If you game, pass this on. And give it to your parents.
The Buying Guide:
Hey folks, glad to see you here! So you’d like to buy a nice gift for your gamer that will put a smile on his face, but you have no idea what to get them? Never fear, follow the steps below and you’ll have a good idea what to get or at least the information you need to get you on the right track. Below, I refer to the one getting the gift as the giftee. The word may, in fact, be made up, but I like it so I’ll be using it. I’ve divided the following into categories of games. Just pick the one you need and follow the steps.
Group 1: Board Games: This is probably the easiest group to buy from. There’s a wide range of prices and it’s not difficult to identify the board games that your giftee already owns. You can find good board games anywhere from Wal-Mart to the local gaming store.
Stocking Stuffers - If you have a handful of cash left to spend but aren’t sure what to get, there’s a plethora of low-cost, high-fun games out there. Cheapass Games have a huge selection of great games for less than you’d pay to go to the movies. Highly recommended are: James Ernest’s Totally Renamed Spy Game, Kill Doctor Lucky, Give Me the Brain, and The Great Brain Robbery. If you don’t haven’t seen your giftee playing games that come in little white envelopes with black and white artwork, you should be safe getting any of these. Also on the low cost side of things are the games from Steve Jackson games. Chez Geek, Munchkin, and Ninja Burger are all great games that don’t cost much at all and have a ton of replay value. Most of these are PG-13 though, due to sexual innuendo…so not completely family friendly.
The Rest: These games cost a bit more, but are well worth the investment. Settlers of Cataan, which can be found all over the net and at virtually every hobby shop, is a must-have game. Gamers and non-gamers alike find this one immensely entertaining. It usually becomes a quick favorite when I introduce it to new friends. Simple and elegant, it’s a must own. Carcassone, a tile-laying game with French name, is also a hoot and fun for the whole family. Your best bet is to find it online (pretty easy) or find it at the local gaming store. Risk 2210 is a good buy if the giftee likes wargames and doesn’t already have it in his closet and can be found at most department stores. Also, Heroscape, a great miniature wargame, can be found in just about any department store. War of the Ring is a must own for any Lord of the Rings fan (Eds. note: you can read a review of it too). It’s an expensive, complex game, but is priceless as far as fun goes. Along those lines, just about any of the game at Fantasy Flight Games is a good investment…particularly Runebound and Warcraft. A good place to visit is Boardgame Geek for the low-down on virtually every board game. Since most board games are middle-tier, you should be able to find something good.
Group 2 Card Games: So your giftee plays Collectible Card Games? It may look daunting at first to figure out exactly what to get, but by learning a few key terms you can make this easy. First, you need to find out which game the giftee plays. That shouldn’t be hard. Either feign interest in passing or go to where the cards are stored and find the ones he fiddles around with the most. Take a card if you can (just don’t damage it!) since the name of most of the games are on the back. Now, go to the local game store. I know it’s kinda scary, but you need not be there long. Show him the back of the card and ask him for some ‘boosters’ of the newest ‘expansion.’ Those key terms are most necessary. Booster packs generally run a little over $3.00 each. There, done. Everyone likes getting new cards from the newest expansion. If you’re feeling generous, search on ebay or elsewhere for the name of the game and buy a ‘booster box.’ These run anywhere from $60 to $120 and contain many boosters at a discounted price from just buying them separately. Make sure you get the latest expansion and that it’s says it’s a ‘booster’ box. Buying a box of ‘starters’ is not what you want to do. See? Easy.
Group 3: Miniature Gamers: Probably the toughest group to buy for. Generally, you’re better off staying away from these. New paint and new brushes are always appreciated, however, and can be found at just about any hobby shop. The only exception to this is if your giftee plays Heroclix, Mage Knight, Mechwarrior, or Sportsclix. Figures from these games come on little stands that look funny. Look over these products at Wizkids and see if they match to what he plays. If so, you can follow the same rules as for the Card Games above. D&D Minatures and Star Wars Miniatures also follow the collectible rules.
Group 4: Role Playing Games: Tough to buy for because of the number of games out there. If your giftee has a weekly/biweekly game he attends, find out what it is. Chances are that you already know this. That lets you know the groups of books you need to look for on his shelf. Take an inventory and write it down. You’re going to need the list later. If you can, look at the inside cover to find out who publishes the game. Search for the publisher/game in any search engine and you’ll most likely find the publishing site in a short manner of time. Find the name of the game and look for products and new releases that are related to that title. Compare the products to your inventory. Gamers are notorious for buying the books they want as soon as they come out, so there may not be anything that you can buy. In that case, travel to the gaming store and buy dice. Every gamer loves dice. The fancier and shinier the better. It may not sound like the perfect gift, but, trust me, it will be appreciated. Plus, the giftee will be all the more happy because the giving of dice will probably be taken as a sign of support and approval. Dice have a symbolic value amongst gamers, and a set of dice from a loved one inevitably becomes that gamer’s ‘lucky dice.’
Here are some links to the big roleplaying game publishers for convenience: Wizards of the Coast (Dungeons and Dragons, Star Wars) Pinnacle (Savage Worlds, Deadlands) White Wolf (Vampire, Werewolf, Mage, World of Darkness, Exalted) Palladium (Rifts, Palladium Fantasy, Robotech) Eden Studios (Buffy, Angel) Kenzer & Co. (Hackmaster)
That should get you started.
General Tips:
- If you’re not sure what games the giftee is interested in, it’s not hard to get him to talk about it without raising suspicion. This year is Dungeon and Dragon’s 30th year anniversary so roleplaying has been all over the news. Mention you saw a story on this and ask if that’s what he plays. Ask some in depth, non-gift related questions like what games he plays, which is his favorite, why, etc? Not only will this let you pick a better gift, but he’ll appreciate the interest in his hobbies.
- Some of the publishers linked to above have holiday grab bags for sale. These are never a bad gift and the giftee won’t have already bought it for himself.
- As mentioned, D&D is 30 years old and there’s a book all about it that just came out. Just about any gamer would like it. Check it out here
- Find a friend of the giftee who can keep a secret and ask what would be a good gaming gift. They’ll know. Honestly, this is one of the best ways if said friend can keep it quiet.
- If it comes down to it, ask the giftee. Have them make out a list and promise not to buy any of the games on it. Not surprise, but they’ll like what they get.
- Ask me. If you know what games your giftee already has and already likes, I can provide feedback. Just post in the forums. I’d be happy to help
Well, that’s that. Hope this gives you all a head’s up.
This was an excerpt from The Nerdery #5 written by Lucias Meyer.
Here's the full article: http://www.timewastersguide.com/view.php?id=925, published on the Time Waster's Guide. Reposted with permission.