This post was written by Jacob Tegtman from EternityTTRPG.com
The holidays are nearly upon us and it’s time to get gift-purchasing in gear for 2021. Hopefully, you’ve already got some of your shopping out of the way, but if you still have a few people in your life who need some love, we’ve put together a little something for you.
Behold our GWW short list of best games to give this 2021 holiday season – especially if you need some last-minute gift ideas.
This list includes recent video games, classics, and indies. Also, as you know, we occasionally love to get our TRPG (tabletop RPG) game on, so we’ve included some top-tier tabletop games for your consideration and enjoyment.
Whatever your style of game, here’s to a great 2021 of holiday fun:
Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition
Starting off with the game that inspired virtually all tabletop and videogame RPGs since the genre began is the classic game itself: Dungeons and Dragons.
By now, we’re sure you’ve heard of it. Everyone has either played DnD or thought about giving it a try. We’re here to tell you that there’s no better time than the holidays to gift someone in your life (or yourself) some DnD.
If you haven’t played before, it takes a little time learning the rules. But honestly, that’s not a bad thing. So much of life nowadays is instant gratification, but as you probably know from video gaming, sometimes the best gaming experiences come after you’ve invested a bit of time and effort into the game.
If you have played DnD before, we don’t have to tell you that holiday time off gives everyone in your gaming group the perfect excuse to start a new RPG campaign.
When it comes down to it, Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition provides the simplest rules set for the game, to-date, while building on a legacy of great system mechanics. It’s also never been easier to start a DnD group since so many people have become interested in tabletop gaming, and online “tabletop” platforms like Roll 20.
Eternity TTRPG
Eternity TTRPG is one of tabletop RPGs newest games. It’s a great game if you like story- and world-building, and if you’re really into tactical video-game style combat systems.
When it comes to story building, in most tabletop RPGs there’s one single dungeon master who builds the game world, provides plotlines, and otherwise “runs” the game in which everyone else roleplays. Almost every TRPG works this way because it’s a simple way to organize roles. So, you’ve probably never played a game with multiple game masters.
In Eternity TTRPG, every person at the gaming table contributes to the story, the game’s world, and every aspect contained therein. Every player also still gets to customize and roleplay their own character. It’s a unique concept that capitalizes on the entire group’s creativity.
And when it comes to combat, the game offers 22 classes from which to choose. Each class has its own set of roles within the group’s adventuring party, and is equally viable. No matter what class, abilities, and spells you choose, you’ll have a valuable character when it comes to battle.
Additionally, at higher levels, the game becomes extremely strategic. No matter the situation you find yourself in, there’s almost always some way to creatively work through combat.
Final Fantasy 14
Now to video games for this holiday season: if you haven’t played it yet, Final Fantasy 14 (or FF XIV) is growing exponentially in popularity as the premier MMORPG (massive multiplayer online roleplay game).
The Final Fantasy series is another gaming franchise that is impossible to ignore. The games are iconic, masterfully artful, full of legendary plots and villains, and hold extremely satisfying gameplay. In short, they’ve set the standard for video game RPGs for decades.
If you aren’t aware, you do not need to have ever played any Final Fantasy games in order to jump in with FF 14. The game is entirely standalone. You don’t need to be familiar with the game’s races, classes, world, or storylines in order to make sense of FF 14, either. The game is designed with accessibility in mind.
If you loved playing games like World of Warcraft or Guild Wars 2 in their glory days, you’ll want to check out Final Fantasy 14. There’s just so many things right about the game, in a gaming genre (MMOs) that have been riddled with failed games and time-wasting problems for many years.
For example:
- FF 14 currently lets you play to Lv.60 for free – that’s the base version of the game and the first expansion. By the time you reach Lv.60, you’ll know if the game’s worth it, for you.
- Levelling in FF 14 is very fast compared to other games. There’s way less grinding. In fact, by playing through the game’s main storyline, you’ll reach Lv.60 – no side quests or pointless tasks needed.
- There’s just way less travel time than most games. No need to run back and forth just to turn in quests. You also get your mount relatively early in the game, and its speed increases with play.
- Each class in the game uses a very unique system for combat, and seems to be very balanced in relation to other classes. There aren’t really “priority” classes and races in FF 14.
For a holiday gift, the game’s newest expansion, Endwalker, releases on December 7th for Playstation 4, Playstation 5, PC, and Mac.
Chrono Trigger and Other RPG Classics
To be honest, there haven’t been a ton of video games coming out lately that are exactly groundbreaking. There’ve been some very good games that have improved slightly on one or a few aspects of previous games, and there have been a lot of remasters, remakes, and sequels.
Nothing wrong with that, but in our opinion because of that, some of the best gifts you can give this year have more to do with nostalgia than novelty.
It’s becoming easier than ever to find your favorite gaming classics on platforms like Steam. Chrono Trigger, Fallout 3, the Forza series, Super Mario Bros 3, Star Ocean, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, endless indie games, and even Majesty the Fantasy Kingdom Sim (a real gem if you’ve never played).
There are literally thousands of titles that will rock your world, even though they don’t have the newest graphics or the latest gameplay innovations. Back in the day when these titles came out, they were cutting edge games, and they still inspire and inform today’s blockbuster games.
Most platforms that sell older gaming titles also allow for game gifting, which is why they really shine at this time of year. Find out about your person’s favorite game from 5, 10, or 20 years ago and surprise them with a digital gifted copy for the holidays.