The festive season is upon us, and we know what that means.<\/p>\n
No, not venturing into malls to buy gifts while avoiding hordes of zombie-like crowds in the process \u2013 we\u2019ve all got the internet and credit cards after all.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m talking about the far more challenging part of the gift-giving season \u2013 buying friends and family something they\u2019ll vaguely like.<\/p>\n
It should come as no surprise to hear that we here at MyGaming are all about giving the gift of gaming.<\/p>\n
Next week, we\u2019ll be posting the first of our gaming gift guides. But to tide you over until then, and to help you choose something for the people in your life who play way too much Candy Crush<\/em>, here\u2019s our board games gift guide.<\/p>\n Getting a board game for your parents might not seem like the most intuitive gift, but there\u2019s some good reasoning behind it. They probably grew up with them so they\u2019re likely to take to them, and it\u2019s a great way to enjoy some family time together.<\/p>\n Chances are your parents are not going to be into anything overtly geeky, so that means any kind of sci-fi or fantasy-themed board games are right out.<\/p>\n They also likely don\u2019t have the patience to learn 52 pages of complicated rules so choosing a game with a simple mechanic is a must.<\/p>\n But don\u2019t despair, there are plenty of games out there with innocuous enough themes that even your parents can\u2019t find something to remark about.<\/p>\n Ticket to Ride<\/em> is a sure bet here, offering straightforward rules and a parent-friendly theme that along the same lines as Monopoly<\/em>.<\/p>\n Bonus:<\/strong> your train-loving dad will go crazy for it.<\/p>\n Christmas means family gatherings, which brings the sticky situation of trying to keep multiple sugared-up children occupied.<\/p>\n While it might seem tempting to put sedatives in their juice boxes, we don\u2019t recommend it.<\/p>\n Instead, why not give them a board game they can play as soon as they unwrap?<\/p>\n You\u2019re probably going to end up playing a game with them anyway and it beats a mind-numbing game of Snakes and Ladders<\/em>.<\/p>\n We find the glue that bonds children and adults together is the love of monsters stomping everything, but that might just be the circles we run in.<\/p>\n So we recommend picking up a copy of King of Tokyo<\/em> and teaching them the joys of urban destruction.<\/p>\n It\u2019s colourful, it\u2019s easy to teach to even the most ADD-addled kid and it involves the always-awesome activity of rolling giant dice.<\/p>\n Warning:<\/strong> we do not condone giving board games as a gift to a partner who is expecting jewellery, trips away together or any of the other traditional big shows of affection.<\/p>\n But if your significant other is as geek-inclined as you are, two-player board games are a great way to show \u201cI like you enough to occasionally prefer spending time with you over playing video games.\u201d Romantic, huh?<\/p>\n The always popular Dominion<\/em> hits the holy trifecta of couples board games \u2013 easy to find, easy to teach yet deep enough that there\u2019s great replay value.<\/p>\n It\u2019s best with two players but it works for four for those days when friends visit.<\/p>\n Just be sure not to go too crazy with the curse cards or you might find yourself sleeping on the couch.<\/p>\n What do you get that friend who regularly sweeps Steam sales, has a display cabinet full of memorabilia and always knows about the latest gadgets before you do?<\/p>\n Getting something cool that they don\u2019t already have can be a mission, so why not help them venture into the relatively unexplored world of board gaming?<\/p>\n The best game to get for the person who already has everything is something that comes with lots of shiny bits and bobs, something that\u2019ll make someone really excited to unbox it.<\/p>\n It also helps if it\u2019s a licensed game for a franchise they already love. There are a ton of games that fit this description (one developer, Fantasy Flight, has pretty much built its reputation on this), so it\u2019s a question of finding the one that you know they\u2019ll freak out over.<\/p>\n Notable franchises that have board games include Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars<\/em>, Games of Thrones, Firefly <\/em>and even Portal<\/em>.<\/p>\n If your Christmas get-togethers are anything like ours, they involve copious amounts of alcohol.<\/p>\n They may also involve family members you haven\u2019t seen in yonks and who you don\u2019t have the foggiest notion of how to shop for.<\/p>\n Put those two together and what do you get? Opportunity, that\u2019s what.<\/p>\n Contrary to popular belief, many board games don\u2019t have a laundry list of complex rules to learn.<\/p>\n Some games are perfectly suited to large groups of intoxicated people who just want to get on with it and have fun. Enter One Night Ultimate Werewolf<\/em>, a game based around short-burst rounds of bluffing and confusion.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve decided to pick up one of those games, the next step is to find where you can buy it.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve chosen the games above partly on their availability at a wide range of retailers, so you should be able to find them without much fuss.<\/p>\n The following online stores all stock board games, sometimes on special:<\/p>\n Raru<\/a><\/p>\n Takealot<\/a><\/p>\n Loot<\/a><\/p>\n Boardgames<\/a><\/p>\n Timeless Boardgames<\/a><\/p>\n Games of December \u2013 explosion enriched<\/a><\/p>\n Biggest let downs of 2015<\/a><\/p>\nFor your parents<\/strong><\/h3>\n
For your kids, nephews or nieces<\/strong><\/h3>\n
For your boyfriend or girlfriend<\/strong><\/h3>\n
For your geeky friends<\/strong><\/h3>\n
For your drunken cousins<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Where to buy<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nFeatures worth checking out<\/strong><\/h3>\n