As we approach Christmas, finding great gifts for your friends and family can be overwhelming. At Gathering Games, we have put together a list of board games that we enjoy and have personally played to help you in your task. Rather than a “top 10” we would bring you a list of 10 great games that fit into common categories to find that right gift. We have even thrown in a few alternatives if you need more options! If you need a little more help why not drop us a message as we would love to chat through any of your game related questions.
Table of Contents
- When you need a game for the family
- Something fun for the solo gamer
- When you need a fun game for a large group
- Great for when you need a game for 2 people
- Fancy working together against the odds?
- Something for the children
- Looking for a stocking filler?
- Looking for a strategy game?
- So, what's the best board game gift this Christmas?
When you need a game for the family
Ticket to Ride: Europe
Categories: Family Fun, Strategy, Set Collection, Trains
Number of players: 2-5 players
Typical game time:30-60 mins
Age range: Ages 8+
Ticket to Ride has been a popular game for some time now as it is enjoyed by families and experienced gamers a like. The beauty of this game is that it can be learnt in 5 – 10 mins and often can be played in under an hour so for those put off by hours playing a deep strategic game, TTR can be perfect.
The Europe edition is my personal favourite and sees you trying to build train routes across Europe, connecting cities as far flung as Edinburgh to Constantinople. You do this through simple set collection mechanics, collecting train cards from 5 different colours until you have enough to complete a route. As much as seeing your lovely little train carriages spreading out across Europe is great, the real challenge comes in trying to achieve the ticket cards (Objective Routes) that bring you the big points. All of this whilst trying to sneakily block and not be blocked in the act by other players.
The game is fast to play with little downtime, perfect for all generations and would make an excellent gift this Christmas.
If you have tried this before or if you're looking for a more in-depth experience, why not try Ticket to Ride Legacy: Legends of the West. A fantastic gaming experience as players embark on 12 campaign journeys that will see the game build and develop as you play, depending on the choices you make. Well worth checking this out.
If you like this but are looking for other suggestions why not try Caesar’s Empire a great game set in the world of Asterix but on the side of the Romans, building roads for the glory of the Empire!
Ticket to Ride: Europe
£37.99
£44.99
Description Embark on a scenic journey around early 19th century Europe. Link continental cities via train and ferry to score points. From the craggy hillsides of Edinburgh to the sunlit docks of Constantinople, from the dusty alleys of Pamplona to… read more
Something fun for the solo gamer
Final Girl
Categories: Solo game, Horror, Dice Rolling, Hand Management, lots of variation
Number of players: 1
Typical game time: 20-60 mins
Age range: Ages 14+
Final Girl draws its inspiration from the female protagonist up against the odds in the face of a killer, Monster, Alien etc. A recurring theme in many classic Horror films. Depending on the unique film box you have chosen you will be attempting to rescue victims, whilst uncovering useful items and trying to evade the enemy. All until the time is right to make your stand, because when those around you have escaped or died trying, you are the final girl.
Final Girl fits into that great category of games that have been designed specifically for solo play, so rather than a game designed for a group that has been given a solo mode which is often a little clunky. In Final Girl the whole game design is geared towards a single player experience, and on this occasion, they have done it so well.
The game has a really clever hand management mechanic causing you to carefully choose when you play a certain action as it will not be available for your next turn, whether that is one of your basic starting action cards or an enhanced action that you can purchase to enhance your game. Alongside this time, is a limited resource that you need to spend wisely combined with your action cards causing you to carefully consider the choices you make. This gives the game the tense edge it needs to match this iconic theme. Each round the Killer then plays out their turn with clever and simple AI rules built in to govern the actions they take. Largely, this will involve them searching for victims, moving and attacking those they encounter followed by drawing a terror card – which almost always doesn’t end well!
This game had me gripped, and with a fairly short, simple set up and playing time even after losing my first game I was excited to go again.
