Holiday Shopping Guide – 6 Gifts for Tabletop Gamers

Those of you shopping for a tabletop gamer — someone who spends a lot of time of his free time playing boardgames and card games — may find today’s “Holiday Shopping Guide” useful. I am recommending all of these games as perfect for play by both hardcore gamers and casual gamers that enjoy games that pay cash. Each has something that I think will appeal to both parties.

Elder Sign*

These days I usually play the iPad version of the game, but what I love most about Elder Sign* is that it’s a fairly-quick Cthulhu tabletop game that captures some of the feel of the Arkham Horror series without taking six or so hours to play. This is the one for the gamer on your list who is sitting on shelves and shelves of Cthulhu stories and games . . . if he doesn’t already own a copy. (And to see the game in play you can check where I mentioned the Tabletop episode earlier this year.)

Lords of Waterdeep*

I kept hearing great things about the Dungeons and Dragons Lords of Waterdeep* boardgame, but now that I’ve played the game I can fully understand why people are having so much fun with this. It’s a worker placement game boiled down and simplified; I could easily see this as a game most families could have fun with one evening. Great components, very attractive design, and play that’s quick and easy to learn. Yes, I can easily see now why this has become so popular since it was released earlier this year.

Can’t Stop!*

First published over thirty years ago, Can’t Stop!* is a “press your luck” style of game . . . which means that until you fail you can choose to keep going. BUT if you fail you lose everything you gained that round. I love this game and it’s perfect for everyone since it’s very simple to play . . . it’s just not all that easy to actually stop once you start rolling the dice.

Incan Gold*

Another press your luck game, what makes Incan Gold* different is that everyone is secretly selecting whether or not to go deeper into the temple or run away and, once all choices are made, the players reveal their cards and some players laugh while others die (or, when really lucky, score big). One of the best parts of the game is that players — until they run away — are always involved. And those who ran away will be happy counting their riches.

Arcana*

A “deck building” game, Arcana* deviates from earlier deck building games and puts some competition into the card selection mechanic. This game didn’t get the best of reviews, but I found it to be a fun design and played quite a few times earlier this year (even going so far as to take it on a few business trips and playing it in the evenings). A fun game that I worry will soon vanish from the market; it’s very hard to be seen on today’s crowded shelves.

Castle Panic*

To be completely fair to everyone I must start by stating that the creators and publishers of Castle Panic* are good friends. Okay, with that out of the way I can also tell all of you that Castle Panic* is a fantastic game and playable by young kids, hardcore gamers, and moms and dads. In the game you all work together to protect the castle from a constant swarm of monsters. Seriously, this one’s a lot of fun and you can always watch the Castle Panic episode of Tabletop to learn more about the game.

Related articles

• Gifts For The Gamer Who Has Everything (gmsmagazine.com)
• Play Unplugged – Writer’s Choice Holiday Buys 2012 (tabletopgamingnews.com)
• 2012 – Holiday Geek Gift Guide – Board & Card Games (perpetualgeekmachine.net)