Medium

This is s party game that you really don’t need to teach how to play the game, the game is that simple. You just start playing it. Each player has a hand of six cards, one person plays down a card and the person they are paired with plays down a card. Then you need to come up with a word between those two.

So if the words were muffin and scone, it might be breakfast. It’s not between, but it’s what links both. But then if the guessers, the people who played the cards, guessed breakfast and pastry, now they need to come up with a word linking or between those. You take points depending on how many times it takes you trying to match up. And you can try up to three rounds.

The game offers a good challenge as you try and match up with someone, but also good laughs. Plus, the number of times I pick between two words and the other person picks the other, it’s way too high. But it’s a concept so simple that everyone can play and have fun with it.

Cross Clues

If you want something more challenging, Cross Clues offers that. It is two axis of cards with words on them. So rows numbers 1 through 5 and columns A through E. Each of those is matched up with a word, and players each of a card that is one of those axis.

An example of play would be that I have A3, the word on A is stick the word on 3 is wind. I might give the clue, and only a one word clue, kite. But maybe B’s word is tail, do I want to give that clue and have people choose between those two?

It’s a clever game that can be timed, which would make it very hectic. I prefer without a timer and just enjoy it more that way. It’s a good one though, because everyone is a clue giver. No turn orders, whenever you come up with a clue, you say it and players come to a consensus and guess on it. So it’s a cooperative party game.

Wits & Wagers

Maybe the people you play with like trivia. Wits & Wagers is the best trivia game that I have found. Why, because you don’t need to know trivia. You need to know who, in your group, might know the answer. Wits & Wagers is a trivia game where everyone answer is a number. And like Price is Right you’re trying to guess the closest without going over.

But what works really well is that you guess, the numbers are sorted, and then you bet on what you think the right answer is going to be. The closer to the middle of the group the better the odds. The further the worse they are, but if it’s the closest without going over, you can make a lot of money.

The concept is very simple but it feels better. Trivial Pursuit, Dicecapdes, or Cranium, if you don’t know the answer, you fail. And that isn’t fun. But betting on what answer is closest, that means you don’t need to know. It makes it so you n ever feel like you are out of the game.

Tsuro

Maybe you want less of a party game, but a game where you can plwty it with a big group. Tsuro is a very simple game, the way of the path. You are just putting down tiles to make a path, and following that path, as you do. Your goal is to be the last one on the board and to avoid hitting any other pieces.

This game works well because you can play with up to 8 people and it plays fast. There are some interesting decisions to make, though, in the game. Do you stay away from people or try and get close to them and knock them off the board? And it’s one that even with eight, you will probably play, then shuffle up the tiles and play again.

Welcome To…

A roll and write game for the list, this is by far the heaviest of the games. But it can play an infinite number of people. You just need a way for them to be able to see everything. This game is about building your perfect town. You put down house numbers, build fences, parks, and pools, and advertise your neighborhoods to get the most points.

It is a theme that people can get into. And it’s a game that is pretty easy when you get into it. You, on every turn, put down a house number and a second card that will have another ability. There are three pairs of cards you look at each round. And it’s just a race to see who can get the most points. The game ends when you can’t put down a house number enough times, you fill in all the house numbers, or someone completes the four building goals.

This is one that I’d recommend if you have a bit more of a gamer family. Like I said, the most complex on the list, though not too bad once you get into it. There are just some minor rules that make it a little bit harder. I do have easier roll and write games that I could recommend, Second Chance can also play with a lot of people, but Welcome To… is just more engaging.

Honorable Mention Board Games

There are so many of them, but a lot of not so great games as well. If you want something more color bases, Hues and Cues is great. It is trickier, and not color blind friendly. If you want Apples or Apples or Cards Against Humanity, but with more variety, Stipulations is great. I didn’t put down any Mafia or Werewolf type games, but Deception: Murder in Hong Kong is a good big group game in that style that I really like.

Or if you have a smaller group, there are other games you can pick as well. But that’s going to be more focused on gateway games. Plus there are classic games that can still be fun. Scrabble and Clue, I like them both still. But for some you need to make sure, like Scrabble, you’re kind of on the same level of knowledge.