The real strength of this game is the variation. The core box is inexpensive to pick up and, so far, there are 2 seasons, 10 film boxes available to pick up each with a unique location, Killer and Final girl characters all with their own play styles and themes. Once you have completed each box as intended you can mix and match to create a huge amount of replay ability and entertaining scenarios. With more expansions on the horizon this would make a fantastic gift this Christmas for those times when you want to break open a great game without needing to find other players.
The Final Girl Film Boxes include Final Girl: Haunting of Creech Manor, Final Girl: The North Pole Nightmare and more.
Final Girl: Core Box
£17.99
£19.99
Description The Final Girl: Core Box is a thrilling board game that places players in the midst of a classic horror movie scenario. As the "Final Girl" trope, players must navigate a creepy cabin, evade a relentless killer, and survive… read more
When you need a fun game for a large group
Decrypto
Categories: Party game, Teams, Deduction, Word Game
Number of players: 4-8
Typical game time: 30-60 mins
Age range: Ages 10+
Are you looking for a game that can be played in a larger group? Well, look no further! In Decrypto you are part of a team trying to interpret the coded messages of your teammates, whilst trying to crack the code of the opposing team, as you try and work out the words they are hiding.
In this clever deduction game, each team has a screen which reveals, to them alone, 4 unique random words, numbered 1 – 4. On your turn, you will be given a card with a 3-digit code, a combination of those numbers in a random order. You will need to try and pass on that code to your teammates by giving clues to the linked words. All the time your opponents are listening to those clues and taking notes, trying to work out what the clues might represent and attempt to crack the code before you crack theirs.
Decrypto is a brilliantly clever game which will find you desperately thinking of clues abstract enough that you can throw your opponent's team off the scent, but clever enough that your teammates can link the words and guess the 3 numbers in the correct order.
This game is so much fun, and the tension can really escalate as each team starts to work out what some of those words might be, making it that much harder to create new clues they can't guess. You will find yourself staring intently at a teammate willing them to realise how simple your quite brilliant clue really is, and stare dumbfounded as they choose the completely wrong word.
Successfully guessing your own code keeps you in the game, whilst giving the other team key information. But, if you fail to guess your own code, from the clues given, then you receive a black mark. 2 of those will lose you the game. On the flip side, if you correctly guess your opponent's code then you gain a white mark and 2 of those means victory!
This is the kind of board game that can be played with the family, with friends in the pub, at a work event and even with a higher player count (great for those occasions where you want something less serious and more inclusive). No prior gaming experience required just a larger group looking for an entertaining game.
If you came here looking for a group game and wanted to try something different you could try One Night: Ultimate Werewolf, a game of hidden roles and clever social deduction.
Decrypto
£17.99
£21.99
Description Ever thought your friends were up to something? In this game of espionage, they definately are! Play as a teams of Spys, Intercepting cryptic clues and crack the Code before the opponents to WIN! Looking for a challenging and… read more
Great for when you need a game for 2 people
Sky Team
Categories: 2-player, Co-operative, Dice rolling, Planes
Number of players: 2
Typical game time: 20-30
Age range: Ages 12+
Every now and again, you play a game that is just unique, a game that offers something different and exciting to anything you have played before – this is one of them!
Sky Team is a 2 player, co-operative game in which you play as the flight team, Pilot and Co-pilot of a plane negotiating the challenges of landing a commercial aeroplane! Over 7 rounds, cleverly represented by a decreasing altimeter, each role has their own responsibilities to fulfil the tasks needed to land safely. Deploying the landing gear and raising the flaps, whilst working together to control the roll of the plane and keep the engine speed steady! This is completed by placing dice on the cockpit in key positions many of which have restricted placement rules, whether that be the colour of the dice (blue for Pilot, orange for Co-pilot) or the number required.
The twist in this game is once the planning phase of each round is complete, you decide on your strategy and focus the communication becomes limited. The key mechanic of the game is that once you have rolled the dice into your screen you have to stop talking!
