resource if you hope to survive the scorching heat and relentless sandstorm.
Splendor – $34.00
This is one of those rare gems (no pun intended) of a game that plays very, very well with 2, 3 or 4 players. Once you’ve played it a few times, you’ll get it down to 30 minutes a game and it’s a heck of a lot of fun. This could be my pick for best game of 2014. As a wealthy Renaissance merchant, acquire mines and transportation, hire artisans and woo the nobility. Create the most fantastic jewelry to become the best-known merchant of them all! Acquire precious stones to trade them for development cards. Use development cards to acquire more gem stones. Use your gems and gold to create the most fantastic jewelry, and appeal to the nobles to gain the prestige you need to win.
Got ‘Em! – $18.99
We got this game for our Extra Life event and my whole family enjoys it. A quick, simple wall building, pawn trapping game. Seize and capture your friends’ pawns in this delightful game with two unique ways to play. Brainy got them offers the strategic challenge of outsmarting and cornering your opponents with deliberately placed walls, while the tricky yet fun for all ages, Bright got them has the same goal of trapping your opponents, plus colorful surprises that will keep you on your toes. Surround yourself with friends and family and get ready to enjoy 2 great games that hold more fun than any four walls can contain.
Suspense – $4.00
Each time you play, there is a secret victory condition. Sometimes you want the lowest number in play, sometimes you want the highest number in hand… there are thirteen unique victory conditions possible. Fortunately, you have some clues in your hand to help your process of elimination. Your goal is to deduce a victory condition while also trying to meet it. A great game for three players, which plays in under 5 minutes.
Sushi Go – $12.35
Pass the sushi! In this fast-playing card game, the goal is to grab the best combination of sushi dishes as they whiz by. Score points for making the most maki rolls or for collecting a full set of sashimi. Dip your favorite nigiri in wasabi to triple its value. But be sure to leave room for dessert or else you’ll eat into your score! Gather the most points and consider yourself the sushi master! My 9 year old has this and loves it.
Bang! The Dice Game
Unmask and defeat your enemies, keep up with the Indians and challenge your fate to bring your team to the victory! Fast and exciting game play – Based on the BANG! Game System. A very successful game line, with fans all over the world! You do not need BANG! to play. Just like the card game, but faster and more furious.
Coup – $13.00
In the not too distant future, the government is run for profit by a new “royal class” of multi-national CEOs. Their greed and absolute control of the economy has reduced all but a privileged few to lives of poverty and desperation.Out of the oppressed masses rose The Resistance, an underground organization focused on overthrowing these powerful rulers. The valiant efforts of The Resistance have created discord, intrigue and weakness in the political courts of the noveau royal, bringing the government to brink of collapse. But for you, a powerful government official, this is your opportunity to manipulate, bribe and bluff your way into absolute power.
Pixel Tactics – $15.50
Pixel Tactics is a head-to-head game of tactical combat for two players. Each player has an identical deck of 25 cards, from which they draft a leader. The leader’s abilities alter vastly the strategy and playability of every other card in the deck, making the game playable in 25 different ways.
Cheaty Mages – $16.00
From across the land spectators come to watch the arena battles of mythic creatures, and many coins hinge on the results! As a powerful mage, you have the chance to influence the outcome through arcane means. But beware! Other practitioners of the arcane may be in attendance as well, and have their money riding on other fighters. Cheaty Mages is a fast and fun betting game from famed Japanese designer Seiji Kanai (Love Letter, Mai Star). Place your bets, play hidden spell cards on fighters, and try to win the most gold in three rounds!
Incan Gold – $22.99
Incan Gold is a game in which players push their luck as they head into a ruined temple attempting to find the most jewels. Each turn, a card is turned over that increases the gold found in a temple or shows a hazard. Players can attempt to escape, keeping the loot that they’ve acquired, or stay in the temple, hoping for increased profits. As players escape, those in the temple will acquire bigger shares of each pile of gold found, but also run the risk of dying if the same hazard card is drawn twice.
