Stocking Stuffer Guide 2012

  "Children are grateful when Santa Claus puts in their stockings gifts of toys or sweets. Could I not be grateful to Santa Claus when he put in my stockings the gift of two miraculous legs?"
--G. K. Chesterton

There are likely as many stocking traditions as there are families who stuff stockings. I remember commercials from my youth suggesting that a diamond tennis bracelet--because it did not break the size constraint--was a suitable stocking stuffer. (If that's the case, make the stockings bigger--roughly the square, Fantasy Flight size game box.) In my family, "stocking stuffer" is a price range rather than a size limitation, and our stockings are often accompanied by bonus grocery sacks with things that are too big to fit in the stockings we have.

But for today's discussion of my recommendations for board game stocking stuffers, I'm offering two categories: one of small size, small cost games, and one of slightly larger games falling into a similar price range. Filler (stuffer?) games, if you will.

Here are my picks for 2012. Enjoy! (And if you're interested in larger games to give as gifts, check out our full 2012 gift guide.)

DeNile Is the First Stage of Sheaf (a review of Nile Deluxor)

 [Editors note: The following is a Nemesis Review, featuring opinions from our in-house eurogamer, @Farmerlenny, and his deadly enemy the thematic space-loving @Futurewolfie.  Make sure to read both opinions to get a better overall picture of the game!]

At Christmas when I was a kid, I always wanted to unwrap the big presents first. My line of reasoning went like this: toys are in big boxes, clothes are in small boxes. There are some toys small enough to fit in small boxes, but these aren't as cool as toys that come in big boxes. If I open the big boxes first, then I'll have something to play with once all I have left to open is small boxes.

Sometimes we don't grow out of these things.

It's easy for me, now that my toys are disguised as board games, to continue in the "bigger is better" mind-set. Bigger box: better bits. But this is not always the case, which brings me to Nile Deluxor.

What did I think of this small-box game? Check out the review below!

FDQ: What Is Your "Vegetables" Game?

"Eat your vegetables," your mother used to say (or might still say if you are still at home). And while she knew what was best for you, dang it, vegetables were (are?) gross! Like eating brussels sprouts or reading Ulysses, some gaming experiences have the feel of drudgery even if you recognize their genius. Which brings us to today's question: what board game for you is like eating vegetables? Answer in the comments!

@FarmerLenny answers:
Ha! You probably thought from the title of this post that I was going to ask what your favorite game involving vegetables is (if that's the case, mine is probably At the Gates of Loyang, unless beans count, in which case it's Bohnanza). But that is not the question!

The game to me that is most like eating vegetables is Glen More. I recognize that the game has some excellent mechanics, especially the warehouse buying/selling system, but each experience with the game feels dry (maybe like the whiskey in it?). It feels in many ways like the kind of game I should enjoy: it's got a very Euro feel, a novel turn-order system, multiple scoring options, and an interesting spin on tile laying, but the game just hasn't connected yet for me. Maybe I need to turn on some Monarch of the Glen and drink Irn-Bru to get the full effect of it. (Then again, both of these feel like vegetables-eating experiences, too, so...)

@Futurewolfie answers:
Well I actually liked most vegetables I was fed growing up... so there you have it.  But I'd hate to ruin @FarmerLenny's metaphor, so the game that I don't really like that other people seem to rate highly is, you guessed it, RA.  Apparently it's a cleverly implemented bidding game with a unique scoring system that offers strategy and replayability... but it just doesn't do it for me.  Doesn't click.  Does not cause me to have fun.

Incidentally, it seems that I don't actually own any games with vege-meeples.  Sad day.  Gotta work on that collection.

FDQ: What Comes after 7 Wonders?

Here at iSlaytheDragon, we sometimes receive correspondence from our readers (which we love!). Usually we handle these letters on our own and no one's the wiser, but we thought this question would be a good one to bring to our readers. Gawie from South Africa writes:

I'm the only one in my circle of friends and family who REALLY REALLY enjoys board games. I'm always trying to twist their arm to join me for a game. 7 Wonders has really solved a lot of my problems because people actually don't mind playing with me, since it's fun and short. However, I agree with you that some variety is needed - not game after game of 7 wonders all the time. Is there another board game that's as family friendly as 7 wonders that you would recommend?