What are some board games you grew up playing at the holidays? What games do you bring along now?

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Legos

Now, Legos might seem like a kids thing, but speaking as an adult who has several Lego sets, though not currently out, Legos are awesome. And Lego is no longer just a bunch of random bricks to build houses with, or some castle sets, both Marvel and DC have Lego sets. I have the Milano from Guardians of the Galaxy, for example, that I need to get on display. But you can get Dr. Strange’s Sanctum, Avengers Mansion, Green Lantern vs Sinestro, or a very detailed Batwing. These can make awesome display pieces for a nerdy room. I have a gaming room, but I have action figures and trade paperbacks in this room as well. So Legos are always fun display pieces.

Trade Paperbacks

Speaking of trade paperbacks, for someone who loves the movies, a good move would be to get them some trade paperbacks of the comic runs of their favorite characters, or upcoming films. If someone is interested in the Eternals, grab Neil Gaiman’s run of that, or if someone loved the Infinity saga, you could get them The Infinity Gauntlet. There are a ton of stories out there like that, but you can also just get a comic run for a character like Batman, Spider-Man, or Thor, really tailoring it to the character that they like. Or a more general team-up one like Avengers, Justice League, or Teen Titans. What’s so nice about this is that you will be able to find arcs within those as well. The past couple of weeks I’d talked about Planet Hulk and World War Hulk, those both can be found in trade paperbacks.

Board Games

Yes, there are board games, but I’m keeping this a bit more generalized. I’m going to rattle off a number of them here, and you can fit what might be right for you. Marvel Battleworld, this is a super simple game that has a very high toy factor to it. You collect little Marvel figures and take them to battle locations. There are Thanos Stones (not a thing that I know of in the comics) which are basically just the packs you get the characters in, so you can open up more blind packs in hopes you’ll get who you want. Then Marvel Legendary an the DC Deck Building Game, more complicated games, but still pretty straight forward. In these are you start out with some generic cards, but you add in superheroes to your deck of cards as you go to do cool combos. There is a ton out for both of these games, but they are a bit random. Marvel Champions is another option, this one has you taking a team of heroes up against a villain in a very complex strategy game where you are balancing out use of cards to stop the villains scheming and beat them up. Two more to go, first is Sentinels of the Multiverse. This one is not based off of any IP, intellectual property, but is it’s own super hero world. The cool thing about that is that they do a great job of world building themselves. There is a ton for this game, but just the base game will have a lot to play, another card based super hero game. Finally, Marvel United, this one is new this year, and one that I’d highly recommend. It is a fairly simple game, so good for a non gamer of all ages. The minis in this game are amazing, and the game play is fun, definitely worth checking out and probably the best option for the largest crowd.

Action Figures

I’ve touched on them briefly when I talked about Legos, but action figures are another great option. And you can find them in a wide range of detail and prices. I personally have enjoyed the Marvel Diamond Select ones, a bit more expensive, but come with great backdrops. But I have simpler Marvel ones and DC ones as well. Plus you can get the person their favorite character again. Almost every character has had an action figure come out of it. And if an action figure isn’t quite right, you can always look for something like Funko Pops as well. A bit more limited, kind of, in characters that they have, they make a good thing for someone to show off their nerdiness just a little bit as something to display in a cubicle at work, or maybe where you are working from home from.

Now, normally I do five different things, but I’ve covered more than that already with the different games, types of action figures, and more. Obviously, there are going to be things like the movies that you could get someone as well, or with Wandavision coming out January 15th, you could gift someone a subscription for the year to Disney+. So there are a lot of things that you can consider for gifts when it comes to super heroes, it’ll be down to what you think is best for the person you are giving the gift to.

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This first category is going to be for that person who is just a little bit too competitive when it comes to gaming and must win at all costs. Playing to win is good, needing to win is not quite as good. So I’m looking at two different types of games here, games that are cooperative and games that are relaxed. And with cooperative games, I do want to try and find games that are going to be harder for them to be an alpha player (someone who controls other players and their own turns, thinks they always know what is best).

