Mother’s Day is often depicted as a holiday where moms can take a moment to finally relax and do something for themselves. It’s good to take a moment to celebrate the important people in our lives. Many aspire to give them something meaningful, be it a card, a lovely brunch or a gift from the heart.
While traditional gifts like flowers and chocolate are common, remember that many moms come from a nerdy background. They’ve written fan fiction, played Dungeons & Dragons and obsess over the latest episode of Andor. Here’s a selection of great tabletop games to give as gifts on Mother’s Day, though as a bonus we recommend clearing out some time to play them with Mom, too.
CATAN
Settlers of Catan is one of the games that changed the current landscape in board games. It showed audiences worldwide the joys of Euro games, a type of board game played over a specific number of turns to avoid experiences that drag on forever. The game, now simply CATAN, offers an unclaimed island where players compete to build their own settlement through trade and exploration.
A new edition printed this year upgrades the components, clarifies the rules and is ready to show a new generation the quiet joys of this classic game. The base game is for four players but there are expansions that allow five and six players to join in. There are also add-ons that expand the world of the game, such as the shipbuilding of Seafarers and the urban planning of Cities & Knights.
Old School Essentials Boxed Sets
Not every mom wants to quietly trade sheep and wool with each other. Sometimes they want to kick down the door of a dungeon and slay a dragon. They might have lost their old school D&D stuff along the way, however.
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Luckily, Necrotic Gnome created Old School Essentials to keep those classic rules a live even as original copies balloon in cost on the secondary market. The game uses the classic Basic/Expert rules of D&D with a modern eye to better organization and clarity. Classic materials are easily compatible for those moms who still have old modules kicking around the house.
The rules are available as hardcover books but for extra giftability, check out the boxed sets that are available. Classic Fantasy includes everything to run the original rules like classes, monsters, magic, treasure and more. Advanced Fantasy takes things even further with more character classes, magic and monsters.
Lord Of The Rings Roleplaying
Moms who love the classic books by J.R.R. Tolkien have an excellent game to play them in. The One Ring captures the essence of characters battling a world filling with shadow. Its sister game, Lord of the Rings Roleplaying adapts the best concepts for Fifth Edition Dungeons and Dragons.
The most recent release for the game deals with the Elves role in Middle-Earth. There are two books, one for each version of the game. Both Realm Of The Three Rings and Keeper Of The Three Rings have new character options, story ideas and rules mechanics for the long lived.
Urban Shadows
Plenty of moms love media that features supernatural intrigue and a bit of romance such as True Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Interview With The Vampire. The world is full of hot monsters. Sometimes you have to fight them, other times you have to kiss them.
The second edition of Urban Shadows puts players in a modern city where magic and monsters secretly rule. They are the movers and shakers in the setting whether they are mortal, witch, werewolf or worse. The game does an excellent job creating drama for the players as they forge alliances, battle rivals and reveal their feelings to one another.
Heroscape
For moms looking to play games with their kids, Heroscape remains one of the most satisfying gateways into wargaming. Not only does everyone build their armies but they create the battlefield thanks to a collection of clever locking hex pieces. The game recently returned with a new core set and has been releasing expansions.
The latest wave spreads out over many genres with add-ons ranging from alien queens to a sky marshal flying over the battle in a homemade balloon. The game offers additional terrain sets which are useful for any miniatures games. The choice between pre-painted and unpainted miniatures provides an opportunity for a family paint night to those who want one.
These games are available online and through Friendly Local Game Stores. To make sure they’ll be in hand for Mother’s Day on Sunday, shop locally if possible.