How and when you deploy your dice over the rounds is up to you and depends on whether you need to use the radio to clear planes off the flight path or feel you need a coffee, tokens that can manipulate the dice roll. There are 2 dice you must place every round, and these can be the most stressful when you can’t talk! Each turn, you have to each place a die to represent the roll of the plane the difference between your dice represents how far you roll in either direction. This is normal (so I’m told) but roll too far and the plane crashes. When you come to land, the wings must be level. The other is the engines, each turn you both have to place a die on the engines and these are added together and compared to a track that gives you your speed, too fast and you might hit another plane or overshoot the runway, too slow and you might hit the ground before reaching the airport!
This brilliant game will leave you grinning, as you work together, making choices, praying your teammate is on the same page! It’s a game where you finish a scenario and just want to carry on playing! You start on the training flight which sees you attempting to land in Montreal on a clear day with little congestion on the flight path but there are so many different airports and more features introduced in additional plays – how much fuel you have is just one example!
This is a great game if you are looking for a highly replay-able 2 player experience that is quick to learn and provides stacks of challenge! Also, a great game if you particularly like working together to solve problems and achieve a goal!
If you are looking for a 2-player game but maybe you want something where you can beat your opponent why not try Caesar: Seize Rome in 20 Minutes in this fantastic 2 player tactical duel.
Sky Team
£24.99
£29.99
Description Prepare for landing! Sky Team is a cooperative game, exclusively for 2 players, where you play a pilot and co-pilot at the controls of an airliner. Your goal is to work together as a team to land your airplane… read more
Fancy working together against the odds?
Forbidden Jungle
Categories: Co-operative, Family, modular board, Space Jungle
Number of players: 2-5
Typical game time: 45mins
Age range: Ages 10+
Are you looking for a family friendly co-operative game? Forbidden Jungle is the fourth in a series of “Forbidden” games which have always been well received.
In Forbidden Jungle, you have crash landed on a mysterious jungle planet and you are trying to find a way home using a portal. The local inhabitants, a kind of venomous spiderlike species, are not too happy to see you wandering through the jungle and you will need to fend them off and avoid their annoying path blocking webs as you look for the machines and equipment you need.
In this game you will work together as a team, each given a unique role with a special ability that will help your party in their mission. To succeed and escape the dangerous jungle world you need to explore the jungle, represented by tiles shuffled and positioned face down in one of several pre-determined layouts each presenting a different challenge. On your turn, you have 4 actions which enable you to move around the board, explore tiles, remove nasty space spiders or operate some of the machinery you uncover. At the end of each turn, though, the game changes as the jungle fights back. This happens as you draw threat cards, which create all kinds of fun challenges, creatures emerge or move around the board as they try and fight you off all the way through to sink holes opening and taking tiles from the game! There is a real sense of urgency and the longer you take to achieve your goal the harder it gets as the threat level rises.
Something I really liked about the game was the way the board changed as you played not only in those nasty sink holes but, in your ability, to use machinery to manipulate, move and destroy tiles. Even better when it’s a tile covered in monsters!
This is a clever game that can be played again and again as you change the board layout and with the random placing of tiles each game feels different. There is also a lovely touch that you can even change the difficulty level at the start to give you more challenge. I would also recommend this game to both younger players and newer gamers as it’s easy to learn and the co-operative style means you can work together and help each other out.
If you are looking for a co-operative game but this game doesn’t feel right for you why not try Burgle Bros. a cooperative game where players are unique members of a crew trying to pull off a robbery or remember the fantastic Sky team, we have already mentioned.
Forbidden Jungle
£26.99
£34.99
Description In Forbidden Jungle, your team has crash-landed on a mysterious jungle planet, and you need to work together to survive. Search the ruins of an abandoned outpost for an elusive escape portal, all while fending off an ever-growing horde… read more
Something for the children
Stomp the plank
Categories: Children, Family, All ages, Dexterity, Push your luck, Fun
Number of players: 2-4
Typical game time: 15 - 20mins
Age range: 5+ (Enjoyed by Adults)
If you're looking for a fun game for the smaller people in your life (that you will actually enjoy as well) then Stomp the Plank could be the game for you!