The Lost Expedition

One of my favorite games, this cooperative card playing game is going to give that Alpha Gamer a chance to be a little bit of a Alpha Gamer, but not spend the whole game making everyone’s decisions. In this game you are trying to traverse to the Lost City of Z. You hike very morning and evening, the trick to this is that before you go down the path, you are creating that. To do that you are playing event cards that go in a row from your hand. But you can’t really talk about what you might be playing. This means that each player gets to make a real decision for themselves in the game. During the morning, the cards are slotted in numerical order before you traverse them, in the evening, the order that they are played in, and each player will play all of their cards on a given day. Then as a group you talk through how you want to traverse the cards, what of the optional actions you want to take on the cards, are there any cards that allow you to rearrange, what resources to spend. The game is pretty simple and small, but is a good cooperative game.

Cross Clues

Another cooperative game, this one is a party game where you are trying to give one word clues to get people to guess a cross section between two words. Think of it as a spreadsheet where you have columns and rows, each row and column has a word. So it might be something like “Witch” and “Stick”, if you have the coordinates for that intersection you would give a clue like “Broom”, but the trick is sometimes you might have another word that will make that harder for people to guess. So something like “Clean”. If that is in the place axis, row or column, as “Witch” now is “Broom” a word for a “Clean Stick” or a “Witch Stick” so you have to be clever about the clues. But when someone gives a clue, everyone else partakes in guessing. This one also works well via Zoom. It plays fast and offers some chances to be clever, which a competitive gamer will probably like, but everyone else will enjoy as well.

Just One

Another party game as well. This one is also about giving one word clues, but in this one you are comparing clues, And if two, or more, clues match, those clues are not allowed to be shared. That means that you might have six clues at the start, but end up with only two valid ones to show the person who is it. They are trying to guess a one word answer from those clues. I like this one because it is impressive when someone gets something from a very tricky set of clues, or when you think you are being clever and someone else is being clever in the same way. For example, I’ve seen someone guess “Karate” just from the words “Style” and “Discipline”. I’ve also seen someone not get cookie, because two of the people cancelled out each other by giving the clue “Snickerdoodle”. It’s a fun game, again one that can be played via Zoom really easily.

The Crew: The Quest For Planet Nine

This one is interesting because it’s a cooperative trick taking game. In this game you are trying to play out cards in certain ways so that people know what cards you do or don’t have so that you can set it up that certain cards will take tricks or certain players. It makes it really interesting as you play not through just hand after hand of the same thing, but you can try missions. The further in you get, the tougher the challenges are going to get, and the nice thing is what this game plays with a pretty wide number of players, though, some player counts are easier than others. It’s been a very popular one this year as it can play at the two player count.

Second Chance

Second Chance is not a cooperative game. This is one of the relaxing games that I’ve been talking about. This is a little roll and write game where you are filling in squares on a grid to see who can fill in the most. The trick is that you have two shapes to choose from but if you can’t use either of them, you get a single second chance card. If you can use that second chance card you are still in the game but if you can’t you’re out and you count up all your open spots. What works so nicely in this game is that it really encourages you to doodle in the shape you’re filling in. So while competitive, everyone is going at once, and everyone has access to everything in the game.

Welcome To…

In a similar line as Second Chance, Welcome To… is a competitive roll and write game (flip and write). In this one you are making your perfect neighborhood. Each turn you place in a house number and take the corresponding action with it, it might be building a pool or a park, putting in a fence, doing advertising, or using workers or creating a bisecting house (term to be explained later). The great thing is what everyone picks one to use at the same time, it doesn’t matter if someone else is using it. And everyone goes at the same time. That means there is nothing that is “better” for one person to take or not, because everyone always have access to everything and is dealing with the same card flips. Games like that are going to limit how much someone can try and decide what everyone else should do.

These are just some fun options that work with a more competitive or alpha gamer who might not always be the best to play with. Some of them are going to be more likely to bring out the sore loser, but with the competitive ones that I did pick, I picked ones where everyone was dealing with the same set-up of things instead of dealing with someone “stealing” what they needed for their strategy or taking a less than optimal turn. And one nice thing is none of these games are too expensive either, so get them two.

