Are you searching for the perfect gift for the gamer in your life who needs a break from screens and wants some unplugged fun? Look no further! In this blog, we’ve curated a selection of board games tailored to different gaming personalities. Whether you’re dealing with a Cosy Carmen, a Distracted Daniel, a Completionist Chloe, a Strategy Samantha, an Online Oliver, or a Turn-based Terry, we’ve got the ideal board game recommendation for you. From immersive storytelling and cute vibes to fast-paced action and strategic challenges, our picks provide an opportunity to bond with friends and family offline while enjoying the thrill of competition and strategy.

“It’s all about the story!” and “I can’t believe you’d side with Jojamart in Stardew Valley! Think of the community!”

Carmen values games with immersive themes, engaging storylines, and anything cute – she might not care about the depth or crunch of mechanics (unlike Samantha or Terry), but she always picks the games with the best vibes. Carmen probably has a Nintendo Switch loaded up with Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and Slime Rancher.

Here are our picks for the Carmen in your life:

Did you know that Stardew Valley is also a board game? Grow your crops, mine precious minerals, and fish up boots – just like in the video game! It preserves the laid-back vibes of the video game, and allows for peaceful unwinding with friends and family. Also, the game is accessible and enjoyable for new players – don’t worry about complex rules or mechanics.

Wingspan is another perfect pick for the Carmen in your life. Voted the best board game by Good Games in 2023, Wingspan is renowned for its beautiful themes centred around birdwatching. It’s a visually stunning game that is centred around resource management and making sure your birds don’t go hungry. While Wingspan can be a strategically challenging game, with the right playgroup, you can be sure to have a good time.

Finally, we can’t recommend Calico enough. Your goal is to sew the cosiest quilt that attracts the cuddliest cats – do we have to say more? Turns are super simple, just select a single patch tile, sew it onto your quilt and keep going! You’ll score points for the buttons you can put on the quilt, as well as the cats you collect, and your quilt pattern! There’s nothing better than playing this game while accompanied by your own cat – maybe they could be your player two?

“Is it my turn again? Sweet! Wait, what happened on your turn?”

If they’re knocked out early in a game of Lethal Company, or waiting out a respawn timer in League of Legends, they’re on their phone. These players are great company when they’re active, but as soon as the spotlight isn’t on them, their attention span is gone in a matter of seconds. If you want to keep the Daniel in your life engaged, look to these board games that focus on everyone, even if it’s not their turn!

Here are our picks for the Daniel in your life:

Six Second Scribbles is tailored for players who just can’t stop! It has short, snappy, and hilarious minute-long rounds where each player has to draw ten objects. The rules take less than five minutes to explain, and every player is always doing something – whether it’s drawing or guessing what abominations someone else has drawn.

Sushi Go Party is an easy-to-learn and fast-paced game where your goal is to combo different sushi dishes together! It has light, yet engaging card-drafting mechanics and is jam-packed into short, twenty minute play sessions. Be careful with what sushi you let your friends take, as it might just be what they need to beat you. Figure out which rolls are best for you and try your best to have the most pudding cards by the end of the game.

Cockroach Poker combines the best elements of social deduction and bluffing with easy-to-understand hand management elements, making it one of the perfect picks for the Daniel in your life. The goal is to force another player to collect four matching insect cards, and to force other players to collect cards you have to put a card you own face-down and lie or tell the truth! If they guess incorrectly, they get the card. Rounds are super short and the game ends when a player has no cards left, or a player has four matching insect cards!

“Leave no game left uncompleted!” and “What do you mean, of course I completed the Path of Pain just for that one cutscene!”

Chloe is the kind of person who can spend 40 hours creating their character in Baldur’s Gate 3, and then spending another 10 hours in the first Nautiloid ship exploring every nook and cranny. She loves uncovering secrets and deciphering secrets in games such as Tunic or Hollow Knight, and is truly committed to savouring every aspect of every game. Known for her patience and determination, Chloe relishes the satisfaction that comes with conquering every in-game challenge.

Here are our picks for the Chloe in your life:

A massive cooperative campaign-driven game with a wealth of scenarios, characters, and unlockable content. The Chloe in your life will appreciate the depth and the ongoing sense of discovery, and there’s lots of challenges to overcome which’ll definitely provide a satisfying experience.

Robinson Crusoe: Adventures on the Cursed Island: is a cooperative survival game with various scenarios and challenges. Completionist instincts will be engaged as players explore different storylines and strive for optimal outcomes. There are several scenarios, encouraging variable gameplay – which I’m sure is music to those 100%er’s ears.

Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective is our ultimate pick for any player who is like Chloe. It’s an immersive, deductive, and atmospheric gaming experience that’ll complement anyone’s love for uncovering the secrets of Baker Street. It has incredible thematic richness and exploration options in each case as you race Sherlock to solve the mystery with as little help as possible. While you’ll likely never beat him, completionists will be overjoyed to dig into every inch of the meticulously crafted cases, and you’ll have a great time making the most baseless accusations off wild deductions.