In fact, Stomp the plank has made appearances at both our monthly gaming meet up enjoyed by children 8 – 14 and at the local pub games night as a decent fun filler!
In Stomp the plank, you are mischievous pirates trying to steal treasure from Captain Giraffe and at the same time trying to stop your opponents from succeeding.
This is a game designed for children but with enough fun and dexterity challenge that can be enjoyed by all. The first nice thing to say about this game is the way the box has been designed as your board, well, more specifically, you use its height and some well-placed magnets to set up the classic pirate plank scenario. Secondly the Elephants themselves are just awesome cute pirate pieces!
On your turn, you are trying to steal treasure represented by drawing cards from the treasure deck and placing them onto the treasure track. Should you manage to draw 6 unique treasures in a row, then awesome you have won the game BUT if at any point you draw 2 identical cards you have been caught and must step one place forward on the plank. The first Elephant to fall into the sea as their plank topples loses the game. Now you might think that was all for the dexterity skills, balancing the elephant on the plank, but no! If you decide to stop drawing cards, rather than push your luck too far you get to stitch up your opponents by giving them a number of disks determined by the stage on the tracker that you stopped. Your opponents must draw on all their dexterity skills to balance those disks on the end of their plank which gets ever more precarious. A combination of disks stacked too high and your elephant slowly walking down the plank will eventually see you crash into the sea.
Stomp the blank is a beautifully simple game that can be taught in just a few minutes and enjoyed by all ages as a fun, silly, dexterity game. This is well worth picking up for those younger gamers knowing you will enjoy it with them!
If you are looking for more recommendations for children, why not try Story Time Chess. Boasting the most awards ever given to a board game, Story Time Chess not only teaches young children about chess but includes loads of mini games and a narrative story making it so much fun.
Stomp The Plank
£21.99
£28.00
Description You are young and mischievous pirates. Try to steal treasures from captain Giraffe’s chest while accusing your fellow pirates. But be careful because if you get caught, you’ll walk the plank! For each treasure you manage to steal, your… read more
Looking for a stocking filler?
Next Station: London
Categories: Stocking filler, Solo mode, Route building, Paper and pencil, Underground planner, Small footprint
Number of players: 1-4
Typical game time: 25 mins
Age range: 8+
Next Station: London fits into the category of paper and pencil, clever, puzzle type games that I genuinely love. These games require very little space so could be played at your table, in a pub, on a train, on a coffee table or wherever you are trying to enjoy a board game.
In Next Station: London you are a metro planner and have been hired by the city of London to redesign their underground lines! This game can be learnt in 5 – 10 mins and the game play is very simple but the decisions you must make will leave you agonising over all the potential pros and cons. “If I link that station will that enable me to join up a tourist spot or create an interchange BUT could it leave me boxed in with nowhere to go. Can I cross the Thames for extra points? So many choices!”
When you start this game, you are given your sheet representing London and all the stations marked out represented by circles, squares, triangles and pentagons. You will also be given a coloured pencil; the colour is significant as this represents your underground starting line and starting station. The game is played over 4 rounds and at the end of each round you rotate the coloured pencil to the next person on your left.
During each round you draw station planning cards which will reveal a symbol to represent which station you can link to. Often this will give you a choice to make as you try to plan your route to maximise your score. The more districts your route passes through and the more tourist attractions it hits the better. You will also score points each round for the district with the most stations hit.
As you play the game a few times there are also additional modules you can add in to bring more challenge and complexity.
This is a lovely little game and because of its small footprint it’s a great game to throw in your bag when meeting friends in a café or pub or even to occupy your time on your commute. I have to say the Solo mode really works to as the mechanics don’t change at all, and it gives you achievements depending on your score! This would make a great stocking filler this Christmas.
