You are hereEpisode 43: Unwrapped - 2007 Holiday Gift Guide
Episode 43: Unwrapped - 2007 Holiday Gift Guide
| 43: Unwrapped 2007 Holiday Gift Guide Release Date: November 26, 2007 Running Time: 97 min. Listen Now: Download: Enhanced Version - MP3 Version Subscribe via iTunes: Enhanced - MP3 See sidebar for other subscription options |  |
Say no to lame gifts. Give a game instead. We recommend over 50 games in twelve different categories to fit almost any person or budget. With this great list, you might even make a wish list of your own!
Complete Show Notes continue after the break.
2007 Holiday Gift Guide
The games covered in this show fall into 12 categories. Within each category, we selected four games at different price levels from inexpensive to extravagant. Dave decided we should name each price level after different kinds of dice.
d4 - $15 & under
d6 - $25 & under
d8 - $50 & under
d100 - Sky's the Limit
The price levels are meant to be general guidelines, so your mileage may vary when scouring the web for the best deals. We also tried to predict each other's selections in each category, so in some cases there will be additional suggestions listed as well. Games are listed in the following manner:
Price Level | Game Title | Publisher | Board Game Geek link | TWS*
*Any title noted with TWS indicates a game carried by our sponsor, Time Well Spent. The fine folks at Timw Well Spent are going to compile a Spiel gift guide page from this show to make your holiday shopping a little easier! Drop by the Time Well Spent site for more info.
Feel free to add your own suggestions with comments below or email us. Have a happy holiday season and i i hope we can help you find some great game gifts.
Kid's Games
d4 - Cloud Nine | Out of the Box | BGG | TWS
d6 - Hey! That's My Fish | Mayfair | BGG | TWS
d100 - (series) 10 Days in USA | Out of the Box | BGG | TWS
d100 - 10 Days in Africa | Out of the Box | BGG | TWS
d100 - 10 Days in Europe | Out of the Box | BGG | TWS
d100 - 10 Days in Asia | Out of the Box | BGG | TWS
Additional suggestions: Kids of Catan
Party Games
d4 - Attribute | Z-Man Games | BGG | TWS
d6 - Hollywood Shuffle| All Things Equal |
d8 - Bamboleo| Rio Grande Games | BGG | TWS
d100 - Cash 'n Guns: Yakuzas| Repos Production Asmodee |BGG
Beer & Pretzel Games
d4 - Rage | Fundex | BGG | TWS
d6 - Incan Gold (Diamant) | Sunriver Games | BGG | TWS
d8 - Ubongo (Extreme) | Z-Man Games | BGG | TWS
d100 - Piratenbillard | Abacus | BGG
Additional suggestions: Bohnanza
Gateway Games
d4 - David & Goliath| Playroom Ent. | BGG | TWS
d6 - 10 Days in Asia| Out of the Box | BGG | TWS
d8 - Cleopatra & Society of Architects| Days of Wonder | BGG | TWS
d100 - Pitch Car | Ferti | BGG | TWS
Additional suggestions: Zooloretto
Euro Games
d4 - Mu & More | Rio Grande | BGG | TWS
d6 - Mr. Jack | Asmodee | BGG | TWS
d8 - Jenseits von Theben | Rio Grande | BGG | TWS
d100 - Leonardo da Vinci (Master Print) | QWG | BGG
d100 - Yspahan (Master Print) | QWG | BGG
d100 - Demetra (Master Print ) | QWG | BGG
d100 - El Capitan (Master Print) | QWG | BGG
Additional suggestions: Pillars of the Earth , Mu & Lots More
Goober Games
d4 - Fish Eat Fish | Out of the Box | BGG | TWS
d6 - Darjeeling | Rio Grande | BGG
d8 - Age of Empires III | Tropical Games | BGG
d100 - Siam Deluxe| Ferti | BGG
Additional suggestions: Tide of Iron
Whacked Out Games
d6 - Chopstick Dexterity MegaChallenge 3000 | Pair of Dice | BGG
d8 - King of the Dicemouths| Zoch Verlag | BGG
d100 - Hameln | Fragor Games | BGG
Additional suggestions: Bushwhackin' Varmints Out of Sergio's Butte
Two Player Games
d4 - Battle Line | GMT Games | BGG | TWS
d6 - Mr. Jack | Asmodee | BGG | TWS
d8 - Battle Lore | Days of Wonder | BGG | TWS
d100 - Le Passe Trappe Grand | Ferti | BGG
Back Shelf Classic Games
d4 - Razzle | Parker Brothers | BGG
d6 - Wild Fire Dominoes | Fundex
d8 - Talisman 4th Ed. | Black Industries | BGG | TWS
d100 - Dune | Avalon Hill | BGG
Additional suggestions: Mah Jongg