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This list is basically the opposite of yesterday’s list which was focused on small games that are going to have a small footprint, small box, and generally a smaller price. Epic board games are going to generally be in a larger box and they are going to pack a lot into the game, so whether it’s in a fantasy world or a sci-fi setting, the game is going to feel big and epic. Also, stocking stuffers are going to be more apt to be games for a newer gamer, these, you are going to want to know the person likes board games.

Aeon’s End: War Eternal – This game actually doesn’t have a ton of pieces to it or a giant board at least. It’s a deck building game, but the game feels epic as you face off against an giant monster who is trying to destroy the town of Gravehold. You take on the roll of a breach mage who is casting spells to deal damage or out last the plans of the giant monster. To do this, you are building up a deck of cards, so it’s a pretty standard deck builder that way, but, in a twist, you never shuffle your deck, so if you are clever, you can pull off some interesting combos.

Betrayal at House on the Hill – This game is different from the first in that it has a sprawling footprint. You’re building out this massive haunted house, and eventually, there will be a twist when the haunt happens and someone is going to be a traitor. This game is a really thematic game that leans into the horror theme. The best way to describe it would be that you are playing through the movie Cabin in the Woods, if Cabin in the Woods was a mansion instead of a cabin. You never know what the haunt is going to be, because an omen card in a certain room is going to take you to a specific haunt. The game is a bit swingy in that someone can, with a bit of luck be very strong or the haunts can be a bit unbalanced, but it’s very thematic.

Blood Rage – With a name like that, how could it not be epic? In this game, you are taking your tribe of Viking warriors through combat and area control in order to get the most glory. However, beware where Ragnorak is happening, because that can knock your troops off the board. Blood Rage is, at it’s heart, a card drafting game where the cards you pick at the beginning of the age determine your strategy for that age. But it feels like it plays out on the table in a massive way, with big epic conflicts, monsters on the board, and the strategies are all based around different deities from Norse Mythology. The game looks cool on the table and the minis help give it it’s epic feel.

Cry Havoc – In what turns out to be a bit of a euro-style area control game, you really get to play through a giant cinematic game of different factions warring over the crystals. Humans are able to attack from different areas in support. The mechs can build up stronger technology and call in satellite support. The pilgrims are a peaceful alien race that just cares about growing as many crystals as possible. And the trogs are everywhere on the planet, because it’s their home world, and they’re trying to fight everyone off. In this game you’re getting points for crystals in the few rounds that you are playing and scoring. But it has a tricky bit of combat and interesting card play to be able to get to other areas, fight your battles, or in the case of the pilgrims, set-up your fortified areas. It looks cool and feels a bit like Avatar.

Dead of Winter – Dead of Winter is a survival zombie game where you are in charge of a group of survivors. You need to go out and find food, deal with zombies, get medicine to heal people, deal with crisis that are happening and complete a main objective. There is a ton to do in this game, plus, beyond that, you have your own goal you need to complete and there might be a traitor in your midst. All of that is great and epic feeling as you try and figure out who the traitor might be, but there are also crossroads cards which offer you tough decisions if the right conditions are met that makes this game feel even more epic.

Gloomhaven – This is, in my opinion, the ultimate big epic board game. It’s a massive box, massive footprint on the table, a ton of characters to play. Now, it comes with a large price tag, but the number of hours worth of play, it’s worth the price. Gloomhaven has a nice story to it, but it shines in the scenarios where you have to work with your teammates in your card play to get it really ticking, because the monsters hit back and they hit back hard. It’s a lot of strategy and it’s just fun to play, plus unlocking new characters keeps the game feeling fresh. It’s like a video game RPG, but on a board.

Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition – The only Lovecraftian game on this list, I considered Arkham Horror LCG, and while it does have a great story, it doesn’t feel quite as epic. Mansions of Madness though is an epic horror game in a box. You are using an app to drive the story and provide ambiance for the game. But that doesn’t take away from the board game piece, it just enhances it and can cause the game to be set-up differently each time you play a scenario. And there are tons of scenarios out there and expansions. You take on the role of an investigator who has been called in for something odd happening, but can you stop it in time or before you become too injured or insane to carry on?

