Gift Guide - Classic Values

Looking for the perfect gift for someone new to the world of board games? Or to someone you want to introduce this hobby to? Then it is definitely worth sticking to proven and classic values ​​that are appreciated by millions of people around the world.

Every year we hear about hundreds of new board games that are said to be better than others. These lists are often difficult to navigate because there are so many different opinions, but which one is the right one? It is also not uncommon for manufacturers, in pursuit of something new and unique, to choose to combine different game mechanics, which may seem confusing to inexperienced players. Also, often this game, as quickly as it gains popularity, loses it just as quickly.

However, there are games that have been popular for years. It's these proven, classic values ​​that make the perfect gift for anyone who doesn't yet have their own board game collection.

• Catan
• Carcassonne
• Ticket to Ride: Europe
• 7 wonders
• Pandemic
• Codenames
• I said
• The winged ones

Catan

Undoubtedly, the first game that comes to mind when talking about modern classics is "Catan" (or "Invaders of Catan"). The masterpiece created by the German author Klaus Toiber has been bringing joy to families and companies of friends around the world for more than 25 years. Players take on the role of Catan settlers in this game. Collect resources from your villages, build roads, new villages, develop them into cities and fight against island robbers. Communication plays a big role in this game, as players are allowed to trade resources with each other.

It is not for nothing that many people in Latvia and other parts of the world have this top game at board game nights.

Carcassonne

Another world famous German game is "Carcassonne" created in 2000 by Klaus Jürgen Wrede. What self-respecting board game player doesn't know Carcassonne? It's a game with simple rules but a wide range of strategy options.

On your turn, you must take one game space and place it on the shared map. After that, you can choose to place a person of your color on it. Depending on how you place it, you will be able to get points. Knights can be placed in cities, travelers on roads, monks in monasteries and peasants in the countryside.

Each player has a limited number of minions, so you have to plan your moves carefully so that you don't use them up too quickly, and when you have a great opportunity to score a lot of points, you're out of minions.

One of the advantages of Carcassonne is that it can be played by two to five players. The duel between two players will be more strategic and close (this is exactly the format used in the championships), but with more people in the game, the luck factor will appear more.

Ticket to Ride

Not only Germany is known for its game authors. One of the most famous game authors is the British Alan Moon, who created another well-known hit 18 years ago - "Ticket to Ride" .

The well-known train game is one of the best introductory games in our hobby. In it, players build their own rail network between major European cities (or others if playing one of the other maps in the game) on a shared map, trying to connect the cities indicated on their route cards. However, you have to be careful because others are also trying to connect their cities, so often your plans will overlap, but there will not be room for both and you will have to replan your route.

"Ticket to Ride" is an addictive game that is interesting for both new and experienced players.

7 Wonders

The civilization drafting game "7 Wonders" by the French author Antoine Bauza can also be called a classic today, which is one of the most award-winning board games of all time.

If you are looking for a gift for someone who has not yet taken their first steps in the world of gaming, then this will not be the best choice, as the game is a bit more complicated than the ones mentioned above. But if you need a gift for someone who has already mastered a few games, this might be a good step deeper into the world of games.

Each of the players draws one of the seven wonders that will be the cornerstone of his civilization. The game is divided into three eras, which will be separate rounds of the draft. Namely, each player will be dealt seven cards, from which everyone will simultaneously choose one to keep for themselves, while the rest will be given to the next player. Next you will have to choose one card from the new hand. Each time the options will become less and less until you end up having to take one of the two cards that will end the first era. In the same way, the players will play two more rounds of the draft, followed by scoring.

There are many ways to earn points in this game, so there is no simple standard recipe for winning. Players can focus on trade, military, science, resource extraction, score cards, or simply collect a little bit of everything.

The game is not only exciting, but also has very beautiful illustrations that everyone will appreciate.

Pandemic

If we're talking about great game authors, it's worth mentioning an American. All fans of team games can thank Matt Leacock, the author of Pandemic . This was by no means the first cooperative game, but it became perhaps the most popular representative of the genre, inspiring more and more authors to work on team games.

In the Pandemic game, players must work together to stop four diseases that have taken over the world. There is no single winner here - everyone wins or loses together.

The game is perfect for someone who respects team spirit and likes to work with others. In addition, playing in a team means that you can play with your friend or family member and help them in the first games, because it is in your mutual interest after all.

Codenames

Czech author Vladimir Chvatil not only created one of the most famous party games of his country, but also one of the most popular party games in the world - "Codenames" . This game will make an excellent gift for someone who enjoys simple games for larger groups that encourage discussion between players.

Players divide into two teams and each team chooses one captain. The playing field consists of 25 different words, some of which each team has, but only the captains know which they are. On his turn, the team captain gives his teammates a clue consisting of one key word and one number that determines how many team words he associates with that association. The other teammates must discuss and guess what these words are, but be careful, because a wrong guess will immediately give the move to the opponents. The first team to reveal all their names wins.

I said

Another classic party game is "Dixit" by Jean-Louis Rubire. This game is perfect as a gift for creative souls, as the game consists of 84 abstract art cards for which players must think of explanatory associations.

Dixit has inspired countless other games and is considered a classic for that reason. Moreover, this game is very popular all over the world.

The winged ones

As the latest classic in the list, we can add the beautiful bird game "Winged" , created by the American game author Elizabeth Hargrave.

Just like 7 Wonders, we do not recommend this game as a gift to people new to the board game hobby. In it we collect resources and attract different species of birds to our reserve. Each of them has its own characteristics that make the game particularly strategic.

This game was released in 2019, but has already sold more than a million copies worldwide. "Winged" is considered the biggest phenomenon in this hobby in recent years.

These are just a few examples of modern classics that you can use for your Christmas gifts. If you are not sure which of these games will best suit your chosen situation, feel free to go to our stores, where the employees will be happy to tell you more about these and other games!