2024 Top Three
My top three games to pick up for the holidays in 2024
GENERAL
Steven
11/4/20245 min read
As the holiday season and it's associated sales are fast approaching, wanted to make a short list of games (affiliate links) I've thoroughly enjoyed playing, for those of you looking for gift ideas for the tabletop gamer in your life. Or these can also be great ways to spend time with friends or family. I'll also mention how easily you can get each onto the table; keeping in mind that many of you may be new to miniature gaming, and want to dive in and start playing as quickly as possible. For the price, I'm basing it off the minimum cost to get into the game; usually just its core set. The games are listed in no particular order.
1) Descent: Legends of the Dark
Descent is a fantasy themed game (think elves and magic and stuff) made by Fantasy Flight Games and is set in the universe of Terenoth. It was the game-of-choice for meetups with my friends and kids back in the day, where each would choose a hero and I would serve as the game's Overlord (narrator and bad guy), presenting the background lore, quest objectives, and move the enemy units on the board. That was Legends in the Dark, and we spent hours playing through the campaigns.
The newest version of the game is called Legends of the Dark (LOTD), and has been slightly modernized from its predecessor. LOTD is app-driven, meaning a computer/device will be required to run the program. This takes the place of the Overlord player from the previous game, freeing up that person to play as one of the heroes (I can finally be one of the good guys in one of my games!). The app essentially runs the game for the players; it narrates the quests, keeps track of the heroes' inventory, experience, skills, and gear upgrades. There are still physical cards for the heroes, items, weapons, etc that each person can also keep in their play area.
Assembly for the game is minimal; you'll need to put together the 3D cardboard terrain pieces, and while the minis are not painted, they do come pre-assembled. Putting the pieces together for the steps, trees, etc took me less than 30 mins to knock out. So really, once the terrain is assembled, app installed, and party gathered, you are good to go!
Price: $$
Assembly: less than an hour
Players: 1-4 (cooperative)
Learning Curve: Easy
See our detailed info about this game, or get it via Amazon!
My Legends of the Dark setup with 3rd party terrain and character dashboards.
A games session with my friends and I playing Descent: Legends in the Dark at Firefly.
2) Marvel Crisis Protocol
Marvel Crisis Protocol (MCP) is made by Atomic Mass Games and is set in the universe of Marvel universe. The newest core set, pictured above, comes with about 10 hero and villain minis for players to assemble a team of to battle each other over selected mission/objectives. It also comes with some terrain (a big mechanic in the game), as well as the other necessities for playing. Many, many other characters are also available.
Part of the fun of this one is choosing which characters will comprise your squad. It doesn't have to be the typically-good guys vs. the typically-bad guys, though you do get bonuses if most of your team is from a particular faction from the movies or comics, like The Avengers, Spider-foes, etc. Each hero will have a card (sometimes multiple ones to choose from) which lists their abilities and special powers the player can perform, such as Captain America's shield throw.
Assembly for this one will take time, and will require glue and snippers to de-sprue and build the characters and terrain. A lot of people go-in for the hobby aspect of TTGs (tabletop games); the building up and painting of the minis. Honestly, I'm not really one of those types, I just want to read through the rules (the ones for MCP are pretty straightforward, just start with small teams at first) and dive into playing. But don't let that discourage you; the game is a TON of fun, especially if you're into the Marvel franchise. They even hold local tournaments, which is another great way to enjoy the game and meet new like-minded gamers.
Price: $$
Assembly: several hours
Players: 2+ (competitive)
Learning Curve: Average
See our detailed info about this game, or get it via Amazon!
3) Test of Honour
So, I get that samurai combat may be a little more of a niche interest compared to the other games on this list, but Test of Honour has been one of my absolute favorite games to play this year, and the combat has some depth and is really fun. For those considering this one, make sure you get the 2nd Edition of the game, which comes in boxes like above. If you end up getting the 1st, you'll also need to get the conversion set with the updated cards and rules, AND, those come with plastic minis and take way longer to assemble than the metal ones with the newer set. You will need more than just the "Gaming Set" in order to play, as it only comes with one model, hence why I'm linking the bundle down below.
Assembly for the game is minimal, if you pick up 2nd Edition; for the minis all you really need to do is glue them onto their bases. You may (probably) need to carefully correct any bent weapons/arms, etc. Boom, done.
The bundle does not come with any terrain, which I highly recommend picking up (also available on their site, or Etsy) after finding out you love the game.
Price: $
Assembly: about 15 minutes
Players: 2+ (competitive)
Learning Curve: Average
See our detailed info about this game, or get it from GreyForNow's website!
Runners Up
I feel I would be remiss if I left out Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game (MESBG) and Bolt Action. I might have included either of these above, but as they are going through new editions / rule changes currently, I haven't had much time to sink into either at the moment. But if you are a fan of Lord of the Rings or WWII infantry battles, cannot recommend these highly enough. Both are about the same, price, assembly, and learning curve-wise.
Price: $$
Assembly: several hours
Players: 2+ (competitive)
Learning Curve: Higher than average