My Happy Farm – $17.99
My Happy Farm is a game in which players strive to become the best farmer.
All players have their own farm with four nice animals. They feed those cuties. Animals which are fed well fill their stomachs with tasty food, grow and become longer and longer, even reaching unnatural lengths. The longer your animal, the better a farmer you are. The owner of the longest animal receives bonus points. Animals which aren’t fed even one time lose their weight, take offense, and leave their bad master. Moreover, they will take some victory points from the bad master to punish him, so players have to be good and careful farmers and feed their animals well to create Their Own Happy Farm.
This game is surprisingly strategic, and one I love playing with my kids and adults. I loved it so much in fact, I wrote a pretty lengthy review on this under $20 game.
Dungeon Roll – $18.00
One of the first Kickstarter board games I backed, from the always excellent Tasty Minstrel Games comes Dungeon Roll! Awesome box (a treasure chest) and a complete dungeon delve for 1-4 players in this handy little game that can be played in 30 minutes or less. You have assembled your party of hearty adventurers and have a few tricks up your sleeve. How far will you go to seek glory and fame? Will you risk losing everything? In Dungeon Roll the player’s goal is to collect the most experience points by defeating monsters, battling the dragon, and amassing treasure. Each player selects a Hero avatar, such as a Mercenary, Half-Goblin, or Enchantress, which provides them with unique powers. Then players take turns being the Adventurer, who boldly enters the dungeon seeking glory.
I kickstarted this title and I have not regretted it a single bit! For $18 you get an entire dungeon delve built around dice and your character cards. My 7 year old and 10 year old enjoy this game, and all of the adults I’ve played it with enjoy it too. Plus… look at that awesome box!
Frog Juice – $10.00
This is a family favorite in my home. My 8 year old and I spend at least three nights a week playing this before she goes to bed. Strategic enough to be fun, easy enough for an 8 year old to beat me. How would you create a magic spell? You might need some unicorn horn or some eye of newt, or maybe some bats or toadstools or star and moon dust. But be forewarned as you’re stirring up your potion–you’d better be wary of a black cat or the powerful All-Purpose Witch Wash! One of your opponents might even be brewing up an Uglifying Spell. (“Results guaranteed to crack mirrors at a single glance!”) All of these magical ingredients are part of Frog Juice, an imaginative card game for two to four players that uses fairy-tale elements from fair maids to frogs to create a game that both kids and adults will enjoy. This game of strategy includes 44 ingredient cards and 15 power cards, each with an illustration that looks like it came straight out of a fairy-tale book. Cards are played in the center of the game and then captured by other players by matching numerical values or by using stronger powers.
Hey! That’s my fish! – $11.50
Here’s a fun little game that I enjoy with my kids, which also works with adults. I’m finding a lot of these games branded towards children that can be just as cut-throat as a 4 hour game of Talisman. Hey, That’s My Fish. is an engaging, award-winning board game of strategic fish hunting, in which 2-4 players control determined penguins hungry for their next meal on a bustling Antarctic ice floe. Since Hey, That’s My Fish. was originally published in 2003, it has become widely popular as an engrossing and strategic board game for casual family and tactical play. This definitive edition of the game includes 60 hexagons to create your ice floe with new artwork renditions of fish, 1 rules sheet and 16 newly sculpted, colorful and animated penguin miniatures.
Werewolves of Millers Hollow – $10.99
Werewolves of Miller’s Hollow is a game that takes place in a small village which is haunted by werewolves. Each player is secretly assigned a role – Werewolf, Villager, or special character such as The Captain, The Hunter, the Witch, the Little Girl, The Seer and so on… There is also a Moderator player who controls the flow of the game. The game alternates between night and day phases. At night, the Werewolves secretly choose a Villager to kill. During the day, the Villager who was killed is revealed and is out of the game. The remaining Villagers (normal and special villagers alike) then deliberate and vote on a player they suspect is a Werewolf, helped (or hindered) by the clues the special characters add to the general deliberation. The chosen player is “lynched”, reveals his/her role and is out of the game. Werewolf is a social game that requires no equipment to play, and can accommodate almost any large group of players.
