Gifts for the Casual Player

Is there a special someone in your life who's looking to discover the joy of gaming? Maybe they've tried their hand at a few of the classics, but are still intimidated by the thick rulebooks and complicated mechanics of modern games they've seen.

The games in this guide have accessible rules, interesting mechanics, and inviting artwork that's sure to be loved by all who play them!

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Gods Love Dinosaurs... and so might you!

Gods Love Dinosaurs is a cheeky, wild, and timeless take on the scientific tale as old as life itself. How do you make an ecosystem flourish with just enough of every life-form in the chain to supply you with dinosaurs to dominate the lands? The trick of this game is balancing your food chain, from tiny rabbits to soaring eagles, so that the hungry dinosaurs have enough to eat. The rules are simple enough to be taught in five-minutes, but the strategy will surprise you with its depth.

Included in these gift guides:
Tabletop Family (read guide)

Race to CTRL every angle!

Place your colored cubes to control every angle in this head-scratching strategy game! CTRL takes minutes to learn but has enough depth to engage the whole family. The goal is simple: control the largest area at the end of the game! But to do that, you'll need to solve a thinky 3D puzzle, placing your blocks along 3D paths that climb up and down surfaces and over other players' blocks. The blocks have a neat toy feel to them, turning gameplay into a neat tactile experience!

Roll the dice and fill your pockets!

Machi Koro is the biggest smash-hit from Japan with more than 1,000,000 copies sold and multiple game of the year nominations and wins, it's a simple game that every family and gamer should have in their collection! Armed only with your trusty die and a dream, you will need to collect income from developments, build public works, and steal from your neighbors' coffers. Just make sure they aren't doing the same to you!

Included in these gift guides:
The Dice Tower 2015 (watch video)
Board Game Geek 2015 & 2014 (read guide)
IGN 2016 (read guide)
The Escapist 2015 (read guide)
GeekDad 2014 (read guide)
Geek Cast Radio 2015 (read guide)
DDO Players 2016 (read guide)
Tech Crunch 2018 (read guide)
The Board Game Family 2016 (read guide)

You think you know Machi Koro? Try Legacy!

Welcome to Machi Koro Legacy, the game where your beloved Machi Koro changes and expands right before your very eyes! Play through ten different games in a story-driven campaign where player choices shape the game as you play. Throughout the campaign, elements are added into the mix that will make you shriek with delight and think on your toes.  Over time, an emergent narrative comes into focus, explaining this strange and mystical land that you all have stepped into.  This culminates in an infinitely re-playable eleventh game that will be completely unique!

Included in these gift guides:
Cool Stuff Inc (read guide)
Vonguru (read guide)
Ars Technica 2019 (read guide) 
Dicebreaker 2019 (read guide)
The Dice Tower 2019 (watch video)

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and keep cozy and safe in the colder weather. From our table to yours, happy gaming!

Photos by Alison Burrell/Kidsplaining