This time of year is great, Gift Guides and Best Of lists filling your social media feeds. We here at Fox Force Five News don’t want to disappoint, so without further ado, here is a different portion of the 2018 Holiday Gift Guide, BOARD GAMES. Big thanks for my friend Robin for helping put this list together.
Check out all the 2018 Gift Guide sections:
Be sure to check out these 5 suggestions at your local game store.
CRYPTID
Osprey Games
Cryptid is a unique deduction game of honest misdirection in which players must try to uncover information about their opponents’ clues while throwing them off the scent of their own. Each player holds one piece of evidence to help them find the creature, and on their turn they can try to gain more information from their opponents. Be warned; give too much away and your opponents might beat you to the mysterious animal and claim the glory for themselves!
The game includes a modular board, five clue books, and a deck of set-up cards with hundreds of possible set-ups across two difficulty levels. It is also supported by an entirely optional digital companion, allowing for faster game set-up and a near-infinite range of puzzles.
DUNGEON MAYHEM
Wizards of the Coast
Dungeon Mayhem is an easy-to-learn card game pitting a party of adventurers against one another until only one of them remains to claim the treasure. The game includes four decks of cards to represent Sutha the Skullcrusher (barbarian), Azzan the Mystic (wizard), Lia the Radiant (paladin), and Oriax the Clever (rogue).
KEYFORGE
Asmodee/Fantasy Flight Games
From the imagination of legendary game designer Richard Garfield comes a game unlike anything the world has ever seen—a game where every deck is as unique as the person who wields it and no two battles will ever be the same. This is KeyForge, where deckbuilding and boosters are a thing of the past, where you can carve a path of discovery with every deck, where you can throw yourself into the game with the force of a wild wormhole and embrace the thrill of a tactical battle where wits will win the day!
Along with this new breed of game comes a new world: the Crucible, an artificial world built from the pieces of countless planets across the stars. Here, anything is possible. This world was built for the Archons, god-like beings who, for all their power, know little about their own origins. The Archons clash in constant struggles, leading motley companies of various factions as they seek to find and unlock the planet’s hidden Vaults to gain ultimate knowledge and power.
ROOT
Leder Games
The nefarious Marquise de Cat has seized the great woodland, intent on harvesting its riches. Under her rule, the many creatures of the forest have banded together. This Alliance will seek to strengthen its resources and subvert the rule of Cats. In this effort, the Alliance may enlist the help of the wandering Vagabonds who are able to move through the more dangerous woodland paths. Though some may sympathize with the Alliance’s hopes and dreams, these wanderers are old enough to remember the great birds of prey who once controlled the woods.
Meanwhile, at the edge of the region, the proud, squabbling Eyrie have found a new commander who they hope will lead their faction to resume their ancient birthright. The stage is set for a contest that will decide the fate of the great woodland. It is up to the players to decide which group will ultimately take root.
SHIFTY EYED SPIES
Big G Creative
Face off in a stealthy competition of covert communication. Use a wink to signal that you have a delivery for another spy, then await their eye-shift that indicates the rendezvous location. Be discreet – if anyone intercepts you, the mission is blown!