Welcome back table top warriors! Are you looking for games to play over the Christmas period? Well, join us as we explore a plethora of board games to bless your living rooms. Whether it be for family nights, evenings with your best friends, or just general days of fun, there is sure to be something here for you!

For the Entire Family

First up on our explorations is games for the entire family. Whether this is families with little ones or a grown-up gathering, there is a collection here for you. So, jumping right to it, Cortex is a game of brain power. From memory, logic, and quick thinking, this game will test you and your mental abilities. The best thing about the title is there are various editions including one for kids. An all-encompassing game that includes everyone and develops your brain at the same time!

Who doesn’t love a classic? Scrabble is a timeless piece that allows you to dig to the bottom of your cranium for those wonderful words you have been saving all these years. Again, Scrabble has editions to suit any audience. And, the same as above, it allows you to learn some new things along the way. Just remember to set some house rules and have a dictionary handy!

One for the kids now, or adults who love a charming adventure, is Stuffed Fables. This adorable board game re-invents the classic bedtime story with exciting dice rolls and interactive storytelling. Can you and your party of stuffed animals protect the sleeping child from all the nasties from under the bed? A tale that combines Dungeons and Dragons and storybooks.

Mindless Fun

Onto mindless fun now. These are the titles which are easy to learn or pick up and go so you can get straight to enjoying your evening. Games such as Exploding Kittens. This is a game where you must avoid getting blown up. Utilise defuse cards, steal from your opponent’s hand, and employ wacky tactics to be the last person standing. Exploding Kittens is a fast-paced, Russian Roulette-like card game with lots of cats. It also took Kickstarter by storm! There also expansions called Imploding Kittens and Exploding Kittens NSFW (careful where you play that one!).

Another classic on the way with Jenga. A barely stable tower made up of many horizontal blocks seems all good an well until you task players to carefully remove them to make the town taller. An increasingly exciting and tense game of dexterity and luck. Can you remove a block with expert care? Or will you cause a cascade of blocks representing your defeat? Very easy to play and very easy to enjoy.

The Competitive Side

For those who want to exert their dominance in competitive games, these are for you! On the superhero front, Guardians is an empowering deck building game where you guide your team of heroes to victory. Power them up with new powers, take control of the battlefield, and explore the countless combinations and strategies to dominate your opponents. You can be the super team the people need!

For more of a Sci-Fi feel, Starship Samurai takes you to the stars to guide one of many clans in a battle for control over the lotus galaxy. An engaging card game combined with beautifully crafted samurai mechs that lead your fleet to destroy your opponent’s defences overwhelm their fleets, and control cities. Not only that, but political influence can swing minor factions to your side to aid your claim to the throne. Can you lead your clan to victory?

If you want more of a cultural and less intense competitive game, Azul might be for you. You are tasked by the King of Portugal to craft wonderful mosaics for his palace. As the factory produces tiles you must claim them and complete your creation before your opponents. As with the nature of mosaics, the game is very colourful and charming with endless replayability. Definitely for those who prefer not firing doom rays and subjugating cities.

Co-operative Games

Do you want to team up with the friends and family to achieve a common goal? Then why not try these? Games such as Pandemic, and the multitude of editions for all audiences, tasks you and your team to save the world. The threats vary from Virus’, the forces of Cthulhu, and from the world itself. Can you all plan the perfect strategy to keep humanity alive for another day? Or will we be doomed despite the efforts?

Lasty, if you want to take on the role of an alter-ego and be the hero of the story, why not try Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder? Craft you character from the ground up with different races, backgrounds, goals, and abilities. Then, gather your party to overthrow an evil governor, defend a town from rampaging goblins, and maybe slay a dragon! The adventures can be as big or as little as you like and you can develop your characters and story as your go. Table top roleplaying is not just for Christmas, keep playing into the new year!

And that’s your lot you awesome people. Pick up a few board games this holiday period at your local game store and have some fun with those around you. Stay tuned for more news, reviews, previews, and guides. Until next time, smile and game!