Though the world is heading more towards relying on technology to pass the time, it has been wonderful to see more board games find their way onto tables in recent years. Thanks to VR Distribution, writers at the Explosion Network have been able to try out some of this year’s board games that are flying off shelves so our readers can check them out and grab some to take home with them this holiday season. From social deduction games to games that will get the family gathered around after lunch, I am sure there is something for everyone amongst the stacked shelves of games.

Squishmallows Take 4

As a 29-year-old man, this is my first interaction with anything to do with Squishmallows, but I have been enjoying playing the Squishmallows Take 4 Card game. Take 4 is extremely straightforward to play. The aim is to be the first person to gather an entire squad of 4 Squishmallows, and each team has its unique style and colour to make them easy to pick out in the game. In each round, four cards are taken from the deck, and each is placed under 1 of the number cards. Each player has their own set of 1 – 4 number cards, and at the same time, they place down a card to show which of the Squishmallows they want to take. If only one player has set down the number, they can add the card to their squad, but if more than one player has put down a number, it is the first person to grab that exclusive Benny plush in the middle of the table to win the card.

Squishmallows Take 4 is simple to set up and easy to play anywhere without lots of small pieces required. Squishmallows Take 4 is best played with the family as all ages can get involved, but the quick draw for Benny could lead to some monopoly-style disagreements. The artwork and presentation of the game capture the aesthetic of Squishmallows well. I wouldn’t say that Take 4 will bring endless hours of play each time the deck comes out, but it’s a great distraction while waiting for that Christmas lunch, especially if you have family like me who seem to arrive at everything 20 minutes early.

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Herd Mentality

In life, we tend to strive to be unique in everything we do, so thanks to Herd Mentality, it is lovely to get the chance to follow the herd and try to make your answer match with the people around you. Each game of Herd Mentality flows around the deck of cards featuring a wide array of questions: who is your favourite Jennifer? What is the best name for a cow? And where do the onions go on a bunning snag? Well, I made that last one up, but more on that later. Players then must write down an answer to the question with the aim to get their answer to match with at least one of the other players to get a point. If you are the only person with a particular answer, you become the lucky owner of the Pink Cow (often known as the Pink Pig in my games), and players cannot win until another player receives the Pink Cow. The first player that gets to 7 points wins the game, and it’s just that simple.

The beauty of Herd Mentality is that it quickly comes down to knowing who you are playing with. Your personal answer may only sometimes be the best answer, as you may be able to read one of the other players to match them. This quickly becomes each player trying to work out what someone else in the group is going to say, and then the discussions after each point to work out what people were thinking is a great social aspect of the game. Herd Mentality comes with double-sided question cards, a Pink Cow, instructions, point tokens, pads to write on and a small, fenced paddock to hold the point token, but much of this is pointless and seems to be used to fill the box. Games quickly become writing down the answers on phones and keeping track of the scores on your device, which could easily be replaced with scrap paper or whiteboards. The longevity in this game is coming up with your own questions, as previously mentioned. Groups of friends and families have their own myths and things happening that it would be easy to start making your own questions. Herd Mentality is a fantastic game that will bring any group together to be one of the Herd and should find its way into your stocking this Christmas.

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The Chameleon

The Chameleon is a social deduction game where players need to work out who the craft critter is. Players are given a card that either notes they are the Chameleon or shows a table of dice rolls that indicate a square on the Topic Card. The Topic Card, which could be about movies, geography, or a wide variety of other topics that feature columns and rows of names, is pulled from the deck each round. Dice are then rolled to indicate to the seekers which is the secret word of that round, and then everyone takes a turn to speak one word that relates to the secret word. The Chameleon has no idea what the secret word is, so it is up to them to work out what the word is from the other answers and come up with an answer that will not give them away. Players then get a chance to discuss and ask questions to determine who the Chameleon before is coming to a vote. If the wrong person gets voted, the Chameleon wins; if the seekers find the Chameleon, they get a chance to guess the secret word to steal the round win.

As a fan of social deduction games that involve gaslighting and lying to the people you love (I’m not sure what that says about me), The Chameleon fits perfectly for several hours of entertainment each time it comes out. Much like Herd Mentality, the opportunity to customise the game with your own Topic Cards is very prevalent and can make up for the disappointing range of Topic Cards in the deck that feature several repeated topics. Where I found the Chameleon comes together is in the discussion after each round of words; trying to ask questions and answer them without giving away the word always led to some interesting discussions. I always loved coming up with abstract words that link to the secret word, but it would often be a risk as players may not be able to make those same connections. The Chameleon and players’ enjoyment hinges on players’ familiarity with social deduction games. In my experience, people who were not comfortable with thinking of answers on the spot or were too honest for their own good did not enjoy the game as much as those with experience with games such as Werewolves and Mafia. However, if you are new to social deduction games, try The Chameleon to see which one of your loved ones is alarmingly good at fooling everyone.

Buy Now – Amazon

These are some great picks for the holiday season and board games to play with your family. Have you played any of these games already? Tell us about your thoughts on them in the comments section below.

We’ll have some more to tell you about soon, so stay tuned.

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