“It’s not just a game; it’s a strategy!” and “ Hold on, let me read the rulebook”

Samantha is the one who sits everyone down and explains how to play the game. She analyses game mechanics and synergies meticulously until she knows all the interactions in and out. They always take the time to thoroughly read and understand the rulebook before diving into a new game. Samantha loves games that challenge the mind and strategic thinking, such as Starcraft, Fire Emblem, and Rimworld. For her, patience is their key to mastering complex games – and while you haven’t felt your age unless you’ve been in a 3-hour-long game session with her, watching her create crazy powerful engines is a sight to behold.

Here are our picks for the Samantha in your life:

Mercurial puts players in the position of powerful mages seeking a better fortune. Manipulate cards and dice themed on spellcrafting with combo and engine-building mechanics, create new and unknown spells, inflict ruin, restore life, and more. Each player has varying capabilities and starting resources, making each play session a new and unique experience as the path to power is constantly changing. You’ll need to strategise on what techniques to learn and how to combine lesser magics together. Also, the game is simply gorgeous. We just love the mana crystals.

Brass Birmingham is an economic strategy game which tells the story of competing entrepreneurs during the industrial revolution. It’s been rated as one of the best board games of all time on Board Game Geek, and for good reason. There is so much strategic depth to every decision as economies change and technology is developed. Players must optimise their industries and strategically invest in order to come out on top – perfect for anyone who loves meticulously planning ahead and figuring out the best engine pieces at the right time.

Scythe is a perfect pick for the strategists in your life, as it combines complex game mechanics with thematic richness and engine-building elements. There’s resource management, area control, asymmetric player abilities, and more, which allow for numerous strategic choices and interactions. Scythe is set in an alternate-history 1920’s Europe where your goal is to create powerful and efficient engines to conquer the land.

“Got any games on your phone?”

Oliver is the embodiment of the digital era. Constantly immersed in the online gaming world, Oliver is young, inquisitive, and filled with boundless energy… which can be both good and bad. Their enthusiasm for the latest video games, such as Fortnite, Call of Duty, FIFA is infectious, but translating that vibrant spirit into offline activities is tricky. While Oliver may seem disinterested in anything without a screen, he just needs the right kind of stimuli to engage with friends and family offline!

Here are our picks for the Oliver in your life:

Marvel Champions: The Card Game features iconic superheroes and villains from the Marvel universe, which is likely to capture the attention of any young gamer. The game offers dynamic and action-packed gameplay where heroes team up to stop villains from executing their plans. This game is also what’s known as a Living Card Game – it’s regularly supported with regular new product releases, so if this is a hit with the Online Oliver in your life, then be sure to keep an eye out for those!

Codenames: Disney Edition, like Marvel Champions, features several iconic characters from the Disney world. Two teams compete to see who can guess all of their words correctly, and each team has a “Spymaster” who must communicate the right words to their team without revealing it to the opposing team. The great thing about this version of Codenames is that there’s also a special 4×4 grid gamemode which makes it much more accessible for families and young children.

Forbidden Island is our final pick for anyone like Oliver, offering a sense of urgency and action as players must race against time to get as much treasure as possible before the very island they’re on sinks. This is a cooperative adventure, helping build a sense of teamwork between players. Forbidden Island also has variable difficulty, and each card is well-crafted and easy to understand.

“Gotta make every move count!”

Terry is the kind of person who revels in the meticulous planning and structure found in turn-based video games, such as Civilisation VI, Cities: Skylines, and Slay The Spire. Terry enjoys long gaming sessions where he can carefully weigh his options, and appreciates the satisfaction that comes with outsmarting opponents. While he may seem reserved in daily life, his competitive spirit comes alive when faced with a challenging strategic puzzle.

Here are our picks for the Terry in your life:

A strategic game of economic development and resource management set in ancient Rome. There is elegance in the mechanics and substantial decision-making depth, and you’ll need to anticipate your opponent’s moves to make sure your moves are good. Carefully weighing your options is essential, as rapid expansion may spell doom for your reign.

Terraforming Mars offers thematic complexity, mirroring Turn-based Terry’s enjoyment of intricate and structured video games. In order to successfully transform Mars, players act as CEOs who must build a corporate empire via unique project cards and resource acquisition. With six resources and a complex tile system, as well as cards that change based on the state of Mars, the Terry in your life will surely love this game.

A New Story of Civilization: A civilization-building game spanning human history, where players manage resources, technology, and military power in a turn-based format. Plan your developments and allocate resources appropriately to out-manoeuvre opponents!

We hope this guide has helped you find the ideal board game gift for your loved ones based on their gaming personalities. From immersive adventures to quick and engaging challenges, these board games provide the perfect opportunity to unplug, connect with others, and have a blast.

So, whether you’re chilling with Cosy Carmen, keeping Distracted Daniel engaged, exploring with Completionist Chloe, strategizing with Strategy Samantha, coaxing Online Oliver away from screens, or indulging Turn-based Terry’s love for thoughtful planning, hopefully there’s a board game waiting to bring joy and excitement to your gaming sessions this Christmas!

– Ryan