Spot It – $10.99
Spot it! is the addictive, feverishly fun matching game for every generation. The first thing to know about Spot it! is that there is always one, and only one, matching symbol between any two cards. Got it? Now all you need is a sharp eye and a quick hand to play all five party games packed into the grab ‘n’ go tin. Including up to eight players, Spot it! is a cinch to learn, plays fast, and is irresistibly fun for all ages! Here’s one that I haven’t played myself, but is constantly recommended to me. So much so that it’s now in my wish list!
Mr. Jack (Pocket Edition) – $14.50
This time he won’t get away! Discover the pocket version of Mr. Jack the favorite investigation game of strategy game players! As in the board version a player takes on the role of the inspector trying to unmask Jack the Ripper while the other player takes on the role of the fleeing criminal. The difference is in the game mechanics: the infernal pursuit now takes place on a board that’s 3 squares to a side each square representing both a London street and one of the nine suspects. around the board are placed a Holmes a Watson and a police dog token. On each turn the first player (the inspector or Jack in turn) uses 4 action tokens which allow to move the investigator tokens to reorient the tiles or to draw a ”suspect card”. A suspect is visible only if the investigator can see that suspect in the streets in front of him. Suspects hidden by buildings are invisible. At the end of each turn the player in the role of Jack must say if the guilty character is visible or not. If that character isn’t visible Jack earns an hourglass. If the Jack player can earn 6 hourglasses that player wins the game (knowing that hourglasses are earned by remaining invisible and by drawing ”suspect” cards). The inspector wins if there’s only a single suspect left at the end of a turn.
Ghooost! - $16.50
Ghooost. is a fast, easy-to-learn card game with a Halloween-based theme and lots of twists and turns. Play your cards wisely to get rid of all the ghosts, undead, vampires, zombies and other spooky creatures haunting your mansion. Block your opponents while they’re trying to drive spirits out of their home and into your backyard – but beware as the scariest ghosts will not be driven away so easily.
Don’t let the MENSA game winner thing scare you off either. I play this game all the time with my seven year old and we love it. It’s a fairly simple game of playing out your hand, getting the high cards on the lower cards. Add in the twist of having to take the entire pile of cards, if you fail, and special cards that add twists and turns to the game.
Argyle & Crew – $9.25 print $2.99 PDF
Disclosure: This is my game, written and designed by me! It’s a great gift for RPGers with kids but know that it’s mine. It’s a collaborative storytelling adventure for kids. It’s a great pick up game for adults. The land of Skcos is inhabited by all manner of things, but primarily its inhabitants belong to a race of ever changing, always interesting creatures called Soppets. Soppets are a magical breed of intelligent, funny, thrill seeking socks. Yes, you read that correctly, Socks. Argyle & Crew is a free wheeling system powered by imagination. Rather than a character sheet like a traditional RPG, your character and it’s attributes are all based on a sock puppet, or in Skcos lingo, a Soppet. Each Soppet has several unique qualities which allow it to do extraordinary things! Argyle & Crew is great game for children as young as 4 years old. Short scenarios and active participation keep things lively! Useful as a learning tool not just for gaming, but for life lessons, Argyle & Crew can easily be used in a classroom setting. Professionals working on counseling children can find this game equally useful for indirectly or directly exploring past experiences and future anxieties. Use the additional rules for older children or adults and expand the game from a fun, play driven activity to a fully developed RPG. PDF version.
