Gifts for board game and puzzle fans

Pick for the group, not the game

The most common mistake is buying a game that does not fit the number of people who will play it. Sky Team is strictly two players. Decrypto and Herd Mentality fall flat with three or four. Sushi Go Party and Ticket to Ride cover a wide range. Ask yourself who they actually play with most weeks.

For a couple, Sky Team and Cascadia both work well at two. For a family with mixed ages, Ticket to Ride, Set and Sushi Go Party are easy to teach. For a big holiday crowd, Herd Mentality and The Chameleon handle large groups and need no table space. For a hobby gamer who wants real decisions, Heat and Wingspan are the step up.

Think about where they play, too. A family that plays at the cottage or campsite will use the camp cribbage table and a deck of cards more than a big box with tiny pieces. A group that meets at a pub or cafe needs something small, like The Chameleon, Monopoly Deal or Set. A household with a big dining table and long winter evenings is the right home for Wingspan or the crokinole board.

How much rules reading will they tolerate

Some people want a game they can play five minutes after opening the box. Others enjoy learning a new system. Exploding Kittens takes about 5 minutes to learn. Ticket to Ride and Cascadia take one short explanation. Heat and Wingspan each need a full first game before the rules click.

If you are not sure, go lighter. A light game that gets played beats a heavy one that sits in the cupboard. Hobby gamers often already own the big titles, so ask before buying something like Wingspan or Ticket to Ride; both are well-known titles.

Party games need a certain kind of player. The Chameleon only works if people enjoy bluffing. Decrypto suits a group that liked Codenames. Herd Mentality is the safest of the three for a family with grandparents at the table.

Choosing a puzzle

For jigsaw fans, difficulty matters more than picture. A scene with distinct areas, like the Villager Book Nook or the Gibsons harbour, is a comfortable 1000 pieces. A repeating pattern with no picture, like the Areaware Geometry in Motion or the Le Puzz clocks, is much harder and suits someone who has done dozens.

For a beginner, an older puzzler with tired eyes, or a grandparent doing it with a grandchild, a smaller count makes sense. The Australian Geographic lorikeets is 124 wooden pieces and stands on a shelf when finished.

Regular puzzlers are often short of space, not puzzles. The Bits and Pieces folding felt board lets them sort pieces into trays and put a half-done puzzle away so the dining table can be used for dinner.

Take-apart puzzles are a different gift. The Craighill Tetra and the Thor's Hammer suit someone who likes a quiet challenge at a desk. The UGears Book of Secrets is a few hours of building and ends as a box with a hidden mechanism.

Budgets and timing

Under $20 buys a good party or card game: Herd Mentality, The Chameleon, Exploding Kittens, Set or a deck of jumbo-index cards. From $25 to $75 covers most family board games and 1000-piece puzzles. Heat, Wingspan, the Craighill puzzle, the UGears kit, the felt puzzle board and the crokinole board sit above that.

Big boxes ship slowly in December. The Lunenburg crokinole board is about 1 metre square and 6 kg, so order it early and plan where it will live. Smaller shops in Canada, the UK and Australia can run low on stock close to the holidays.

If the date is close, a small card game is the safe fallback. It fits in a stocking or an envelope.

Questions people ask

What is a good board game for two people?

Sky Team is built only for two: a co-op game where partners land a plane without discussing their dice. Cascadia also plays well at two and is calm and easy to teach. Ticket to Ride works at two but feels less tense than with a full table. Avoid party games like Decrypto, which need six or more.

What board game should I buy for a family with kids and grandparents?

Pick something with short rules that does not reward experience too much. Set lets quick-eyed kids beat adults. Ticket to Ride and Sushi Go Party are easy to teach. Herd Mentality works with a big group. A crokinole board is a Canadian classic that every age can play at once.

How hard is a 1000-piece puzzle?

It depends on the image more than the count. A picture with clear areas, like a reading nook or a harbour, is a comfortable project over a few evenings. Repeating patterns, like a page of clocks or a textile print with no picture, are much harder and suit experienced puzzlers. Large sky or sea areas also slow things down.

What do you get someone who already owns lots of board games?

Ask what they have first, since hobby gamers often own the popular titles. Newer games like Heat or Sky Team are less likely to be on the shelf. Or skip games: a folding felt puzzle board, a metal take-apart puzzle or a camp cribbage table adds something different to the collection.