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With Father’s Day rapidly approaching it gives the opportunity for those of us who have children to reflect and drop hints as to what additions might be great to add to our game collection. Similarly, for some who have fathers who also enjoy board games, I would like to make some suggestions as to what might go down well. These are the top gifts for Fathers Day.
If many fathers are like me, they would have mentioned already what would be a suitable gift [or gifts], and then left it to the wife to sort out! However, some households may be better organised, or the children are sufficiently switched on to be able to get a few items in advance. There are a number of categories and suggestions that I think would be great this year. These cover a variety of prices so that for even the youngest child there should be no excuse so that every Dad might get a gaming gadget.
Accessories
Top gifts for Fathers Day, lets kick off with accessories. Gaming accessories are those items that are not essential, but once you have them, you are glad that you do. For many years I was ambivalent as to their role. However, having received a dice tray a year ago I can vouch for the benefits. Dice trays cannot be overstated. There is nothing worse than rolling a set of dice and losing one under the gaming table. Worse still, dice may roll and shift some of the components on the board.
There are some games that rely on dice rolling as their core mechanic. Whether Railroad Ink, with one set of dice, or Eternal Palace, where every player has their own dice, a dice tray keeps things under control. They are very reasonable and therefore suitable for younger children to reach into their money boxes and by their dad a gift.
Falling into a similar category would be card sleeves. Some serious gamers will “sleeve everything”. I take a more nuanced view. Games in which the cards must be completely unmarked and are integral to the mechanic would get my vote for card sleeves. Zatu has a large range of clear deck protectors. As a fan of Star Realms and Colony Wars, these deck builders get significant playtime. Card sleeves will protect these cards and ensure that these great games remain playable with no marking at all on the cards.
Part of the joy of being a father is encouraging your children in the gaming hobby. Certainly, youngsters won’t appreciate a long euro game such as Teotihuacan, but with a little help they can get into gaming. Some of the issue is enabling the children to hold a set of cards securely, and then to organise them. The Little Hands card holder is a set of plastic paddles that will help family game times. They will hold over a dozen cards easily and securely. One card can be slid out without disrupting the rest- perfect to allow Dad to get on with gaming without constantly “picking up the pieces” of the youngster’s cards. Alternatively, as is often the way, Dad might abdicate all responsibility and leave that to Mum to organise the children as well as playing her game too!
Expansions
Most base games are very good, but how do you turn a good game into a great gaming experience? Often an expansion, if chosen well will add replayability and even increase the numbers who can enjoy the game. Most expansions are relatively cheap compared with the standard game. At this time of year, an expansion for a well-loved game will be more accessible for children to buy for their fathers making it one of the top gifts for Fathers Day.
I love Railroad Ink. I play it on my phone and last year ran an online Railroad Ink league during lockdown. In the last few months, Horrible Guild has released a number of expansion dice. For me, the Underground expansion pack would be one set I am desperate to get hold of. Many gamers enjoy the core game. With this expansion, you can play it as a stand alone set of four dice. This has water pipes and railway underground routes.
Of course, water and railways should never connect so this adds a level of thinking that is different to the stand-alone game. This expansion also has a completely separate second board. This enables the underground stations to line up with the overground [standard] station squares. Similarly, you cannot build an Overground station on top of a pre-existing water pipe as it will crack them. There is plenty of head-scratching and this is sure to be a real solo hit.
Tinner’s Trail is another family favourite in our household. This is Euro row worker placement game with variable turn order. Time is used as a resource. Not content with mining for copper and tin, I really want to try the Arsenic expansion. This extra resource comes at a cost. It shortens life expectancy [and available turns] but it is certainly lucrative. This expansion, along with the immigration expansion, is available as an all in one Tinner’s Trail Deluxe add-on. Having enjoyed recent holidays in Cornwall, I can see why this is a must-have for my Father’s day gift.
One surprisingly simple expansion that would take little shelf space is the wonder pack for 7 Wonders. As a family that has all the expansions of the first edition, we often have a disagreement over who really wants Babylon as opposed to Rhodes. The wonder pack adds four more locations to the base game.
I like the idea of the Great Wall of China which is constructed as a horizontal feature, rather than vertically. We live relatively close to Stonehenge so for me having a neighbouring wonder adds a personal connexion. Small, inexpensive and immediately integrated with the base game, makes this an easy choice.
Upgrades
Sometimes we all fancy a little luxury in our top gifts for Fathers Day. I never travel business class and will be accepting of a little discomfort if it saves a few pounds, but when it comes to gaming there is something about metal coins that enhances everything. Nearly every game I own, with the exception of a few kick-starters [all in pledges], will have cardboard coins. These might get damaged and worn with regular use.
The beauty of a metal coin set is that it authenticates the gaming experience. When accepting two gold coins for a resource in 7 Wonders there is a satisfaction and guilty pleasure in receiving these coins from the adjacent player. Having metal makes the transaction more tangible. The beauty of metal coins is that with a selection of values; one, five and ten, they can be used for many games. We mainly use metal coins for our game of Citadels, but for me, an extra set on Father’s Day would be perfect.
Similar, But Different
As a child, choosing gifts for Fathers Day can be difficult- especially if there have been no clues given. Rather than purchasing an expansion of an existing game I sometimes find that a “spin off” of a well-loved classic is well received. Ticket to Ride is a popular game with our family. It is quite old and has entered the public’s psyche of gaming. Rather than expanding this with extra maps, I would be quite happy with the smaller filler versions such as Ticket to Ride London, NYC or Amsterdam. All three are very reasonable and, with a similar mechanic as the base game, take very little time to learn and set up.
7 Wonders Architects also falls into this category. This was released in 2021 and is a streamlined version of Antoine Bauza’s classic. It seems to scale well, perhaps better than the classic base game. It also seems more accessible to non-gamers who might visit. This, for me, would be fine and enable friends and any non-gaming family to see what they are missing! The other significant advantage is that it plays for two people without the need for a dummy automaton, whereas 7 wonders 2nd edition only plays for three to seven players.
One “Big Game”
With quite a choice of upgrades, expansions or accessories I am happy for any of these on Father’s Day. However, somewhere deep down inside I do crave a “full-blooded” new game. If asked, I would mention The Lost Ruins of Arnak. This was really hot in 2020. Worker placement and deck building are my favourite gaming mechanics. These meld nicely in Lost Ruins where up to four players are exploring an island, learning the local secrets and defeating guardians. The gameplay is extremely tight. With just two workers there always seems to be too much to achieve with insufficient resources. I enjoy games where there are varying levels of difficulty. With a solo mode this will be my “big game choice” if I am asked.
Fingers crossed that the children will actually read these thoughts, or better still, my wife will take on board what has been written! Those are my top gifts for Fathers Day.