2020 Tabletop Game Gift Guide!

If 2020 was good for anything, it was tabletop gaming! Under the current conditions, board games of all shapes are likely to continue being an excellent pastime, and so LRM Online is here to help you with your holiday for the gamers in your life of all ages, shapes and sizes! To narrow things down, we’ve picked a “best game” across a few different categories and note that all of these titles are brand new for 2020! Let’s jump into the Tabletop Game Gift Guide.

 

Best Overall Game of 2020: My City by Thames & Kosmos

Price: ~$35.00
Players:
2 to 4
Playtime:
30 minutes
Perfect for:
Legacy board game groups that enjoy evolving city-building/tile-placement experiences.

My City is a game of strategic land development as players compete against each other to build their city in the most optimal way. To achieve this, each developer must thoughtfully consider where to construct various buildings in order to make the most of the space available to them. Over time, the landscape will permanently change, presenting new challenges when forming a city.
Read the Full Review Here!

 

 


Best Competitive Game: Unmatched Series by Mondo Games and Restoration Games

Price: ~$40.00
Players: 
2 to 4
Playtime: 
20-40 minutes
Perfect for: 
Players who enjoy asymmetrical balanced dueling games, incredible art, and the allure of classic and iconic heroes and monsters.

Unmatched: Cobble & Fog is a game of strategic combat! In this standalone expansion within the Unmatched series, players compete against one another (or on teams of 2) as Sherlock Holmes with Dr. Watson, the Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, or Dracula. Relying on their unique set of skills, this assortment of characters must square off using strategy and wit to vanquish their enemies.
Read the Unmatched: Cobble & Fog Review Here!
Read the Unmatched: Jurassic Park Review Here!

 

Best Co-Op Game: Forgotten Waters by Plaid Hat Games

Price: ~$60.00
Players: 
3 to 7
Playtime: 
~2 to 4 hours
Perfect for: 
Families and groups who enjoy a mix of a cooperative and competitive adventure steeped in a rich story and influential decision-making.

Forgotten Waters is a game of plundering, treasure-seeking pirates! Players assume various roles on their captain’s vessel as they chart a course for parts unknown encountering perils, dangers, and intrigue along the way. And while the motley crew must work together to survive, they also each have their own secret agenda tucked away which may sway their actions.
Read the Full Review Here!

 

Best 2-Player Game: Aqualin by Thames and Kosmos

Price: ~$20.00
Players: 
2
Playtime: ~
20 minutes
Perfect for: 
Duos who enjoy quick strategy-laden tile drafting and placement games.

Aqualin is a game of tile arrangement and set making! The game contains a 6×6 gameboard grid and 36 tiles: six different sea creatures each in six different colors. To begin Aqualin, one player decides that they will score colors, and the other animals. The 36 tiles get flipped facedown and then 6 turned right-side up to form the market.
Read the Full Review Here!

 

Best Family Game: Big Monster by Opa! Games

Price: ~$35.00
Players: 
2 to 6
Playtime: 
20-30 minutes
Perfect for: 
Groups who clever strategic tile-drafting and set collection games.

Big Monster is a game of exploration and optimization! As an intrepid space traveler, you and your crew have just discovered a new planet teeming with exotic creatures and rare minerals. The mission is to categorize all the incredible aliens and gems you can—or at least more than your opponents—to be named the ultimate explorer!
Read the Full Review Here!

 

 

Best Euro Game: The Castles of Tuscany by Ravensburger Games

Price: ~$45.00
Players: 
2 to 4
Playtime: 
45 to 60 minutes
Perfect for: 
Families and groups who enjoy fast-paced competitive strategic action and optimization games.

The Castles of Tuscany is a game of town-building and expansion! Players race and compete to collect resources efficiently and construct plots of land on their personal map, leveraging special abilities and obtaining rewards along the way.
Read the Full Review Here!

 

Best Worker-Placement Game: Pan Am by Funko Games

Price: ~$35.00
Players: 
2 to 4
Playtime: 
~60 minutes
Perfect for: 
Families and groups who enjoy strategic worker placement and auction games.

