Stocking fillers and gifts for gamers have never been easier to find, with a vast array of cool accessories and game related items all over the place, especially at conventions. At Dragonmeet recently there was an array of dice earings, potion bath wash, artisan wooden dice towers, dungeon theme scented candles and even goblin tree ornaments (which had sold out before I could get one).
However, if you are still stuck for what to buy a gaming friend there are also a lot of TTRPGs that are so well produced they make good gifts as much as they do excellent games:
But not every set is quite so expensive. For a whole campaign in a box Yaseba’s Bed and Breakfast from Possum Creek is a joyous world in a box. The game is designed in a legacy style where you tear out pages and put stickers on places so the box is full of things to make and do. It’s also not just a corebook but a self-contained campaign, and with themes of inclusion, understanding and finding your destiny it certainly has a Christmas theme without being about Christmas.
I should also add that pretty much any Starter Set makes a great present, as they are always full of handouts and accessories. With a certain amount of bias on my part I’d very much recommend Free League, Modiphius and Cubicle 7 as having some of the best starter sets.
There are very few full RPGs you can get in a box, but I should add there are some great short board/card games that come in tiny boxes. From these I’d recommend Enemies and Lovers, a gorgeous card game from Holly Black that recently completed its kickstarter. Oink Games also produce several games in this format, including the popular Deep Sea Adventure.
Finally, in closing I should add that looking around Dragonmeet some of the prettiest and coolest looking games were on the indie stands. It takes a lot to stand out from the crowd and I can’t help but notice indie designers are doing a lot to make their games look special. There are several that would make inexpensive but elegant pressies, so it is very much worth taking a look around the small stalls at your next convention.
Your Turn: What game do you know that is so beautifully made it would make a great gift as much as a great game?
However, if you are still stuck for what to buy a gaming friend there are also a lot of TTRPGs that are so well produced they make good gifts as much as they do excellent games:
Core Boxed Sets
While most games come in the form of a core rulebook, there are plenty of plush core boxed sets that make gorgeous gifts (although they are on the more expensive side). The granddaddy of all of these is the incredible Invisible Sun “Black Cube” (Monty Cook). The box is so full of handouts and pieces that it doesn’t so much feel like opening it as exploring it. All the books in the box are full of exceptional art and the game world is one of my favourites.But not every set is quite so expensive. For a whole campaign in a box Yaseba’s Bed and Breakfast from Possum Creek is a joyous world in a box. The game is designed in a legacy style where you tear out pages and put stickers on places so the box is full of things to make and do. It’s also not just a corebook but a self-contained campaign, and with themes of inclusion, understanding and finding your destiny it certainly has a Christmas theme without being about Christmas.
I should also add that pretty much any Starter Set makes a great present, as they are always full of handouts and accessories. With a certain amount of bias on my part I’d very much recommend Free League, Modiphius and Cubicle 7 as having some of the best starter sets.
Boxed Games
If you’d like something that makes a nice gift and might fit in a stocking, there are several small boxed games out there. One of my favourites is the Littlebox Game series from Storybrewers. Each is a small self-contained boxed story game you can play with no prep. There are four of these available at the moment, ranging from surviving a falling space station to telling the tale of a village you build together. There may well be more planned and each is a tightly designed piece of gaming joy.There are very few full RPGs you can get in a box, but I should add there are some great short board/card games that come in tiny boxes. From these I’d recommend Enemies and Lovers, a gorgeous card game from Holly Black that recently completed its kickstarter. Oink Games also produce several games in this format, including the popular Deep Sea Adventure.
Gorgeous Corebooks
Some core rulebooks are so full of art and stylish graphic design that they are coffee table art books as much as games. While the bar is exceptionally high for TTRPG corebooks, here are a few where even the standard edition of the game is just stunning to look at as gifts and games.- Bluebeard’s Bride (Magpie Games): A lush fantasy fairy tale game with a collection of supplemental books that expand the game world and help inspire player narrative.
- Candela Obscura (Darrington Press): I reviewed this game recently and had to double check if they’d sent me a limited edition copy, as the standard copy looked so good. It's designed to look like the journal of an occult adventurer, with parchment style pages full of notes and drawings of the horrors they have come across.
- Die and Eat the Reich (Rowan, Rook & Decard): This company is quickly defining itself as an ‘art gaming’ designer and all their games are worth a look. These two are of particular note though. Being based on the comic of the same name, Die is full of art by the comic creator. Eat the Reich is also designed for its look as well as game play, in the beautiful chaotic style of Mork Borg.
- Emberwind (Nomnivore Games): The gift you are giving your forever GM here is the gift of playing. While these games are beautifully illustrated, the two campaigns (Skies of Axia and Songweave Tapestry) can be played solo. In fact, the system allows you to run the game without a GM at all, so everyone can be a player.
- Household (Two Little Mice): This is an amazing idea stunningly illustrated with beautifully put together books. Household is a game of tiny faeries whose whole world is a single (albeit large) manor house. Just as with Candela Obscura, you can easily be forgiven for picking up the standard edition and thinking you bought the limited one.
- Mork Borg (Ockult Örtmästare Games/Free League): This game started a whole swath of settings, from Pirate Borg to Corp Borg and everything in between. While they might be a little dark as a Christmas pressie (unless you are a metalhead) they are gorgeous books with a different graphic style and art on almost every page.
- Shadows of Esteran (Studio Agate): This setting has been around for a while but has always focused on the art as a window to the world of Esteran. The books are lavishly illustrated, in such a way to draw you into the game world and show what your characters are seeing.
- The Weird (Monte Cook): This is a fun and crazy supplement useful for any gamer. It is essentially a big book of tables that add weird and odd scenes and encounters to any game. The variety is bewildering and the tables are as fun to look over as they are to play with.
- Wildsea (Mythworks): This game set in a verdant world of uncontrolled plant growth is also lavishly illustrated with several spreads and character pictures. It’s the sort of game you see at a stand at a con and can’t help but want to know more about.
Collector’s Editions
An obvious pressie idea is a limited or collector’s edition of someone’s favourite game. There are plenty out there and they are all amazing, but I’d like to single out two. Our Brilliant Ruin (Studio Hermitage) has lovely parchment pages with its already lush art interior. I only didn’t buy this version as I didn't want to ruin it with use, as I planned to use it a lot. I also have to put a shout out to the three collector’s covers for Dune: Adventures in the Imperium. OK, I’m a little biased here but Chris Webb’s inspired design just blew me away when I first saw them, and the book interior art and graphics are as evocative as they are gorgeous.Finally, in closing I should add that looking around Dragonmeet some of the prettiest and coolest looking games were on the indie stands. It takes a lot to stand out from the crowd and I can’t help but notice indie designers are doing a lot to make their games look special. There are several that would make inexpensive but elegant pressies, so it is very much worth taking a look around the small stalls at your next convention.
Your Turn: What game do you know that is so beautifully made it would make a great gift as much as a great game?