Top Board Games that Inspire Holiday Togetherness

During the holidays and the winter months, we often find ourselves indoors with family and friends. As gamers, we usually don’t consider ourselves “stuck” when we’re inside, but sometimes it can be difficult to get everyone to agree on what to play. And then it can be even more difficult for everyone to remain friendly after a highly competitive board gaming session. By the third stolen train route, everyone wants to just go sulk in a corner.

For that reason, we have compiled a selection of table top games to play with your family and friends that will bring them together instead of driving them apart. Many of them are cooperative, and all of them have qualities that will appeal to people who play different kinds of games (because your family is not necessarily part of your weekly play group). These can help keep everyone happy around the holiday table. 

Starting with- 

Mysterium is a cooperative game in which one person plays a ghost trying to guide mediums to discover the facts of a murder. This is done entirely through associative imagery using artwork on cards in the style of Dixit. All of the art for this game is beautiful, and it would be worth picking up for that alone. However, the gameplay is so compelling that you will want to keep playing so that everyone can have a turn as the ghost.

Simple to learn, yet hard to master. Burgle Bros. is a cooperative heist game for one to four players, so you can play it solo if you are up early (or late) and everyone else is asleep. This game is fairly challenging for a cooperative game, but it is also extremely replayable. There are many scenarios provided with completely different board configurations, and you can even design your own.

Grouping people into teams for competitive games can at least ensure half the family is happy after each round. Codenames is a game of word clues and pattern recognition with a classic spy theme. One person on each team is the spymaster, who has to provide one-word clues to try to help teammates find their agents before the opposing team finds theirs. Gameplay is fast and fun, although your spymaster will need to have a bit of a poker face to avoid giving anything away while the team is discussing what the clue means.

If you find yourself trying to get casual board gamers and hardcore wargamers to play together, Sentinel Tactics may be the answer. Easy enough for casual gamers but flexible enough for more tactical thinkers, Sentinel Tactics is a superhero combat game by the makers of Sentinels of the Multiverse (and set in the same world). Its primary play mode is asynchronous, pitting one player (as the villain) against all the rest. So if you have a wargamer who is particularly interested in the tactical side, make that person play Baron Blade.    

Pandemic Legacy is a great way to spend time with more goal-oriented gamers. More than just a rerelease, this version of Pandemic is a complete reimagining of the game designed specifically for multiple replays. As you win or lose each game, stickers are added to the board and the characters, cards are added or even permanently removed, and the game is gradually transformed by your group’s unique experiences as you play through an entire year of fighting infectious diseases. You probably won’t finish all of the replays over the holidays, but if you are going to be snowed in you can certainly make a good start.

What board games bring the holiday spirit to your table? Tell us in the comments!