Sleeping Queens – $9.42
Imagine a place where there?s a queen of all pancakes, a king of cookies and a pack of over-protective dragons? If this sounds like something out of a dream, it actually is! Sleeping Queens was invented by 6-year-old Miranda Evarts, who thought up the game one night when she couldn?t fall asleep. She awoke the next morning and with help from her older sister, Madeleine and her parents, Denise and Max created this wonderfully whimsical world of napping nobles. As you immerse yourself in the Evarts? fantasyland, you will find a game that helps develop memory, strategy, and elementary arithmetic skills. Just be careful when playing potion cards or you could wind up putting all the players to sleep! HOW TO PLAY: Rise and Shine! The Pancake Queen, the Ladybug Queen and ten of their closest friends have fallen under a sleeping spell and it’s your job to wake them up. Use strategy, quick thinking and a little luck to rouse these napping nobles from their royal slumbers. Play a knight to steal a queen or take a chance on a juggling jester. But watch out for wicked potions and dastardly dragons!
Roll Through the Ages – $27.00
In Roll Through the Ages, players roll seven special dice in order to collect workers and commodities to develop their civilization. Symbols on the dice represent workers, food, goods, money, and disaster. The goal of Roll Through the Ages is to score the most points by becoming the most advanced and prestigious civilization by acquiring cities, monuments, and developments while at the same time avoiding disasters. Each player starts with three cities and each city must be feed lest famine ensue which costs the player points. Players try to build up their infrastructure and build monuments that are worth more and more points. Once all monuments or developments are built by a player, points are counted and the civilization with the most wins. Build a thriving Bronze Age civilization in under an hour with Roll Through the Ages!
Dungeon – $23.99
A return of the classic Dungeon, with a bit of reworking to make this a fun game that I’ve enjoyed with both my kids. Dungeon is a fast-paced game where you and your friends can decide which way to go in the hunt for bigger and better treasure. Will you stick to level 1 and clear out the Goblins and Kobolds? Or will you delve deep into level 6 and set your sights on the Purple Worm or the Red Dragon? Along the way, you’ll have to face off against such iconic monsters as the Black Pudding, the Drow, and even the Owlbear.
No Thanks – $9.99
Good card games can be so simple: either take a card or pay a chip. Anyone can make that decision, right? However, there’s a catch – in fact there are two. Nobody wants the cards, not even for free, because they give you points in a game where you need to have the fewest points to win. And the chips? They are scarce, very scarce.
Village Idiot – $6.75
Life in a medieval village can be very political. On one side you have the Mayor – respected, powerful, able to affect real change. On the other side you have the Village Idiot.Challenge other players to a battle of skill and luck. Add to the rules of the game as you seize power but beware! No one is above the law. Claw your way to the top and do your best to stay there in this fast, fun, trick taking game with a twist! Village Idiot plays in less than an hour for 3-10 people. You’ll be jumping right out of your seat!
Skip Bo – $9.99
A member of Mattel’s popular family of Uno card games, Skip-Bo resembles speed (or spit) in the same way that Uno takes after crazy eights. Out of a 162-card deck, two to six players are each dealt 20-card “stockpiles”; the first one to deplete their pile wins. Competing either alone or in teams, players draw from a central pile and stack their cards sequentially onto one of four “build” piles (for example, an eight onto a seven, a three onto a two), using plentiful Skip-Bo wild cards to break up static situations. Deceptively simple and ingeniously designed, this classic game offers plenty of strategizing opportunities, or it can just make a nice backdrop to socializing and munching on potato chips.
Tsuro – $22.96
Here is the most chill and zen game I think I have every played. It’s the perfect rainy day game, or to play after you’ve just won or been defeated in some kind of heavy Euro. Create your own journey with Tsuro, the Game of the Path. Place a tile and slide your stone along the path created, but take care. Other player’s paths can lead you in the wrong direction – or off the board entirely. Find your way wisely to succed. Stay the path – your journey begins here.
