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Board Game Gift Guide 2013

Card Games

Most of these games involve a deck of cards and maybe a few other components.  They aren’t your traditional card games like UNO or solitaire, but they can all be enjoyed by the family and are easy to learn.  They are also very portable making them easy to take to a holiday gathering.

1.  No Thanks

We start out with a true card game.  All that comes with the game is a deck of cards and some chips.   Players win by scoring the least amount of points.  The cards are numbered 3 to 35 and each card count points equal to their face value.  On a player’s turn they can either play a chip to avoid taking the current face-up card or pick up the card, and any chips that may be on it.  Runs of cards only count as the lowest card value.  So if you have 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 you only score 20 points.  Chips are worth -1 at the end of the game.  Runs may be hard to get not only because other players may take the card you need and you never know exactly what numbers will show up during the game.  Before the games starts a set number of cards are taken out of the deck.

No Thanks is a quick, push your luck game, which can be enjoyed by the whole family.  It can help younger family members count!  Deciding to take a card or using a chip can be a harder decision to make then you think!  Plus games are so fast that even if you lose big one game, and I have, you can try again in a few minutes.

2.  For Sale

For Sale, our next game, is all about buying real estate for low prices and selling it for the highest price possible.  The player with the most money wins!  It is played in two phases, which makes it an easy game to teach and learn.  Learn one phase at a time.  First you have an auction for the houses and when all the houses are bought, you sell them for the highest profit.  It’s quick, light, and so much fun when you realize you just bought the outhouse for 5,000 dollars and sold it for zero profit, or your bargain castle just  sold for the most money possible.  

3.  Timeline Series

The history teacher in me loves Timeline not only as a family game but also as an educational tool.  The fun is a definite plus!  As you play the game you build a timeline.  Players want to be the first to play all their cards in the correct chronological order.  Each card is double-sided showing the picture of the invention / event / or discovery on side with the date on the other.  Players need to place the card in chronological order of the timeline. If they are correct it stays if they are wrong, it is discarded and players draw a new card.

 

I enjoy playing games that test my knowledge and sometimes my guessing skills.  It isn’t always easy to remember if Morse Code was invented before the corkscrew!  Younger players may have a harder time because they may not be as familiar with the dates or inventions.  Team play may be a better option for them.  I have used this game in my classroom, with adult friends, and with my family.  It can be a bit of a brain burner as you try to remember when the submarine was first invented, but it is all in good fun and a great family activity.

4.  Incan Gold

In Incan Gold, players are explores  searching an old temple for gold and treasure.  The player with the most treasure wins the game.  Each round the players must choose to either face the dangers inside the temple or leave with the riches in hand.  If the dangers is too great and players are still in the temple they flee leaving all their treasure behind.  Leaving too early may mean leaving with too little treasure but waiting too long may mean no treasure at all.

Incan Gold if a fun, push your luck game, where players can be cautious or adventurous.  The rules are simple, the components beautiful, the game play quick, and laughter always abounds as players face the dangerous spiders only to lose all their treasure or strike it rich.

5.  Super Circles

Super Circles is a fast paced game where players are trying to get rid of all their cards before the other players.  Players need to place cards by matching the colored rings on the previously played card.  There are no turns and players try to match cards as quickly as they can.  The rings must match in both position and color.

Super Circles is a speed game and some people will just be much better at it than others.  I have had mixed reactions to this game and people either love it or are indifferent.  So families who like speed will enjoy the game.  It is also easy for younger children to play and they may even better than the adults.  It reminds me of all those Slap Jack games we played as children.

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