Adding old-fashioned fun to the holidays with new games

If you’re looking for the perfect gift that can bring families and friends together, consider picking up a board game or tabletop role-playing game this holiday season.

My friends and I host regular game nights where we will play a rotating lineup of titles. My current favorite is Dixit, which requires players to tell stories using beautifully illustrated cards. 

We are also always drawn to a game called The Resistance, which we have simply dubbed Spies. Your group tries to complete missions, but some of the members are attempting to sabotage the game. Good luck trying to figure out which of your friends are lying.

For the Harry Potter fans on your list, I highly recommend Harry Potter: Hogwarts Battle, a cooperative deck-building game that allows players to take on the roles of all of their favorite characters throughout all of the movies.

Of course, the classics are always a tried-and-true purchase. We recently played the Stranger Things version of Monopoly after binge-watching the second season of the Netflix show. There is undoubtedly a version of Monopoly for every person on your list.

Gaming at the Pine Plains Free Library

If you’d like to try out some board games before you purchase them, stop by the Pine Plains Free Library in nearby Dutchess County. According to Director Veronica Stork, the library purchased around 20 games this summer using funds supplied by Assemblymember Didi Barrett. The collection features both classic and modern games, including Clue, Jenga, Munchkin, Exploding Kittens and Forbidden Island. The games are available for patrons to check out, or they can be played at the library.

The library has also started a new gaming tradition by hosting Beer and Board Game Nights at the Pine Plains Platter. The restaurant sells snacks and has beer, cider and wine available for purchase during the event. The dates for future gatherings will be posted on the library’s website at www.pineplainslibrary.org.

“We’ve had about 12 to 16 people each time, and the same people tend to come back,” Stork said. “Jenga is really popular, as is Scrabble. People also enjoy bringing their own games and showing people how to play them, which I think is a cool element.”

Games as gifts

Stork offered some of her favorite board games as gift ideas:

• Hoot Owl Hoot for ages 4 and up is a colorful, easy-to-learn cooperative game where players work together to get their owls back to the nest before the sun comes up. 

“I think this is a more interesting alternative to something like Candy Land.”

• Exploding Kittens for ages 7 and up is “like Russian Roulette, but with cats. The goal is to not get the exploding kitten. It’s really popular with the tween set.” The cards are illustrated by Matthew Inman, the creator of The Oatmeal web comic.

• Bananagrams is meant for ages 7 and up, “but it’s more fun for adults. It’s a great fast-paced game for people who like Scrabble.” 

• Ubongo for ages 8 and up is a  “really fun puzzle game. It’s sort of like Tetris in real life.” 

•Forbidden Island for ages 10 and up is a cooperative game in which players must work together to capture treasure from a sinking island before it disappears into the ocean. “It has a bit of a learning curve, but once you get how it works, it’s super fun.”

Tabletop role-playing games

My absolute favorite gaming genre is tabletop role-playing games. Various publishers have crafted rules for all sorts of fan-favorite universes, including Doctor Who by Cubicle 7 and Star Wars by Fantasy Flight Games, but I mainly focus on Dungeons & Dragons by Wizards of the Coast. 

D&D still a favorite

This fantasy game, which was first published in 1974, allows players to create characters (elves, half orcs, gnomes) that go on all sorts of adventures. The only limit is your imagination — and the rules, of course.

If you think somebody on your list might like to try out Dungeons & Dragons this holiday season, pick up the starter set for the fifth edition of the game. It contains everything you need to play, including a condensed rulebook and a fun adventure. If the person on your gift list is already a player, consider getting Tomb of Annihilation, the newest published adventure, which has an Indiana Jones vibe to it; or “Xanathar’s Guide to Everything,” a book full of new rules and story options.

If you want to learn how to play Dungeons & Dragons, the NorthEast-Millerton Library in Millerton hosts games led by me and other Dungeon Masters. Keep an eye on the schedule at www.nemillertonlibrary.org.