RONSTAN FROM CUSTOMER SERVICE

My personal staff pick is “Root: A Game of Woodland Might and Right”. Root is a terrifically designed asymmetrical war game, which pits different factions of woodland creatures against each other as they vie for control of the woods. I love Root so much particularly due to the synergy between game mechanics and game design. For example, the game plan of my favourite faction, the Eyrie Dynasty (birds!), revolves around cycling political leaders and building “roosts”, rewarding carefully planned gameplay while letting other factions exploit their periods of political turmoil to gain advantage. My favourite memory of playing Root is when I was about to win as Eyrie Dynasty and I got stuck in a loop of political turmoil which let the player playing the Woodland Alliance (a guerilla rebel force) take me out of the game. It felt super flavourful and was really exciting.

Bark Avenue

Mat Edwards from Town Hall

The adorable theme caught the attention of my wife and I, which only got better as we dove in. The whole game revolves around being a successful dog-walker as you travel New York city picking up furry companions. I love how they all have favourite activities and their owners will literally give you money if the dog poops! I remember the first time we played through the game, we couldn’t stop looking through all the cute dog cards that are actually based on real-life foster dogs across the United States!

Spirit Island

ROSS FROM CASTLE HILL

Co-op games are my jam, and this is by far the best one! I lovingly refer to this game as “Anti-Catan” as instead of playing as settlers racing against each other to establish yourself on the island, you instead play as nature spirits working together to drive out the invading settlers. My fondest memory of this game is when my wife and I got very close to losing once, and managed to find a clever combo which managed to turn it around and result in our victory. This game has so much content for you to enjoy, from a variety of distinct spirits to play as to different scenarios that you can play through, and plenty of expansions for when you fall in love with it too!

Surf’s UP

Kiddy from marketing

Perfect for beginners and casual gamers like me, it’s a light, laugh-out-loud game that’s easy to play but packed with fun. I played for the first time at CanCon 2024, before it was even released, and I was so impressed by how fast it was to learn! Players use their limited hand of energy cards (numbered 0 – 5) to bid on waves, trying to score the most points. But there’s a twist: if two players bid the same energy, they both wipe out and lose the wave. Win a wave, and you lose that energy card for the rest of the game, adding strategic depth to the simple mechanics. The result? A hilarious mix of tension and table banter as you roast a mate for the audacity of playing the same amount of energy as you and wiping you both out! With its vibrant design, a neoprene playmat, and a price under $40, Surf’s Up is honestly such a great gift pick!