Pan Am is a game of air travel expansion and acquisition! Players assume control of a small airline company with grand ambitions—to develop flight routes around the globe with the goal of eventually becoming part of the Pan Am family (as a wealthy shareholder, of course!). But air is rare, and players must carefully consider when, where, and how to build their mini-empire by making strategic investment decisions in types of planes, locations, and airports.
Read the Full Review Here!

 

Best Game with Amazing Art and Design: Holi: Festival of Colors by Floodgate Games

Price: ~$40.00
Players: 
2 to 4
Playtime: 
20-40 minutes
Perfect for: 
Groups who enjoy strategic area control games with unique and colorful themes.

Holi: Festival of Colors is a game of spreading love and joy based upon themes from the ancient Hindu tradition. Where family and friends come together to throw colored powders upon one another to celebrate the victory of good triumphing over evil. In this playful adaptation, individuals spread their own colors over a multi-tiered board to score points and become victorious.
Read the Full Review Here!

 

 


Best Large Expansion for the Gamer Who Already Collects:
Root: The Underworld Expansion by Leder Games

Price: ~$50.00
Players: 
2 to 6 (with expansion)
Playtime: 
90 to 120 minutes
Perfect for: 
Players who enjoy complex asymmetrical strategic competition with fantastic balance and art.

Root: The Underworld Expansion continues the game of woodland domination! Building upon Root (base game necessary for expansion), The Underworld introduces four new components to the universe by way of two factions and two maps. Players must outwit, outplay, and outmaneuver their foes by leveraging their own special set of skills while dodging the machinations of others.
Read the Full Review Here!

 


Best Small Expansion for the Gamer Who Already Collects: Sagrada: The Great Facades – Life by Floodgate Games

Price: ~$20.00
Players: 
1 to 6 (with expansion)
Playtime: 
20 to 40 minutes
Perfect for: 
Players who enjoy strategic dice-drafting and placement games.

Sagrada: Life expands the game of artistic window crafting! Building upon Sagrada (base game necessary for expansion), Life introduces three new elements to the universe by way of new public objectives, apprentice cards, and the Masterwork Dice.
Read the Full Review Here!

 

 

Best Travel-Sized Game: Infinity Gauntlet: A Love Letter Game by Z-Man Games

Price: ~$15.00
Players: 
2 to 6
Playtime: 
~15 minutes
Perfect for: 
Groups that enjoy one vs many deduction games with an affinity for all things Marvel

Infinity Gauntlet: A Love Letter Game pits iconic Marvel heroes against the villainous Thanos and his quest to obtain the Infinity Stones and balance the universe with a snap! In a race against time, the Avengers must drain Thanos’ power before he collects the stones and enacts his plan.
Read the Full Review Here!

 

 


Best Game for a Videogamer:
Minecraft: Builders and Biomes + Famers Market Expansion by Ravensburger

Price: ~$35.00
Players: 
2 to 4
Playtime: 
30 to 60 minutes
Perfect for: 
Families who enjoy playful strategic movement games and fans of the video game franchise.

Minecraft: Builders and Biomes is a game of construction and mob slaying! (Mobs are monsters within the Minecraft world for the uninitiated). Players must decide on a strategy—build the best city, destroy the evil creatures that emerge, or some combination of the two that scores an optimal amount of victory points.
Read the Full Review Here!

Building upon Minecraft: Builders and Biomes (base game necessary for expansion), Farmer’s Market introduces a brand-new farm biome to the proceedings which players can construct to produce vegetables immediately and between rounds.
Read the Full Review Here!

 

Best Dexterity Game: Pitch Out by Gigamic

Price: ~$35.00
Players: 
2
Playtime: ~
10 minutes
Perfect for: 
Duos who enjoy strategic flicking and asymmetrical combat.

Pitch Out is a game of dexterous domination! Two teams square off on the battlefield of a large smooth surface, each trying to overcome the other. The warriors are represented by small round pucks, each with its own unique ability. When one squad knocks out other’s Captain, they are victorious!
Read the Full Review Here!

So ends our Tabletop Game Gift Guide. We hope you find some tabletop games that interest you. As always leave any thoughts you have about the games covered below.

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