Holiday Gift Guide
With the holidays are fast approaching and we here at DrunkDwarves thought it would be a good idea to put together a short list of a half dozen games that we feel make excellent gifts this holiday season. As budgets are often tight this time of year price was our main criteria and these games we feel pack a lot of punch for a reasonable price tag. One other perk of these titles are many of them will work well to bring the family together during the season and bond over some “friendly” game play.
FAMILY BUSINESS: Our first game is also our most inexpensive game coming in with a MSRP of $15.00. FB is an aggressive card game of mob warfare where players start with a number of mobsters under their control and through play of Contracts order “hits” on opposing gangsters. Once a certain number of Contracts are issued then the Mob War begins and gangsters start feeling the warm embrace of a metal slug. This game is pretty cut-throat but with a large group negotiation comes into play and a feeling of running a mob family starts to come out. This will work especially well if your family is very competitive. You can check out our full review here.
HELLAS: For me, this game packs the most game play in a tiny box that I have ever seen. It is the most streamlined and basic war-game you can make that incorporates aspects of popular Card Driven Games like Twilight Struggle but contains it all in a 45 minute game. Though I will say, out of our Gift Guide this year, it is what I’d consider to be the “gamer’s game” out of the bunch. It takes a few plays to really get a grasp as to what is going on and to get a feel for the various card decks. So I would recommend this to someone looking for a gift for someone with the gamer “gene” as I like to call it. MSRP is $24.95 and you can check out our full review on this game here.
CITADELS: In my opinion Citadels is the title that helped Fantasy Flight Games become the juggernaut that it is because of it’s exceptional game play. Players look to build up their realm by building various buildings that are worth different amounts of points. Once one player has ten buildings the game goes into the endgame and whoever’s buildings are worth the most at the end wins the game. But that is not where the game really exists. The true heart of this game is role selection. There is a hand of seven characters (with alternate characters available via the Dark City expansion which is included in newer copies of the game - look for the purple logo stating such). Players take turn picking characters that all have various abilities. One will gain you gold, one will give you the power of the first turn, and one will destroy other people’s buildings for a few examples. The game here is trying to guess what your opponents have picked and plan your strategy for the round from there. I personally have always enjoyed games that try to get you “into the head” of your opponent and this one is no exception. It is a little bit more “gamey” than others on this list, but overall a fairly accessible game as long as the receiver is open to different game types other than standard mass market offerings.
THE ISLE OF DR NECREAUX: Players take the role of a special ops team looking to infiltrate the isle base of The Evil Dr Necreaux who is hell-bent on world domination through genetic engineering and it is your job to rescue the scientists that The Dr is holding captive on his island before your agency comes in nuking the island, with perhaps you on it. The game is a cooperative game for 1-5 players (hey who says you can’t buy a gift for yourself this season!) and takes about 30-45 minutes to play. It is brutal and in three games now I have yet to even find the scientists before either a Giant Genetic Cyber-Ape kills everyone or just getting flat out nuked. If you know someone who likes games that have character and enjoys a game for the experience they provide then this is one to look into. My one gripe about the game though is it is very bland in terms of color. A little bit of color other than the blue for good cards and yellow/brown for enemies, with a smattering of green for items, would have gone a long way to make this game really stand out.
LOST CITIES: Buzz for this game seems to have died down a bit as it gets longer in the tooth, but for me, this is still the game that I’m confident that anyone will play. For me it calls back to traditional card games like rummy but with a few added twists on it. Though it has gone up in price over the years (I think I originally got it for $19.95 or so) it is still reasonable with a MSRP of $24.95. By far and away this game has seen the most miles of any purchase I’ve made within the past six or seven years because of the accessible nature of the game. Anyone who likes traditional cards games will more than likely enjoy this game. See our full review here.
RED NOVEMBER: Rounding out this list is another title that rings in at $24.95 (which to me seems to be the new standard for starting game prices). RN is a fun and often funny (if you don’t mind laughing at gnomes getting drunk as death approaches) game of gnomes running around a sinking submarine attempting to slow down systems that are going critical until help arrives. Much like Hellas this game offers a lot in a tiny box but this is more in reference to game materials. Unpacking the game reminded me a lot of unpacking Warhammer Quest where getting everything to fit into the box is like solving a Tetris puzzle. The game is very light hearted and good natured even though does deal with a pretty dark topic. You can check out our full review here.
Well hopefully these offerings will help you figure out what you want to get for that gamer friend or family member of yours or if you’re like me games to thrust upon unsuspecting family and friends as you attempt to share (force) your love and passion for the hobby with others.
‘Til Next Time - Happy Gaming
LvT (with game suggestions from Deacon)
