The Theology of Games Christmas Gift Guide 2016

From the Better Late Than Never department comes this year's Gift Guide! It's going to be short and sweet this year. We'll each give you a few ideas for Stocking Stuffers, Family Games, Gamer's Games, and Party Games. We tried to stick to newer games, because no one wants a list with The Resistance on it every single year. Speaking of...if you don't have The Resistance, GO GET THAT!!

So without further ado, let's go!

 

Firestone's Gift Guide

Stocking Stuffers

7 Wonders: Duel - I know I'm in the minority here but I think 7 Wonders is entirely average. But this 2-player version is GREAT! It distills the main game down to a fun game of tension-filled decisions. 

Five Tribes: The Artisans of Naqala - This stocking stuffer is an expansion for the excellent Five Tribes. It includes new meeples, new Djinns, new tiles, and new items to craft. 

 

Family Games

Burgle Bros. - One of my absolute favorite co-ops. It's hip, thematic, and a blast to play. And the best part is that it's the perfect weight to bring out with family! Here's our effusive review

Clank! - This new game combines deck-building, push-your-luck, and dungeon-crawling into a thematic and colorful package. And since it's on the light-medium portion of the spectrum, it's great for families. 

Broom Service - This medium Euro won the Kennerspiel des Jahres, which is the strategic game of the year. We've really enjoyed this one. 

 

Party Games

Codenames: Pictures - The original game is an instant classic, and while I don't enjoy this one quite as much, it's still amazing. These are games we'll be playing for a long, long time. Simply perfect. 

One Night Ultimate Werewolf - Werewolf with no player elimination, and games that last only 10 minutes. What more needs to be said?! If you do need more, here's our review

 

 

 

Gamer's Games

Warhammer 40K: Conquest - This is a bittersweet choice. It's my 2nd-favorite LCG (after The Lord of the Rings LCG), but now that Fantasy Flight Games and Games Workshop have parted ways, this game is officially dead. There's a chance that now that the game is done, someone will be offloading an entire collection for cheap. GRAB IT! Here's our review

Argent: The Consortium - This is a crazy, complex, aggressive worker-placement game. The more I play this, the more I like it. The replay value is through the roof--and that's without the expansion! Here's my review

Ra - A classic game, recently reprinted by WindRider Games, a division of Fantasy Flight Games. It's one of the greatest 3-player games ever. It's one of the greatest auction games ever. Read our review of the new edition, and see for yourself. 

Mansions of Madness, 2nd Ed. - Holy. Cow. Fantasy Flight Games revamped their Mansions of Madness co-op, integrating an app. And it's AWESOME. So many storytelling opportunities here.  

 

Jeremiah's Gift Guide

Stocking Stuffers

Innovation - Asmadi's third edition is available now. Innovation is a fun, strategic card game. Some folks have called it Fluxx with actual decisions. Cards that serve dual purposes, and lots of synergy, this one is a thinky card game that gamers will really enjoy!

Prohis - Blue Orange's "stripped down" version of Sheriff of Nottingham is an easy-to-learn, fun bluffing game set during the prohibition era. Bribe inspectors with cards they can score right away in order to get your convoys through to your warehouse. This one is good for for gamers of all types!

Dead Drop - Crash Games' micro deduction game has been a standby for me for over a year. We've put it on the table a TON, and it always delivers. 

 

Family Games

Happy Salmon - A fun dexterity, mimicking game that will have kids and adults alike laughing. Be the first to get rid of your cards by performing the outrageous actions on them! Easy to learn, fun to play!

We Come in Peace - A great little dice-roller from Rather Dashing Games. Protect your alien home world while trying to blast away at your neighbor's home worlds! Fun theme with a touch of take that!

Vikings on Board - Another game from Blue Orange. This fun little worker placement game has AMAZING components, and is a great introduction into the worker placement/euro genre for young gamers.

 

Party Games

Two Rooms and a Boom! - Finally available on Amazon, Tuesday Knight Games' first release is one of my favorite party games EVER! Lots of great social deduction, tension, and fun. The whole game plays in about 15 minutes and is accessible to gamers of any level. 

Dead Last - From Smirk and Dagger, Dead Last is a very mean party game. The game revolves around players making alliances with each other to take out other players and in turn stab them in the back. Bring your thick skin and a good sense of humor to the table, and watch your back!

 

Gamer's Games

Scythe - I can't say much from experience on this one, other than I WANT IT REALLY BAD! Another release from Stonemaier games that has us salivating just thinking about it!

Royals - I could have put this in the family games section becasue it works well for just about any gamer level. This is one of my favorite games to hit the market this year. Light gameplay with TONS of decisions and scoring options. I can't recommend this one enough!

Keyflower - There will probably never be a year that goes by that I won't recommend this game. Hands down one of the best Euros there is. If you haven't bought this for the gamer on your list we're inclined to wonder why you dislike them so much. This is a MUST have.

 

 

 

Well that's it! What did we forget? Have a GREAT Christmas, everyone! Thanks for reading!