Board Games as Gifts

Many of you will unwrap presents in just a few hours’ time… which begs the question of gifting board games. I have been both the giver and the receiver of board game gifts over the last years and will share my thoughts on the matter with you.

I sometimes have board games on my wish list, and of course those are always nice to receive, especially if there’s a personal connection. For example, I got the Strange Remnants expansion (Nikki Valens, Fantasy Flight Games) for Eldritch Horror (Corey Konieczka/Nikki Valens, Fantasy Flight Games) from my wife for my birthday this year. We’ve played a fair amount of Eldritch Horror together before, and of course we’ve been diving into the new expansion together. In that sense, the gift is just an addition to quality time spent together.

Gifts can also broaden your board game collection – especially if the gifting person knows your gaming tastes well. Friends of mine who knew I like 7 Wonders (Antoine Bauza, Repos Production) gifted me 7 Wonders: Duel (Antoine Bauza/Bruno Cathala, Repos Production) which has been a nice addition to my shelves – and one that wouldn’t have made its way in without their thoughtful gift.

Of course, giving gifts takes more effort than receiving gifts. I don’t want this post to be a gift guide (there are others around the internet) and rather focus on some more general questions: To whom do I gift board games? And what do I do to make the gift a success?

The recipients of board games from me are always people who, duh, play board games. I’m sure it’s possible to lure unsuspecting not-yet-gamers into this lovely hobby with a gifted game, but that seems chancy to me – I’d rather dangle a pretty game I own in front of prospective gamers and invite them for a go at it. Typically, the recipients are not only board gamers, but even people who game with me. That ties into what I said above: If you game together anyway, the gift is not only a material item, but also an invitation to spend time with each other.

Finally, here’s my pro tip for gifting games: If you are going to be present when the game is unpacked, try to learn the rules beforehand. Then you can teach straight away if the lucky recipient wants to get right at it! …incidentally, that also means that I’d generally counsel to gift games on the lighter side. There’s a time for everything, including a 3,000 counter monster war game, but maybe Christmas Day ain’t it. Merry Christmas, everybody!

What’s your approach to giving or receiving board games? Let me know in the comments!