Help Gawie in the comments!

@FarmerLenny answers:

I'm surprised you say your family and friends don't enjoy games that much, yet you call 7 Wonders "family friendly." Your friends and family must be nearly there!

I don't know how many players you hope to get involved, but the games I've seen have the best success are Settlers of Catan (which I'm bored of, but it's popular for a reason) and Ticket to Ride. Settlers of Catan can play three or four (there's an expansion to accommodate up to six players, but really, I'd start with the three- or four-player game), and Ticket to Ride can play up to five. Personally, Ticket to Ride is my go-to game for nongamers because each turn players only have one choice to make, so the game moves along quickly. Every person can make progress on a turn (unlike Settlers, where bad dice rolls can work against you and bad initial placement can hamper you), and as people get more into the game, they can play more aggressively. These are both for smaller crowds, but they're great.

If you're looking for a game that can accommodate the same crowd as 7 Wonders, some great family games  are For Sale (up to six), Pit (up to eight), Incan Gold (up to eight), and Bohnanza (my family's favorite, and it can fit seven). For Sale, Pit, and Incan Gold are super quick, but everyone I've taught them to loves them. These games are not as deep as 7 Wonders, though, and people will probably tire of them quicker. Bohnanza is a bit longer, but it really is a great game with lots of interaction. And if my family is any indication, they can play this one over and over and not get tired of it.

@Futurewolfie answers:

I've had the most success with Ticket to Ride.  While my family is willing to try games that I bring, TtR is one of the few they've actually ASKED for.  Kill Dr. Lucky was also a success, and that game holds up to 7 players - but it can last 1-1.5 hours.


The Resistance is another game popular with my family.  It takes up to 10 players, plays very short (about 30mins), doesn't have a lot of rules to remember, and is one of the few games that can be played leisurely around a living room instead of at a table.  (Leisurely in the sense that people can sit back in a comfortable chair).  It takes a bit for people to get used to the concept, but once they do it's easy for everyone to stay involved.


Other than that, it's almost more of an art than a science getting your family to play games. Just remember that not everyone has to be a gamer to enjoy games, and not everyone will enjoy your favorite games.  Getting your family to play requires patience.  You've got to regularly bring up the idea of trying new games but not be overly pushy - people are a lot less likely to enjoy a game if they're forced into it.  When introducing a new game, focus more on helping them enjoy the game than trying to win - crushing defeats discourage repeat plays.  Even if you have to sacrifice some of your fun the first few times, in the long run it will work out better for you when your family can enjoy a wider variety of games.

There and Back Again: A Farmer's Tale

This is my first post in a while. Sorry about the silence from my end; I've been traveling all over creation to celebrate Christmas with family. And I've come back with a tale or two about what I played...

My bags were packed with fun games—both for under the tree and for general consumption. I brought some old favorites and some new, and here were the results.

Bean Farming at Its Finest (a review of Bohnanza)

Perhaps this is a larger box than necessary, but there is
a lot packed into this small game.

About a year ago, when my love for hobby board games was rekindled, I had some birthday money, and I thought I would try a new game. I pored over reviews, and my choice came down to two games: Puerto Rico and Bohnanza. I thought Puerto Rico was a better bet in terms of which game I would prefer...but I also doubted I could find anyone to play with me since the rules looked more complicated and it couldn't regularly be played over a lunch hour. Bohnanza looked stupid, but the Amazon customer reviews were glowing, and I also thought I had a better chance of finding other players, so I chose in favor of it. When the game arrived in the mail and I examined the simple, cartoony cards, I thought I had made a huge mistake.

Turns out I was wrong.

Friday Question: Are You a Sleever?

I've heard it defended as "protecting your investment." I've heard detractors say, "It's like your mom covering the couch in plastic: it's so uninviting and doesn't feel like home." So this Friday, we're here to settle the question once and for all: Are you a sleever? To what extent? Answer in the comments below!