Abstract Strategy Games
d4 - Ingenious (Travel)| Fantasy Flight | BGG | TWS
d6 - Qwirkle | Mindware | BGG | TWS
d8 - Take it to the Limit | Burley Games | BGG | TWS
d100 - Blokus (Giant) | Educational Insights | BGG
Additional suggestions: Battleground Fantasy Warfare (not really abstract, but a great compact strategy war game)
Stephen's Wish List
d4 - Felix: The Cat in the Sack | Rio Grande | BGG | TWS
d6 - Coppertwaddle | Surprised Stare | BGG
d8 - Last Night on Earth | Flying Frog Prod. | BGG | TWS
d100 - Caylus Premium Edition | Ystari | BGG
d100 - Container | Valley Games | BGG
Additional suggestions: Fairy Tale , Ubongo , Tannhauser , Galaxy Trucker
Dave's Wish List
d4 - Carcassonne Abbey & Mayor | Rio Grande | BGG
d6 - Cutthroat Caverns | Smirk & Dagger | BGG | TWS
d8 - Kingsburg | Elfinworks | BGG
d100 - Box of Golf | Box of Golf Inc. | BGG
Additional suggestions: Power Grid Expansions , Age of Discovery , Amyitis , StarCraft
Errata
I'm sure there are some other goofs in there somewhere. Let us know if (when?) you find one!
Hi Mary,
Great to hear from you! I'm glad you had a chance to check out the show. I discoverd Box of Golf a few months ago and thought it looked awesome - fun mechanics and amazing goober!! I recently talked our local game store into ordering Box of Golf. I hope that once it hits the shelves, everybody else will think it's as cool as I do.
I should have known that a game with a history as interesting as Coppertwaddle would never have flown under Stephen's radar. I expect to exact me revenge during next years Holiday Gift Guide.
Please keep us updated on anything new at Box of Golf, Inc. and have a great Holiday!!
Dave
Turnabout's fair play! Heh. We'll have to agree to keep the cameras off from now on
The danger in putting together this show is that now I want everything on all the lists, so I feel your pain. I guess that's a good problem to have, really.We just need enough friends to come up with all the gifts. :)
Crokinole is a great suggestion. It was on my short list of beer and pretzel games, too. And you can never go wrong with Pitch Car. That game is insanely addictive.
A nice Carrom board would also be a great gift in that category.
Hi, Trump.
Welcome to the forums! We don't ever expect complete agreement with any of our lists or opinions. That's one of the many reasons we give people a chance to sound off here. If we're able to point you toward a few new titles you didn't know about or are inspired to give another shot, then we've done our jobs, I think. :)
You scored quite a deal on Piratenbilliard! I'll keep my eyes out for others, but like scooterb23, the only ones I can find are $100+.
Razzle sounds like a good fit, especially if you're a Boggle fiend. Shoving the little shuttle with the word dice should be a lot easier than writing everthing down. I've seen plenty of copies on ebya for just a few bucks. In fact here's a current sampling at the following link .
Jenseits von Theben might not be to your taste, but it was by far one of my favorite Euros of the year. And each person I introduced the game to really enjoyed it as well. What would you recommend as your d8 level euro game gift? That's an open invitation, all you lurkers, not just for Trump!
Happy game gifting!
You HAD to go and play the Essen card, didn't you? :) If we're able to cobble together some additional sponsors and savings, I hope we may be able to BE at Essen next year.
That said, Cuba was available for play at the Rio Grande booth at CHITAG a few weeks ago, but I didn't have to to sit down and play. I'd love to try out Container, too (obvious since it was on my wish list, I know!)
Interesting observation on the luck element in Jenseits von Theben. From my perspective, I don't think a "euro-style" game has to lack an element of luck. But I can certainly see where the luck factor could put off some players. Even with Dave's consistent bad luck drawing from the bags, though, he still really liked it.
