Board Games Holiday Gift Guide - 1999

Join the Discussion Want some personalized recommendations? Ask for advice in the About Board Games Forum.     Related Resources • Shopping for Board Games • 2000 Holiday Gift Guide • Desert Island Games

You want to buy a board game that your child (or parent, or friend, or second cousin) is sure to enjoy. So how do you go about it?

Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that unless you happen to live near a store that specializes in board games, you won't have access to most of today's best and most interesting board games. But thanks to the Internet, finding these games couldn't be easier. Just browse the stores listed on the Shopping for Board Games page.

(If you want to buy an out-of-print board game as a gift, the first stop to make is Finding Hard-to-Locate Board Games.)

It may sound like a cliche (or, worse, a bad mangling of a cliche), but I believe that there's a board game out there for everyone. Trivia games, sports games, detective games, party games, railroad games... the list is endless.

If you still have questions after browsing this list, the friendly cast of regulars over at the About Board Games Forum is always happy to offer some suggestions.

Here are some of the games that caught my eye in 1999 (listed in alphabetical order):

• Beyond Balderdash
  This updated version of Balderdash adds an entirely new feel by providing five categories (words, people, initials, movies and dates) to choose from on each turn. Players make up answers to a variety of questions, winning points by tricking the other players into thinking theirs is the correct answer. For example, in the category of initials, one question is "I.C.O.A." Someone may make up the answer "International Coalition of Ostrich Assassins." What's the correct answer?

• Bosworth
  A fun, well-designed game that's like a nephew of chess. Two to four players compete on a deceptively small board, trying to be the last one standing on the field of battle. Cards are played, moving like chess pieces, and it's always a tough call to decide what your next move should be. Fun for chess enthusiasts, but also enjoyable for fans of games like Stratego.

• Kill Doctor Lucky
  Hands down the best surprise of the year for me. The company behind Kill Doctor Lucky, Cheapass Games, doesn't spend much on the game board -- but they did invest in this game design. Kill Doctor Lucky (a sequel, Save Doctor Lucky, was released in 2000) won an Origins Award and is a Games 100 inductee. It's also available at an amazingly low price. This game (along with other Cheapass Games products) makes a great stocking stuffer.

• Mad About Movies!
  A trivia game based exclusively on our celluloid heroes. Most of the questions deal with movies released in the 1970s and later -- so if you're always losing to your parents in trivia games, this one could be the equalizer. Sample question: "Mr. Pink, Mr. Orange and Mr. White are characters from what 1992 crime film?" Give up?

• Riddles & Riches
  Players (or teams) compete to solve riddles, using various clues and large color photographs. My wife and I played with my mother, father, sister and brother-in-law earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed the game. My mom (who won, it should be noted) was ready to play again right away. If someone on your list likes riddles, you won't go wrong with this one.

• Rules of the Game
  Buy it for the sports nut(s) on your list. Trivia questions based on the rules of baseball, football, basketball (pro and college) and golf. Sample question: "John intercepts a pass in his end zone and then fumbles it forward. The ball rolls out of bounds on his 2 yard line. Where should the ball be put in play?" (Here's the answer.)

• Scruples
  I played this game long before 1999, but I didn't know there were a number of different versions available. Players guess how each other will answer tough moral questions like "As a detective, you want to put away a vicious rapist, but a crucial piece of evidence is lacking. You can plant it. Do you?" For my money, creator Henry Makow's Millennium version (available through his Web site) is the superior one. His Lovers and Liars (think, "Scruples for Lovers") isn't as well-known but is just as provoking. Sample question: "The ship has sunk; you and your lover are treading water. You have the only life jacket. Do you give it to your lover?"

• Settlers of Catan
  An absolutely terrific game from Germany that has sold millions of copies around the world. Never heard of it? Too bad -- it has literally changed the gaming world for many players. Settlers of Catan should occupy a place of honor in your game cabinet.