Pandemic Legacy Season 1/Season 2 – I’m lumping both of them together, but both are pretty epic stories. As a Legacy game, it means that you have a limited number of plays through the story, but the story is good, and you feel like you get your value from them. You are playing what is basically Pandemic, a game where you are a member of the CDC going out to deal with diseases. The basic game is fairly epic, but when you add in an evolving story, it becomes more epic and challenging as you have to adapt to the strategies that the changes in the game is leading your towards. It’s fun to play through, even twice, like I’ve done, because there is a good story with it and a lot of story and interesting decisions.

Root – These are cute woodland creatures, they won’t be epic, will they? Yes, they will in this asymmetric game where players take on the roles of different factions of woodland creatures. Maybe you are the vagabond who is getting new items to be able to do more things or planning out your long term strategy as the Eyrie who need their orders to be carried out in a certain way and things will go poorly if they aren’t. Or maybe you are the Woodland Alliance who don’t start with much, but need to create a strong position on the board. And then there is the Marquise de Cat and his cat troops who are trying to keep control on the areas and expand their power. It’s big, it’s epic, and everyone feels really unique in the game.

Skulk Hollow – By far the smallest game on the list and only a two player game, it still feels epic. You have the foxen heroes who all of a sudden have to deal with a guardian. The guardian of the realm probably isn’t a bad guy, but with the foxen folk there now, they seem like one. One player plays as the guardian and the other as foxen folk, each with their own goals. The foxen folk always want to take down the guardian, but the guardian might be trying to get certain tokens out or maybe kill the leader of the foxen folk, or just kill as many foxen folk as they can. The game plays fast, but it packs a punch for what it does.

Star Wars: Rebellion – The original trilogy in a box, it’s going to be epic. Again a two player game where one person is the empire trying to find that darn rebel base. The other player, as the rebels is trying to complete missions in order to subvert the empires evil plans. It’s a good cat and mouse game with all the big players that you’d expect from a Star Wars game. It’s been close basically every time I’ve played it and while the rebels can be a bit trickier to play and this is a longer game, it is engaging the whole time and not too hard. The asymmetry is pretty limited and that makes teaching the game easier than the previous two ones, even with the different character goals.

Sword and Sorcery – Another big dungeon crawl with a lot of characters, Sword and Sorcery takes you on a tighter story than Gloomhaven does, but in what is more of a dice chucking game. The story is cool, and the monsters, while limited, offer a good variety of challenges. What makes this game especially unique is the death mechanic, where if you die, you aren’t out of the game, you have limited things you can do, but you can also respawn as long as you have enough soul gems. There are a ton of characters to play, and while the story is quite linear, I do feel like it’s a game that I could play through again with different characters and the game would feel different.

T.I.M.E. Stories – This game is basically time cops as you try and police the time stream, going to Earth in different eras as well as to completely different worlds. It’s an interesting game because you run through different stories, which are expansions for the game. T.I.M.E. Stories, for everything, is the most expensive game on the list, but it’s worth checking out. The story in the base game is interesting, and it only starts to show you the plug and play nature of the system. Each story, also, has it’s own epic feel, and you get to run through the story, making better decisions each time or maybe finally going down that rabbit trail that you probably shouldn’t have gone down.

Village Attacks – Maybe, as compared to the rest of the games, you want to play the bad guys. In Village Attacks, you and a team of other monsters has to deal with pesky villagers who are coming to your lair with their pitchforks and torches. You need to protect yourself, because that’s very rude of them to attack you. Can you survive the onslaught of monsters coming? It’s a fun cooperative game and very challenging as there are so many villagers. I had a blast playing it at GenCon, and I’m super excited to get my kickstarter copy. If you want to get this game, you need to check out the possibility of a late pledge from the kickstarter.

XenoShyft: Onslaught – Sometimes you just want to squish some bugs. XenoShyft is basically Starship Troopers where you have to defend this mining facility from all sorts of waves of bugs. This is another deck building game, and it’s a tough deck building game, but you always feel like you’re getting better and have a chance. The cool and unique part of the game is the fact that you can play your cards to help other people, because sometimes you might have a lot of weapons that you can’t use, but someone else might need them, so you have to balance it out to make sure that there isn’t a weak link. This is a tough game to win, but a ton of fun.