It seems like there are tactics to how luck is mitigated in Thebes as well, though. The tactics are just different than in other games mentioned. In Thebes you must plan how you want to spend your time and accumuilate knowledge to skew the percentages in your favor when you do go on an expedition. This doesn't eliminate the luck, sure, but you have the ability to shape it. It's sort of like using the basic strategy card in Black Jack. Following the card won't guarantee a win every time but over the long haul, you should win more often.
We'll keep you posted on Essen plans as they develop. Francie and I just got our passports renewed and we're itching to get them stamped!
We must have been more nice than naughty this year, Simon.
A d100 rolled our way....
I was surprised to find a big box on our doorstep today. And what was inside? A sneaky secret santa gift from a WAY too generous listener..... Piratenbilliard! We'll out this secret santa at a later date (on the show), never fear, but let me say right now, he rocks! Heck, you all rock!
Dave convinced our local game store to get a few copies of Box of Golf to sell for the holidays so we'll get to give it a good look over. The goober is undeniably cool, but I had my doubts about the game. I'm glad to hear it actually plays well.
Thanks for the input, Musti.
Seems like King of the Dicemouths is certainly a game geared for kids. Not good when kids think it's lame, that's for sure. If I found a decently priced copy, I would still be tempted but mostly because it is so darn weird.
I played Antler Island at CHITAG and enjoyed it alot. I've read up on Hameln and it seems like it has some interesting mechanics I would like to try.
Alas, we didn't have time to mention all the great new titles that were released or announced at Essen on our gift list, especially since many are not quite avaialble yet here in the US. Hamburgum, though certainly is on our radar, never fear! Hopefully later in 2008 we'll get a copy in and give it a whirl.
Hi there, great gift episode again. Was a pleasure to listen. For the beer and pretzels section I also would recommend:
-Schrille Stille , which is a really nice game with some "gooberish" components. Basically you are representing a music label boss and maipulate the charts by using a cool wooden/cardboard CD mechanism. Works great AND every time I pulled it out, we had a blast playing it. Especially newbies liked it very much. Actually I could draw one person into the hobby by playing this. Can there a bigger compliment being made?
-The other on is "Schrecklicht ", a simple, but fast and fun card game with some bothering aspects. Liked it much and also my game group demanded playing it again and again. Great for closing or beginning the evening.
-Whacked out games? Nearly everything from Friedemann Friese, I would suggest. And then there is also "Tanz der Deriwsche " or "dance of the dervish" which I never played. BUT it looks cool and is said to be some kind of flipper. Also very expensive and (yes!) gooberish!
great suggestions, oxy!
The CD mechanism looks freaky cool in Schrille Stille. I can definitely see why this would make a good gateway game.
I wasn't aware of Schrecklicht or Tanz der Derwische. Looks like there's an American company producing a version of "Tanz..." called Bull in a China Shop (see link above). It does look gooberific!
I love your picks that I have played (Thebes, Hey That's My Fish, Darjeeling, Cloud 9, Incan Gold, Pitch Car, Yspahan, Age of Empires III, Take it to the Limits, Talisman, Blokus, and Felix - Cat in the Sack). All would be excellent gifts. I can't wait to try the others, and I hope to get a few this Christmas. I asked for Mr. Jack on your recommendation and the excellent reviews I have heard. You also make a very intriguing sell on King of the Dicemouths!
For a great gift idea, I urge everyone to try Bananagrams, $15.95. We have called it 'Scrabble on Speed' but that doesn't do it justice. I have only found them in Hobbytown stores in Wisconsin, but they have a website with links to retailers at www.bananagrams-intl.com . It is definitely one of the favorites of the family and it is great for two players through 8 players.
Having played several games of Razzle recently, it got me to thinking about other speedy word games and wondering what's out there. I know several people who need Bananagrams! Looks cool.
This one is not necessarily fast, but I picked up a game called Amuse Amaze at CHITAG that incorporates word spelling with some strategy board game elements. I have an interview with the the head of HL Games that will appear in Episode 45.
Hi, for test playing I would recommend the site: http://mrjack.biludi.de/
You can play Mr Jack online there and the site is also available in english. Keep spieling