@FarmerLenny answers:
It's probably leftover from my days of playing CCGs—when I spent lots of money on little pieces of cardboard whose only value was determined by the company publishing it—and from my days of being the hall's unofficial activity director in my freshman dorm (when I spent my days playing video games and my nights wiping others' grease off my controllers), but I am a sleever. Not for all games, mind you. But if a game is exclusively or even primarily cards, I will probably sleeve it. I should qualify that. If a game is cheap ( < $20), I probably won't sleeve it. Bohnanza is a good example. If the game is expensive and primarily if not exclusively cards (like Dominion or 7 Wonders), I think it's worth it to sleeve the game. And seeing the wear on my sleeves (and considering the play my games see over lunch periods), I'm glad I made that decision. I think it's especially important to sleeve cards if the game is likely to have expansions, since uneven wear can become an issue. Board games that have cards but that are not primarily cards (like Ticket to Ride or even El Grande) I don't sleeve since the other bits are the bulk of the cost. Usually in these situations the manufacturer offers some kind of replacement deck for just the card portion. By the way, I am a cheapskate, so I use the penny sleeves. These are a good way to protect your investment without breaking the bank. Honestly, I prefer the tactile feel of cards without their plastic coatings, but I'd much rather protect the game.

@Futurewolfie answers: 
I'm not really a sleever, though it's more out of laziness and/or cheapness than anything else.  Dominion (and its expansions) is the only game I have sleeved... namely because it gets a lot of play, it consists entirely of cards, and there's a lot of reshuffling - after only a year, the cards are noticably wearing down, so I finally had to give in.  I also go for the 'penny' sleeves - it just doesn't make any sense to me to pay $40 to sleeve a game that i paid $30 for.  Okay maybe not every game has QUITE as many cards as Dominion, but still...

I would probably sleeve more games but it's very frustrating and annoying trying to find sleeves that fit for each game you have.  There are so many variations, and the size you need is always more expensive than the size that's 4mm shorter.  It is unfortunate that the cheap sleeves are so flimsy and also have a lot of variance in how snugly they fit.  In the end i would almost rather buy new copies of a game if the cards got too worn out, although i suppose that sleeves would be proof against the game going out of print...  Either way, it makes me greatly appreciate games that don't have cards at all (I'm looking at you guys, Smallworld and Ascending Empires, two of my favorites).

Friday Question: What Is a Good Family Game?

@Futurewolfie is out camping with his family this week, and I've been holding down the fort here at iSlaytheDragon.com all alone. (This is part of the reason posting has been light--I hope to have a review up tomorrow.) @Futurewolfie's camping trip sparks this Friday's Friday question: what is a good game to play with the family? Or, to ask it another way, what game should @Futurewolfie be playing (have played) this week with his family? Check out my answer below, and provide your own answer in the comments!

@FarmerLenny answers:
I offered it to him, but he turned it down, so it's all his fault. Anyway, the game that has seen the most success with my family is Bohnanza. Bohnanza looks lame from the box ("Cartoony beans?! How can that be fun?"), but it's a great way to get the family involved in conversation. Bohnanza is a trading game that rewards shrewd deals, even when they seem to offer you no benefit. Because of the planting/harvesting mechanism in Bohnanza, it behooves you at times to offer uneven trades (or even donations) in order to keep your own bean fields in a good state. All around, Bohnanza is a great game with lots of interaction (though I'm not sure how younger kids would do with it--my game-playing family is all older at the moment). The Resistance could also be a good choice, though it could lead to long-lasting family discord. On second thought, maybe The Resistance would best be left at home...

Gaming Gestalt

This is one of my favorite games--but what an
unappealing package!

I appreciated this post by John Garcia on telling newbies about hobby board games. He says that sometimes it's hard for new players to grasp the fun of a game just hearing what it's about. "So...you settle an island? Why would you want to collect resources? Who cares if you have the longest road?" He suggests just jumping in—that many times a game is greater than its explanation or what's contained in the box.

I find this is true for the most part. If a game has an unappealing package (El Grande); an unappealing (Pandemic), boring-sounding (Agricola), or abstract (Carcassonne) theme; or an appearance of complexity (Dominion), it doesn't matter how awesome the game is, it's much harder to get uninitiated players to try it. And the bigger the box, paired with these frightening traits, the less likely a person is to be willing to play the game. Ugly art and a big box tells non-geeks that they are about to enter a stifling realm of B.O. and arcana—more components, more to keep track of, greater chance of immersion, less chance of coming up for air. Best to come up with an excuse why you need to leave and cut your losses.