Next Station London
£13.99
£14.99
Description The city of London has commissioned you to redesign its underground network! Optimise connections, serve as many sights as possible and exploit the tunnels that pass under the Thames. Be careful to respect the specifications set by the city.… read more
Scout
Categories: Stock filler, Hand Management, Card Game, Ladder mechanic
Number of players: 2-5
Typical game time: 15 mins
Age range: 9+
Scout fits into that category of small box card games that are easy to carry with you but present really clever game play to keep your group interested.
Scout is a game loosely themed around scouting for new circus talent – hence the name. Each card represents a different performer but that is not the most awesome thing about the cards. Scout is a game about clever hand management and there are two unique features of those cards. Firstly, they have 2 values depending on which way around you hold them, and, secondly, once you have picked up your hand of cards you can never rearrange them. That’s right, this presents your first challenge, the only choice you get at the start is which way around you orientate your hand and then its locked in!
Scout is a game about playing and winning tricks. Simply put, if you beat the current trick on the table, you pick them up, turn them over, and they are now points! A trick can be matching numbers, or a run, but it's not that simple. In Scout you can only play cards that are currently touching each other in your hand, remember, you cannot change the order, and this can be so frustrating. If you cannot play (sometimes out of choice) you can “Scout”, which means you can take a card from the trick on the table, choose its orientation and place it anywhere in your hand. This is one way to improve your hand for future turns, but in doing so, you have to pay the owner of the trick for the card you have taken!
The round ends when either someone runs out of cards, or someone plays a trick that is so good that no one can beat it resulting in everyone having to play the scout action. Then, for everyone who did not play that final trick you lose points for any cards remaining in your hand so it's actually fairly easy to end up in negative points.
Scout is a game that is easy to bring out in any crowd it is easy to learn and can be played anywhere and we highly recommend this game as a great gift to fit in a stocking this Christmas!
If you are looking for more Stocking fillers this Christmas why not try Sushi Go, a lovely card drafting set collection game!
Scout
£18.99
£20.00
Description You have suddenly been appointed as the leader of a circus. Using the members of your circus you must put together a show that will beat out your rivals. Everyone on your team has a specific role. To fill… read more
Looking for a strategy game?
Great Western Trail 2nd Edition
Categories: Deck building, Hand management, Solo mode, Variable set up, Strategy, Cattle driving
Number of players: 1-4
Typical game time: 75-150 mins
Age range: 12+
In Great Western Trail you play the part of a cattle rancher who is repeatedly driving their cattle from Texas to Kansas City where you can sell them on, using the trains, to bring in money and victory points! To do this, you need to have the best cattle and to have negotiated the trail in the most efficient and productive way.
This is a game I will happily play again and again; it is one of those games that has so many ways to play and more importantly win.
At its most basic level it’s a deck builder, in which you are trying to buy better value cattle (new cards) to improve the quality of your herd (deck) to get higher value cattle to market and achieve more victory points at the end. In other elements of the game, you can improve the trail by adding your own buildings (new spaces) which give you more options and abilities on the route. You can hire workers to enhance what you can do; cowboys to help you buy higher value cattle, craftsman that mean you build the more expensive buildings or even Engineers to help you move the train further and reach the higher value locations with your cattle. On top of this you can choose to work towards certain goals that will award you victory points, have x amount of different cattle in your deck, reach a certain town on the railroad or have picked up certain tokens from the trail.
With Great Western Trail, no two games are the same as there are so many ways to gain those valuable victory points!
The game itself is straight forward to play once you have learnt what the different actions do and the symbols on the board. As the game goes on you open up new actions, improve the size of your hand enabling you to earn more money or even increase your movement range – there are a lot of choices.
I highly recommend this game for those who love the deeper strategy game.
