Christmas with the (Snyder) Chens

Ok, so it's not exactly Christmas with the (Snyder) Chens... just anytime with the (Snyder) Chens!

Let me explain. Chances are, if you hang out with Josh and me more than, oh, once (and sometimes even just once), we'll suggest playing a game. And by playing a game, I mean playing a board game. Though, we do have Rock Band and love that, too. But give us enough time, and by enough time, I really do mean about once, and we'll rope you into a game somehow. We love board games. A lot. At our wedding, instead of using numbers, we actually had the tables "named" board games. I'm so not kidding. Our families sat at the Killer Bunnies table. How many people can say that? It was pretty awesome.

So, since a lot of you who read this also:

a) like board games,
b) have been finagled into playing board games with us,
c) have asked for board game suggestions, or
d) just realize how fantastic good board games are and want to play more of them,

I decided to do a quick Christmas board game post with last-minute board game ideas, should you need any. I've actually been working on this since before Thanksgiving, but things got crazy with the house, so it's taken me a while to get it out. But, here you go!

Now, I've done a few board game reviews here, and I intend to resume them soon (once our house is moved into and we actually have time to be social again), but I thought I'd share a few of our favorite games, and what tends to get played at our house. I'm including a few quick stats, and linking those that I've reviewed, but you can always go to boardgamegeek.com to look into them further. Just realize that if I'm posting it here, it gets our stamp of approval... which I hope says something. =)


So let's get started! I've broken it down into a few categories... though really, any of them would be fantastic, regardless of whether you think you may/may not like "card-based" games. They're all quite fun and will provide many hours of gaming with your friends. Oh, and just as a side note, we own all of the games listed below except for Race for the Galaxy and Ticket to Ride: Europe. However, some of our good friends who live two streets over and my little brother have Race for the Galaxy and we own the regular Ticket to Ride (and my sister and brother-in-law own Ticket to Ride: Europe), so we've had extensive playing of both of those games. Don't worry.

Silly Card-Based Games

These games are for days when you're looking for something a little more light-hearted, and perhaps a bit more fast-paced (though Killer Bunnies can go for a while). They are all also more on the cheap side in as far as board games are concerned. Here's a quick breakdown:

Infernal Contraption: You're a goblin building a machine... but so is everyone else. So, you've got to try to build your machine, sabotage their machines, and try to survive their own sabotaging attacks. Good fun for just about any age, as long as they are proficient readers.

Munchkin, Super Munchkin, and all the other Munchkin games: Ok, so there are a BUNCH of variations for Munchkin, and they are all great (we have the original and superhero versions). This game totally makes fun of the old dungeons and dragons sort of stuff. You go on quests exploring dungeons, fighting monsters, gaining treasure, and trying to be the first to reach Level 10. Oh, and also totally trying to keep everyone else from reaching Level 10 before you. So, you can send monsters their way or place curses on them. Any age group can play (as long as they can read), but for some of the humor, I'd probably say it's better for teenagers and up.

Killer Bunnies: You want the magic carrot. So does everyone else. In this game, you use your bunnies to collect as many carrots as you can in your quest to get the magic carrot (a random carrot revealed at the end of the game), and attack other bunnies to keep them from doing so. And they're all doing the same thing to you, too. This game is hilarious. There are so many different things that come with each expansion, but let's just say that one of the weapons? Plutonium Raisins. You can't get much better than that! Great for any age, as long as they can read.



Card-Based Strategy Games

Ok, still card-based, but with a little more strategy involved, as opposed to the above games, which are often largely some strategy and a lot more randomness/luck.

Start Player: This game is really simple - it decides who the starting player of a longer game will be! Totally nerdy, totally fun. We use it all the time.

Anima: This probably plays like a video game in some respects. You go on a bunch of different quests in different locations, trying to build your group of characters, gain points and be the one to complete your final mission first. Fun and relatively quick. This is probably better for older teens/adults due to some of the artwork (just inappropriate for younger kids).

Race for the Galaxy: One of the top-ranked games on boardgamegeek.com. A lot of rules, but pretty fast once you get the hang of it. Really good replay value, as you race to settle and develop the galaxy, and get the most points in the process. A lot of strategy involved, but really different each time you play.

Dominion: This is definitely one of my favorite finds of the year, and you can read more of my thoughts here. This is a really quick game (30 minutes, average), and has so much replay value. It's completely different each time, and your strategy has to change every time, too, since you use different cards. Great for ages 10+, and something you can play "best out of __" sets with. Love it.



Cooperative Games

I have come to really enjoy cooperative games - games where you play with the rest of the players. But I've also really come to enjoy cooperative games that have a fun twist to them, such as everyone vs. one other player, or everyone playing together, but with a traitor in the midst. These are definitely all "strategy" games, but SO MUCH FUN!

