Posted in: Games, Tabletop | Tagged: 40 K, Asmodee, Atlas Games, Avalon Hill, Betrayal at House on the Hill, Boardgames, games, Games Workshop, gloom, killteam, timeline, warhammer, Warhammer 40000

Games You Should Play Instead of Freebasing all that Thanksgiving Gravy

Here at Bleeding Cool, we take gaming very seriously. The list of contributors that have perished at our Editor-in-Chief's yearly Roller-Turkey tournament deserves its own memorial. Alas, poor Sheila. Her Spyro the Dragon articles where the stuff of legends. This year, we elected to buy Kaitlyn a flame-thrower, so she's too busy roasting trolls to notice that none of us showed up at the skate-park. Now that we all get to sit down with friends and family for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, one problem remains: what the hell are you supposed to do after the food is gone?

Well, the answer is simple. You should play some games! Here are some of our favorites, and we even sorted them in a handy guest-themed format!

For Guests that Love Murder Mystery

Clue is great. We all love it, but sheesh. How many times is Ms. Scarlet going to murder some fool in the Conservatory, and with the candlestick, no less? Sure, his arguments against Rey in the new Star Wars movies have grown tiresome, but murder? And right after we got the carpets done?

We digress. Put away the old, stuffy board game Gram-gram gave you in 1974, and try something that takes the Clue formulae and turns it all the freaking way to 13. It's time for Betrayal at House on the Hill.

Avalon Hill's perennial what-done-it allows three to six players to join forces and explore the titular House on the Hill. Each game is unique, with randomly selected scenarios and a cool system that changes the layout of the house each time you play. And once you think you know what's going on, the other shoe drops: One player takes on a sinister role and enacts terrible, messy fiendishness on their former friends.

Betrayal at House on the Hill has a bit of a learning curve to it, which can be frustrating to some players. But role-playing gamers should be right at home here, and there are plenty of accessory sets to help keep the game fresh after you've played the 50 core scenarios.

For Guests that Love History

We all have that family member that flogs us mercilessly at the history portion of Trivial Pursuit. Maybe they're really good at remembering people and dates. Or maybe they've just played Trivial Pursuit so many times that they just know all the answers. It's time for a change, Randy! I'm tired of feeling stupid!

Time to break out Timeline, Asmodee's historical card game. Game play couldn't be simpler: players are dealt a hand of random cards, and take turns placing their cards at the center of the table in what they hope to be chronological order. It's a lot of fun, and educational, too! Currently, Timeline has numerous expansions, including music, American History, and Cinema categories; each set can be integrated into the main box, too. Timeline is the perfect casual game for two to eight players.

For Guests that Love to Get Drunk and Blow Stuff Up

Your Drunkle Pete is coming down from Idaho, and your Aunt has asked if there will be something safer for him to play than the family game of Match and Gas-can. You've forgiven Drunkle Pete for burning down your heirloom Wysteria, so you've agreed to find something less incendiary for him to do.

Friend, Warhammer 40,000: Killteam is your key to serious high-octane fun. Games Workshop's core game comes with literally everything you need to play, with two squads of combatants, a soft-bound rulebook, more scenery than you can shake a snotling at, and some tokens. Games take less than an hour to play, and the rules don't take a PHD in Rocket Science to figure out. This is also the perfect game for people who burned out on regular Warhammer 40,000 but still want to dabble in the game.

For Guests that Love Ed Gorey and Edgar Allan Poe

Bauhaus sounds great with cranberry sauce, but what to do after the black-currant pie? Break out Gloom and get ready to cringe-laugh your way through the evening! Gloom is lavishly illustrated in a fantastic Ed Gorey-ish style, with crisp ink lines and a minimal color palette. All of the cards in Gloom are printed on sturdy, transparent cards, which adds a very interesting twist to the way the game is played; each card allows you to see cards beneath it, allowing each card in play to modify the cards beneath it.

Gloom is, well, gloomy. Each player plays a different family, and your goal is to make sure that the family you are playing meets the worst end possible. Cards in your hand either allow you to inflict maladies on your own family, or play happy cards on your opponent to make sure they can't meet the miserable end they are hoping for! There is no greater feeling than playing a happy marriage card on your opponent right before ending the game with a "mauled by manatees" card on your own family.

Atlas Games has released a number of expansions to Gloom, which allow you to enhance your game with new families, nasty relatives, and even some housing! There is also a Cthulhu version of Gloom, and a Munchkin version as well.

Gloom does employ a few tricky game mechanics, but would work well for teenagers and adults. The game was designed for two to four players.

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All of these games can be found at your local game store, or ordered online! What are your favorite games to play with company? Sound off in the comments below!

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