There are so many epic games out there. If you want a longer game that you can play a lot, there are a lot of good options out there. I’d recommend starting with some of the smaller ones on the list, XenoShyft: Onslaught, Pandemic Legacy, or Aeon’s End. But if they already like epic games, and you want to splurge, Gloomhaven is a game that you can’t go wrong with. Yes, it won’t be for everyone, but it is a massive epic game and unless you want a ton of dice rolling, which Gloomhaven doesn’t offer.

Is there an epic game out there that you really love? Or is there one that is really epic that you want to get?

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There are a few requirements that I put on these games. They have to be a theme that people will generally enjoy, that probably means not that much theme really. Because there will be some people who don’t like fantasy or sci-fi or horror or romance or whatever the theme might be. The games also have to look nice or have some interesting pieces to them. That attracts people to the games. The games also have to be family weight games and easy to teach. If it’s too complex, you probably won’t play it.

So let’s hop into some games that I think will work well in most groups:

Ticket to Ride: It’s a classic, but there’s enough game to it that it’ll be palatable for someone who considers themselves a serious gamer. But it’s also simple enough that when you play it, you can probably teach a grandparent or a younger cousin how to play it. The little train pieces are fun to play around with as well, so it looks good. This is probably the game that people will be most apt to have played as well.

Century: Golem Edition: Yes, you can do spice road, but that is just more bland. This version has more toy factor with the gems and the art work is very cute and looks good on the table. This is a bit more complex, but what you’re going to be doing on your turn is still simple and limited to one thing. That means that people, while they will have to strategize, won’t be swamped by too many things to do.

Pandemic: If you need a cooperative game, I’d recommend the classic. Pandemic has nice playability and it’s a bit more complex than some other cooperative games that I could recommend. The cubes and the player powers are going to be things that people enjoy. And because it’s cooperative, if you have someone in your family who gets too competitive, you’re all working on the same team.

Sagrada: This game is just beautiful as you are drafting dice to create stained glass windows. If you are worried about some of the tools being too complex, you can pick and choose to get the right level of difficulty. This game looks amazing on the table and it’ll draw people over so that they can join in and play.

Sushi Go Party: I actually considered putting down just plain vanilla Sushi Go, because that game is simpler, but Sushi Go Party offers more variety and people will probably want to play it again, so you can change stuff up. It’s a good fast and simple card drafting and set collection game.

Second Change: This is the game that you can pull out instead of Yahtzee, which I still recommend, but if you want to introduce something different in that drawing on paper. This one you’re putting together tetris types of shapes to see who can fill in most of the area. It’s a concept that people will understand easily and one that you’ll play again and again and again. Plus, you get to doodle.

Just One: Another cooperative game, and this one in the party style. I am personally sick of games like Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity that get pulled out around the holidays, and Just One is different than that. The cooperative nature is great, and the little bit of a Scattergories feel is a lot of fun, plus, trying to come up with a clue that will help, but that no one else will put down is a fun challenge.

Letter Jam: Even more cooperative game play, this time with a word game. Instead of pulling out Scrabble, teach people Letter Jam where you are all trying to figure out your own word and give clues. What this helps with is a runaway winner problem that games like Scrabble can have if someone understands game play better than other people do.

Splendor: I debated between Machi Koro and Splendor but either are good here. It’s all about building your engine in a simple way to get more things. These games look nice and are easy to play. Splendor gets the nod because that’s the one that has the poker ships that everyone loves.

Ice Cool: Sometimes you have young kids in the group. While they might be able to get games like Ticket to Ride, if they aren’t familiar with games at all, you can still play Ice Cool, and I’d recommend getting Ice Cool 2 for the holidays so you can play a massive 8 player game. This is just a simple and silly 8 player game that you can play with young kids or likely have fun with aunts and uncles who are up for a silly good time.

Now, that’s only 10 games, there are so many games out there. But I wanted to give a variety. What I like is that Ice Cool with Ice Cool 2 and games like Letter Jam, Just One, Second Chance, and Sushi Go Party!, they are all able to handle a larger player count. That means if you want to get everyone involved you can.

