Game Skill

It may not be the first thing you think of when you go to buy that wedding or bridesmaid gifts, but I’ve found that in our thirteen years of my marriage, there have been times when my husband and I are looking for things other to do than watch movies or play tennis. Especially when the weather’s bad. When we had kids, it became more difficult to leave the house; and we came back to boardgames. They last.

I actually got the idea for board games as wedding gifts from my mom. She was married in the winter time. She and my dad honeymooned in a remote cabin in the woods. Within the three days, they were snowed in. They found two games in the cabin: Tiddlywinks and Pickup Sticks. When I curled my face into an I’m-so-sorry look, she smiled and said, “It was fun. Those are good memories.”

I’m not recommending Tiddlywinks or Pickup Sticks as wedding gifts, but there are several two-player games that are great fun and a unique gift. How many times have you gone to find a gift for a couple getting married,and found yourself thinking, but they’ve lived together forever. They already have a toaster. And dishes. And towels.

The games my husband and I keep going back to are Settlers of Catan, Kill Dr. Lucky, Empire Builder, and always the great classics, Scrabble and Cribbage. We prefer board games because there’s something cozy about having to set the game up together, and anticipating the play. We also prefer turn-based games, so we can sip coffee and tea between turns. But, if your friends are video gamers, a nice gift basket full of Mario, Star Wars, and/or Zelda would be a unique and lovely thing.

But back to boardgames. I like Settlers of Catan and Empire Builder because they’re civilization games and require some trading between players, working together, and banter. The game length is good and long, and there are expansion packs when the original versions begin to feel stale.

Kill Dr. Lucky is fun because it’s the grown-up version of Clue. Instead of finding out whodunit, you work to do in the good doctor before the other player or players get the chance. There are variations in the game play (one in which you also attempt to kill doctor’s dog). The play requires strategy (you can manuever your character to take up to three turns in a row). And, like Settlers of Catan, the game lasts for a little over an hour.

Of course, if you’re in the mood for shorter games, Scrabble and Cribbage will do the trick. These games are also on the lower spectrum cost-wise. Although there are some pretty fancy Scrabble boards out there. There are customizable Scrabble and Cribbage Boards available in fancy woods and marbles out there. Imagine one engraved as I saw: Chris and Carla. Drawing blanks together forever. I even saw one Scrabble board recently that was bedazzled in pink rhinestones.

What I like to do is buy three games of various sizes (Settlers of Catan on bottom, Kill Dr. Lucky in the middle, Cribbage on top). Then I wrap them individually and stack them like a wedding cake. For a cake topper you could place a deck of cards, an official Scrabble dictionary (for the serious Scrabbler) or the more traditional big bow—a wrapping as fun and unique as the gift.

The Author Jody Mugele is an avid gamer, writer, and loving wife from the great city of Indianapolis.