They have just released an excellent new edition of the game based on sheep farming in New Zealand so if you have tried GWT and looking for something a little different why not try your hand as a run holder, tending sheep on one of the sheep stations of South Island!
Great Western Trail (Second Edition)
£34.99
£49.99
Description Great Western Trail is the critically acclaimed game of cattle ranching by Alexander Pfister. Players attempt to wrangle their herd across the Midwest prairie and deliver it to Kansas City. But beware! Other cowboys are sharing the trail with… read more
Ark Nova
Categories: Strategy, Zoo Management, Set Collection, Variable set ups, Conservation Theme, Tile placement, Solo Mode
Number of players: 1-4
Typical game time: 90-150 mins
Age range: 14+
In Ark Nova you are aiming to build the most successful zoological establishment but, like Great Western Trail, success and ultimately victory can come in many different ways. This is another fantastic game if you are looking for more depth and strategy. Will your Zoo focus on conservation projects? Will it specialise in animals from the African continent, or will it have the rarest animals?
In Ark Nova you are trying to grow the appeal of your Zoo by bringing in a variety of animals, but in order to do well in the game you also have to move the conservation marker up the track, in fact the game ends when a player's appeal track crosses their conservation track!
Each player has a zoo board in which they will buy enclosures to house their animals, size and style of enclosure makes a difference to what animals you can have. I have to admit designing a Zoo and deciding what animals to fill it with was a huge highlight for me. Who doesn’t want to design a Zoo?
The game is played through choosing from one of 5 action cards that you have on a track. The position of the card represents its strength which was another nice mechanic. If you want to build a new enclosure the position on the track determines how big it can be but once used, it drops back to the bottom of the track so planning the order you play actions is key.
The game comes with 255 cards creating a huge amount of replay ability and there are so many combinations to draw from. As you play, more animals and staff into your zoo it creates an engine as they add abilities and tags to your zoo to work towards other projects.
This game has a lot going on, but once you have played a few turns it’s intuitive, though the choices of what you are going to do on your turn can be huge.
For all the exotic animals in the game, the aviaries and reptile house options, the large animal enclosures and water habitats I always find myself making sure I have space for a rabbit and a goat in the petting zoo.
So, if you are looking for a game with greater complexity, multiple win conditions, an array of different game mechanics and a brilliant theme I cannot recommend Ark Nova enough! you can also check out Ark Nova: Marine Worlds Expansion.
If this isn't quite what you're looking for, but you like the sound of an animal themed engine builder why not try Wingspan, a beautifully designed game with fantastic components but slightly less complexity. If you like the idea of a deck builder but not moving cattle down the trail, why not try Lost Ruins of Arnak as you take the part of an adventurer looking for artefacts on an uninhabited island! Both highly recommended.
Ark Nova
£54.99
£68.99
Description In the board game Ark Nova you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, accommodate animals, and support conservation projects all over… read more
So, what's the best board game gift this Christmas?
It is always great fun to put together a board game recommendation list, especially when there is a huge world of choice out there! We have done our best to give you some of our favourites and some of the most popular board game to help you find the right gift.
For me there were some real highlights in preparing this list. The solo experience of Final Girl was well crafted, and the theme is excellent. I was so excited to play it through more then once! Sky Team offered me something different to games I had played before, I loved the challenge of working together in a low communication environment where the choices really impacted each other. I have put this game on my Christmas list! Whenever I am asked for my favourite games, I have to mention Great Western Trail, I am a huge fan of deckbuilding games and this one brings so many ways to play as you adapt the board and work towards different victory conditions that no two games are the same. Really looking forward to playing the New Zealand variant!
Ultimately, even though these games were all chosen because they are tested and great at what they do, it all comes down to what is the right game for you or the person you are buying for. Why not take some time to look through our board games on our website and see what we have for you. Why not get in touch with us here at Gathering Games, all the team would love to help and can bring more thoughts and recommendations to help you.