What are some games that have been pulled out at family holidays? Are there some that you never want to see again? Are there some family favorites that get played every year? What would you introduce your family to this year.

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“What a great day. Eight days ’til Christmas! I feel like celebrating.”

“And look at that…I’m already dressed for it!”

“But what should I do?”

“I’ve got it!”

“It’s family picture time!”

“Probably better gather some other folks who are already dressed for the occasion. Hey, guys!”

“You look perfect, Soranik. Come with me, please!”

“Hey there, Mera! Come on down, we’re gonna do something fun!”

“Heya, Daredevil! We’re doing a Christmas photo. Wanna come?”

“Er…sorry…silly of me to forget you can’t see me waving…my bad.”

“Okay, everybody; tall folks in the back!”

“Sorry…not you, little guy.”

“Now, everybody act like you like each other…heh heh…”

“Looks pretty good! But something’s missing…”

“Ah! You’re right, Mini-Link…we need more light!”

“Ooh, this looks promising.”

“Gaaaaaaaah! So bright!!”

“There…much better!”

“Sorry, Louise…you’re cute, but we’d never be able to see everyone behind you!”

“Alright…everybody ready?”

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!”

Love and laser beams,

The Nerdologists

Just Ask: This is the simplest and most obvious solution. If the person you are buying the gift for is a close friend, significant other, or family member, it is okay to just ask what they might like for the holidays. Even if you get them something directly off their list, you know they are going to appreciate it, because they asked for it.

Pay Attention: Believe it or not, people talk about what they like or find cute or fun. With Kristen, I try to pay attention to what she is interested in, so that when I’m looking for a gift, I have some good ideas to choose from, or when my parents come asking what they can get her, I can give them a list, even without asking Kristen. Kristen is into books, knitting, crocheting, writing, drawing, and baking, and if I’m paying any attention, I notice that she has dropped dozens of hints throughout the year (and when I say hints I mean that she’s said she likes something, not that she’s indicated I should store this information away and remember it).

Be Willing to Ask the Experts: When I was getting into comic books and wanted to start reading them, I was very overwhelmed at first. I knew that I wanted to read them, and I knew the stories and characters interested me, but I didn’t know where to jump in. So I asked people what comics they thought were interesting, I researched online to see what the experts were saying were the best ones, and I talked with the people in my favorite comic shop. Many of them were a wealth of information and would recommend new stuff that was coming out that I hadn’t heard of before. The same goes for when I go into a board game store; many of the employees know much more than I do, and are more than willing to offer suggestions and help explain a game I don’t know.

Ask Friends: This is the non-threatening version of asking an expert. Your friends, whom you already know quite well, can be a fount of information when it comes to nerdy ideas. For example, a couple of former co-workers of mine are still the people I go to when I’m bouncing an idea for a Magic: The Gathering deck around in my head. And they have helped me find out about games, movies, and books that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

Mainly, it is about being willing to learn. When you want to find someone a nerdy gift, reach out to the people around you and research on the internet (just be careful not to get lost down a rabbit hole) for a lot of amazing ideas. And be willing to take risks — for example, if someone you know likes Lord of the Rings, be willing to give them another fantasy series that they haven’t read before. Or if you like a certain movie and you have a friend who likes most movies that you like, be willing to go out on a limb and give it to them to try. Really, in the season of giving, it is often the thought that counts as much as a gift. And, on the opposite side, if they don’t end up liking the gift, don’t take it personally. Maybe they don’t get as much enjoyment out of a television series as you do, but they still like you, and that is the important part.

So, happy gifting, and have a great nerdy holiday!

I leave you with a quick-pick list of nerdy comics to get your gifting creativity flowing:

• Hawkeye (Matt Fraction)*
• Saga (Bryan K. Vaughn)*
• Civil War (Marvel)
• Blackest Night/Brightest Day series arc (DC)
• Powers (Brian Michael Bendis)*
• Daredevil (Brian Michael Bendis)
• Marvel Secret Invasion
• American Vampire

*Not for young readers.

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