December 15, 2016

It's December, which means time with family. And time with family means gaming!

• I started playing card games as a teenager. One of my favorite drinking games got cleaned up (the original name violates the store's appropriate language policy) and turned into The Great Dalmuti. (The original drinking game also got adapted in a Dilbert-themed version.) Being a card game, there is a certain amount of luck, but what drinking game relies solely on strategy?
  My mother-in-law loves this game. It feeds her competitive streak without overwhelming the more cooperative members of the family. It can be as social and silly as you like, and last as long—or not!—as you like. Players can join in and drop out with ease.

• We fell in love with Tokaido a couple of years ago. I love it because while not a cooperative game, it is not competitive in the usual way. Everyone is competing to have the best vacation. It is inherently fun and relaxing to be trying to have the best vacation!
  The artwork is beautiful, and who doesn't enjoy a nice panorama?

• And back to the competitive card games... every game of Dominion is different. You can choose random kingdom cards, or choose more attack cards if you want a more aggressive game. Your strategy changes every game.
  It also plays well with only 2 players, which makes it an old standby at home.

All of these make great holiday gifts, in my mostly humble opinion.