Fury of Dracula: I got this game for Josh for his birthday, and we and everyone who's played it with us loves it. There are 3-4 players who are the "hunters" searching for the 1 other player playing Dracula. You run all over Europe trying to find Dracula, fighting monsters and travel delays along the way, and also trying to time things to find Dracula during the day, since at night he's much more powerful. Brings a really fun dynamic for a great cooperative/competitive game!

Shadows Over Camelot: You are the Knights of the Round Table, and you must save Camelot, find the Holy Grail, rescue Excalibur, fight off the Picts, and so much more. Working together, you try to complete quests and gain white swords at the Round Table. But, should you lose a quest, a black sword will show up, so you must work together to win. However, there's the possibility of a traitor in the mix, who would really love to see those black swords continue to show up. Can you figure out who it is in time to save Camelot? A great game for a bigger group (up to 7, I think).

Arkham Horror: I was really skeptical about this one at first (this is one Josh had before we got married), but over the past few years it has come to be one of my favorites. You are all various people who live in the town of Arkham, MA. Strange things have been happening lately, and monsters have been appearing. You must find clues, fight the monsters, travel to other worlds, and try to then seal off the entrances to the other worlds before the great evil monster awakens from its slumber. This is also for a bigger group (up to 8), and I really, really enjoy it! It's definitely a game with a lot of strategy and it's a challenge to win. And who doesn't love a good challenge?

Pandemic: I wrote about this one in detail - it's a straight up cooperative game where you're trying to save all humanity from deadly diseases! It's a quick game (45 minutes) with multiple levels of difficulty to play on. There's also a new expansion for it where one player is a bioterrorist, so brings in that everyone vs. one aspect. It's great for any age, as you're all working together, and also gives you a real run for your money as you try to save the world!



Strategy Games

These are some of the more straight-up strategy games that we really enjoy. They can take a while to learn, but once you play through them one time, you're usually good to go. They all also have great replay value (especially Agricola).

Power Grid: In this game, the goal is to provide as many cities as possible with power. To do this, you have to purchase power plants through an action (though, of course, everyone else will want the best plants, too), purchase resources for your plants (different materials cost different amounts... but beware, the cheapest are also the ones that tend to run out the fastest and might not be the most renewable, either), expand to new cities (and try to beat out the competition), and then power your plants and get paid. The game comes with maps for the US and Germany, and there are a bunch of expansions with different strategies, too. Highly recommended - one of Josh's favorites.

Agricola: This game has been the #1 ranked board game on boardgamegeek for at least... 2 years now? It truly is a great game, and it's completely different each time you play. You are a farmer trying to live your life, balancing between feeding your family, expanding your house and farm, purchasing new equipment, and raising animals. Then take into account minor and major improvements you want to do, occupations you may want to try out (or ways to trade and barter with your neighbors), and this game is just too good. Best for ages 10+.

Twilight Imperium: This is for the truly dedicated. I got this for Josh for his birthday 3 years ago, and we've played it probably 6-7 times. It is a great game, and ALL about the strategy, but it takes a LONG time. And by long time, I mean about 6-8 hours. (We plan way in advance, have people over around 2pm, order pizza for dinner, keep playing.) But it's a lot of fun if you love the thought of Star Wars, Star Trek, and any other sort of galaxy dominating idea being put into a board game. Definition in one word? EPIC.



Less-Intense Strategy Games
If the games above were a little intimidating, these should be less so. Also, they aren't necessarily related to each other, just the games that didn't really fit anywhere else. =)

Battle Lore: A classic war game... with some fun twists! This is a 2-player game that lets you reenact historic battles such as the Battle of Agincourt with the traditional French and British armies... or lets you reenact historic battles with armies comprised of humans, dwarfs, elves, goblins... you get the idea. So, historical fiction and fantasy all wrapped up in one.

Carcassonne: This is a pretty well-known game, building the city of Carcassonne. It's a tile-based game, where you build cities and churches and fields and such and try to gain as many points as you can. Strategic, but laid back. A good game again for just 2 people, really easy to learn, and pretty quick. There are also quite a few expansions for it, should you wish to spice it up a little.

Ticket to Ride: This is another game I reviewed in-depth. This is a bit of a classic, with a few different versions available. It's very easy to learn, plays pretty quickly (about an hour), and is great for all ages. You travel through the US or Europe (depending which version you play), trying to get to all the destinations on your ticket cards before anyone else blocks your path. They also just came out with a few expansions for each of the games, which add more challenges and possible points. Definitely a good family game.


And that's it for today! Even if you don't need Christmas presents, hopefully you'll find something that sparks your interest enough to check it out, or send someone else to check it out as a good gift idea to give to you. =) Each of these games would be a fantastic addition to your collection (or a good one to start your collection!), and if you have any questions, just let me know. Happy gaming!