History Fun for your Holiday Traditions

By Nina Kendall

Holidays are a great time to get together with family and friends. Annual celebrations in my family include enjoying food and fun times together.  We watch football, take in the parade, and play games. I have enjoyed many a happy hour playing games with relatives and family friends over Thanksgiving.

If you play games at the holidays and are looking for a few history games to add to the line-up we have a few suggestions for you. These games are easy to carry in your luggage and easy to play.

Guillotine is a French Revolution themed card game. This is a hand management game for 2-5 players.  Players compete with each other for position during each round of play. With each turn, the player makes decisions about what will contribute to your status (points). After several rounds of interaction, the player with the best played hand wins.

Archaeology: The Card Game is a set collecting game for 2-4 players. With simple rules, this game is easy for players of all ages. Different types of artifacts carry different point values. Challenge your friends and family to find out who can gather the best collection of artifacts. Beware of the sandstorm!

Saboteur is a game based on building network building. Players act as miners on the hunt for gold. Players collaborate with each other to create a tunnel to the gold.  Trouble hits when the Saboteur strikes! See if you can find the Saboteur and reach the gold to win.

Timeline: Events is a card game played by 2-8 players using cards that depict history events. The challenge is demonstrate your knowledge of history. Each turn the player places a card from their hand in the timeline. Correct placement of each event card move the player closer to success. The first player to place all of his or her cards correctly in the timeline wins.

Want a game for everyone? Try Retro Loonacy. This speed matching game is played with 2 or more players and can be enjoyed by anyone. This special deck contains images that will spark conversations between generations about “retro” stuff. Have your own blast to the past!