Gamers: Dorkness Rising – $9.99 HD download
The epitome of indie film geeky goodness – they get everything right about the hobby, the folks who play it and the real magic that can happen. Read my review here on TitC. Struggling writer Lodge (Nathan Rice) isn’t asking for much: he wants his gaming group to finish playtesting his table-top adventure, rather than killing, looting, and debauching his fantasy world. Desperate to save the integrity of his story from the whims of his players’ crazy characters-a horny bard, wild sorceress, and cryptic monk-Lodge allows Joanna (Carol Roscoe), Cass’s (Brian Lewis) ex-girlfriend, to join the game. With Joanna’s help, the group’s characters trek deep into the fantasy game world to retrieve the Mask of Death from the evil necromancer Mort Kemnon (Geoff Gibbs). Will their choices in the game save their friendships in real life . . . or will Mort Kemnon triumph unopposed? HD Download.
Haggis – $19.00 (non-edible)
Haggis is a climbing card game for 2 or 3 players in the same family as Tichu, Zheng Fen and Big Two. Haggis features traditional elements of card combinations, bombs, with scoring for cards in hand and scoring for cards collected in tricks. Innovative wild cards create tension in every hand. Sean Ross designed Haggis over a number of years, extensively testing over thousands of hands to create a very engaging and balanced game. Gary Simpson has done a masterful job on the original artwork, that has to be seen to be appreciated.
Bag O Zombies – $11.50
Looking for a stocking stuffer? Why not stuff a stocking full of 100 glow in the dark zombies? Imagine the fun as candy and other small gifts are carefully separated from the zombie horde! They can be used in various zombie games, with a bit of glue as an alternative to glow in the dark stars or for next year’s holiday window scene! Really, in this day and age, who wouldn’t like 100 glow in the dark zombies?
Citadels – $19.97
Nominated for the German Game of the Year in 2000, Citadels has finally arrived in an English-language edition. Game enthusiasts of all genres will be enchanted by this wonderful game of bluffing, deduction, and city-building. Wrapped in a medieval theme and gorgeously illustrated, players seek to be the first to complete a grand city of their own. Each game round players secretly take the roles of either the King, Magician, Architect, Assassin, Thief, Bishop, General, or Merchant and seek to use the powers of such offices in their efforts to win the game. As an additional bonus, the English version will ship with 10 new cards designed by Bruno Faidutti himself. These cards feature new locations and new characters to make your game of Citadels even more diverse than the original German version. The game is for 2 to 7 players and it takes 20-60 minutes to play.
Castle Keep - $13.86
Transport yourself to a time when protecting your possessions meant defending your keep, the most secure part of the castle. Keeps were often called “great towers” because of their imposing structure – walls over 10’ thick and 75’ high. They served various functions, from last resort strongholds during battle to sites of castle dungeons. While there are few remaining keeps still standing today, you can get a small taste of what it was like to build and defend a castle in this game that is simple to learn, yet full of strategy and decision-making elements that will challenge all ages. This is another fun game that’s marketed towards kids but can be played quickly and strategically by a group of adults as well. We love it with the kids and I wouldn’t hesitate to spend a half hour on it with my gaming group either.
Aye, Dark Overlord – $19.90
Tell lies! Shift the blame! Save yourself from the anger of the Evil Genius! You are returning to the Tower of Dark Sorcery after the umpteenth failed mission. His Excellency will certainly be displeased which can only result in the most awful pain and suffering for his hapless minions. If only there were some way you could convince him that it’s not your fault… Aye Dark Overlord! is a hilarious party game of lying through your teeth. Convince your Dark Overlord that it was not your fault his evil plan failed but that of your inept companions! But watch out; they probably have the exact same idea… This all new edition from Fantasy Flight Games includes everything from the first release plus an all new set of rules plus updated and improved components.
