We’re proud to present our first annual Unfiltered Gamer Christmas Guide. 

We believe board games are the perfect gift for anyone on your gift list! With styles, themes and weights covering almost every facet of life, hobby and interest we know the right game is out there. This year we’re happy to present our 3-part Christmas Guide featuring 6 different board gaming categories to help you find the right game for you! While there isn’t one game right for everyone, every game featured in our Christmas Guide comes highly recommend. We’ve played hundreds of games over the past couple years and these are some of our favorite to cross our gaming table.

 

Section 1
Kids Games and Cards

 

Section 2
Expansions and Roll & Writes

 

Section 3
Family and Strategy Games

KIDS GAMES

Draftosaurus

Ankama Games
2-5 Players | 15 Minutes | Ages 8+

Draft wooden dinosaurs into your park and earn points for sets and combinations. Choose carefully. Dinos are picked then passed and your opponent might snag your next target. Draftosaurs It’s super easy to learn and it’s a ton of fun. The big bag of miniature, wooden dinosaurs are a blast and can provide hours of kid-fun by itself. Each dinosaur park is double-sided giving you 2 dino parks to play. Games play quickly and are perfect for kids with limited attention spans. The entire presentation is colorful and inviting and a real treat. 

Point Salad

AEG
2-6 Players | 15-30 Minutes | Ages 8+

Veggies have never been so much fun! Choose between drafting vegetable cards or unique scoring cards to score the vegetables in this fun set collection game. Point Salad changes each game as you gather different sets of rules that require different vegetable goals. A perfect game for kids and adults alike…easy to setup, easy to learn, quick to play with a decent amount of strategy.

Robots

Pandasaurus Games
1-4 Players | 25 Minutes | Ages 6+

In this cooperative card game, players take turns as the “robot” silently navigating along a pathway filled with random objects. It’s up to the group to determine what object the player landed on along the pathway. Each turn, the robot will be moving different speeds always keeping players on their toes. This games literally takes seconds to explain and is completely new every time. One player’s fast might be another players slow speed. Figuring out each players tendencies is half the fun. This is a perfect stocking stuffer that provides a unique experience for kids of any age. The ease of play, replayability and challenge for the team to do just a little better each time will keep kids coming back for more.

Centrix

Analog Game Studios
2-6 Players | 20-30 Minutes | Ages 8+

In this twist on classic board gaming, players take turns navigating their pawns up the step of the multi-tiered board. The first to move all their pawns to the top becomes king of the mountain. By drawing and playing card combinations, players swivel and rotate the board levels to build paths for their pawns. With the board constantly changing between turns, players will have to quickly plan their attack and maximize their movements. The super cool mountain-like board will be sure to draw people in. Centrix is a great option for casual and young gamers alike.

Color It

Haba
2-4 Players | 10 Minutes | Ages 5+

Color It is a bit of a game-ified color by number. You’re rolling dice, choosing colors and working to finish your coloring sheet before anyone else. The rules are easy to follow and works for any kiddo that likes to color. A silly and fun game that’s great for parents and younger kids.

CARD GAMES

The Crew: Quest for Planet 9

Kosmos
2-5 Players | 20 Minutes

Traveling to the far reaches of the galaxy will take teamwork and careful strategy in this highly addictive, cooperative trick-taking game. Work through 50 unique missions as you train your team and ultimately travel to the edge of the known galaxy. Each mission in The Crew will task your team to work together to achieve unique and increasingly more difficult objectives… all with limited communication. The Crew is a relatively simple card game with tons of replay-ability. This is a true crowd pleaser.

Ohanami

Pandasaurus Games
2-4 Players | 20 Minutes

In this quick card game, players take turns building gardens by drafting cards. The cards are all individually numbered and feature 1 of 4 different themes/colors. Each garden must be in numerical order so playing a new card in a row must be higher or lower than the previous cards played. Played over 3 rounds, players earn points by gathering sets of cards. Point values change as the game goes along so choose your numbers and card types carefully. Ohanami epitomizes a card game that’s simple to learn yet filled with tons of personal challenge and strategy.

Air, Land & Sea

Arcane Wonders
2 Players | 15-30 Minutes

Battle your opponent in the 3 theaters of war: Air, Land & Sea. Equipped with a very limited number of cards, each player must carefully strategize their attack within their limitations to out-wit and out-play their opponent. Each game gives you the feeling of a game of tug-of-war as the advantage moves back and forth. Knowing when to retreat may also be key to victory. This micro-card game has great quality components and features wonderfully themed cards.

The Game: Quick & Easy

Pandasaurus Games
2-5 Players | 8-10 Minutes

In this ultra-quick cooperative card game, players are working together to play their cards in one of two discard piles: one ascending, the other descending. The goal is to exhaust the 50 card deck (5 suits numbered 1-10) without getting stuck all the while with limited communication. Cards must be played in their designated order unless you have one of the same color. The Game: Quick & Easy is surprisingly challenging. It’s easy rules and quick game play will have you coming back again and again.

Tussie Mussie

Button Shy Games
2-4 Players | 20-30 Minutes

Kindness is the theme in this flower-giving card game. Players take turns offering a set of flowers with different abilities to their opponent – one face up, the other concealed, face down. The opponent chooses one and you keep the other. While the kindness of giving flowers may be the theme, players will work to outwit their opponent by seeking to manipulate them into choosing the least beneficial card. Score points by effectively pairing cards together and gathering sets. From the designer of Wingspan, Tussie Mussie is a strangely appealing card game with tons of replay-ablility: Incredibly simple, quickly played and driven by your own wits.