Pandemic – $28.04
This game is one of the go-to board games for getting people hooked on board games. Four diseases have broken out in the world and it is up to a team of specialists in various fields to find cures for these diseases before mankind is wiped out. Players must work together playing to their characters’ strengths and planning their strategy of eradication before the diseases overwhelm the world with ever-increasing outbreaks. For example the Operation Specialist can build research stations which are needed to find cures for the diseases. The Scientist needs only 4 cards of a particular disease to cure it instead of the normal 5. But the diseases are outbreaking fast and time is running out: the team must try to stem the tide of infection in diseased areas while also towards cures. A truly cooperative game where you all win or you all lose.
The Resistance – $15.84
The Resistance is an intense social deduction game for 5-10 players. While it shares similarities with games like Werewolf, Mafia and even Battlestar Galactica it has many very unique features such as a quick 30 minute play time, no moderator required and no player elimination. Set in the near future, The Resistance pits a small group of resistance fighters against a powerful and corrupt government. The resistance has launched a series of bold and daring missions to bring the government to its knees. Unfortunately spies have infiltrated the resistance ranks, ready to sabotage the carefully crafted plans. Even a single spy can take down a resistance mission team, choose your teams carefully or forever lose your chance for freedom. The Resistance artfully balances pure deduction elements with the social elements into a game that creates the adrenaline filled moments of high stakes poker but in a full interactive and social event. Its not for the faint of heart, or slow of mind – but if you are quick on your feet you’ll be proud of your hard fought victories.
Lunch Money – $19.48
This card games simulates being little girls running around the playground beating up each other and stealing their lunch money. Once you get past the strange theme, there’s a fun little game where players beat each other senseless with cards like ‘Poke in the Eye’, ‘Uppercut’, and ‘Humiliation.’ Not for the weak willed, this game is mean. The last player still standing wins.
Fluxx 4.0 – $12.48
There are 4 kinds of cards in Fluxx: * Keepers: You put these out on the table in front of you when you play them. * Goals: When someone plays a goal, it stays in the center of the table until a new goal takes its place. To win, you simply need to do whatever the goal says. Most of the time, the goal requires you to have a couple of particular Keepers on the table in front of you. As soon as any player achieves the current goal, that player wins! * New Rules: This is where the fun really starts. When the game begins, the only rules are that you draw 1 card per turn and play 1 card per turn. But when you play a New Rule, these rules are either changed or added to. New Rules change the number of cards drawn and played per turn as well as the number of cards you are allowed to hold in your hand, the number of Keepers you can have, bonuses for players who have particular Keepers, and more. * Actions: These are 1 time use cards that let you do fun stuff like stealing someone else’s Keeper, getting rid of a rule you don’t like, drawing more cards, and so on.
Monopoly Deal – $14.50
The fast-paced, addictive card game where your luck can change in the play of a card! Collect 3 complete property sets, but beware Debt Collectors, Forced Deals and the dreaded Deal Breakers, which could change your fortunes at any time! This is one of those games that’s been on my shelf for a while but just never got played. Finally, while doing our Extra Life fundraiser thing for 24 hours straight, we broke it open. It was far, far better than I was expecting. Gone are the days of staring at a monopoly board while my 9 year old agonizes over purchasing a property! Fast paced, fun, strategic – my whole family enjoys this game.
Munchkin – $16.60
Munchkin is a stand-alone card game designed by Steve Jackson that “simulates” well, sorta’ a fantasy-themed RPG oh, ok, D n D in a simple, card-based game that’s chock full o’ silliness. Everyone begins the game as a 1st level human with no class heh-heh and via cards, they acquire Races Elf, Dwarf, etc., classes thief, Wizard, Cleric, etc., Items, armor, potions and more that they use to combat hideous monsters like the 4th level Undead Horse, the 10th level net troll and the 14th level unspeakably awful, indescribable horror very nasty, indeed. The object of the game is to reach Level 10 and levels are acquired via the slaying of monsters and the selling of acquired treasure 1,000 gold pieces equals one level. Very silly and a lot of fun.
Bang! – $15.64
When a man with a pistol meets a man with