Spirits of Christmas is a wonderfully thematic and unexpectedly engaging board game that breathes new life into Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. What begins as a cosy festive diversion quickly reveals itself as a clever, story-driven experience with real heart. After a two-chapter learning game, my son-in-law — who is not usually a board gamer — immediately asked if we could play the third chapter because he was enjoying it so much. He even insisted that we speak in the manner of Scrooge throughout the game, which only made the experience more entertaining and showed just how easily the theme draws you in.
The story arc is one of the game’s greatest strengths. Your goal — convincing Scrooge to see the error of his ways before time runs out — gives everything a wonderful sense of purpose and tension. As a co-op game, working together to achieve the goals feels particularly fitting at Christmas, a season of sharing, and it helps the table quickly settle into a warm and collaborative atmosphere. The structure of three chapters, aligned with the spirits of past, present, and future, is perfect. It mirrors the book beautifully while giving each section a distinct feel and challenge.
This is a game that works superbly with families and mixed groups. It’s accessible enough for newcomers yet has just enough decision-making to keep regular gamers involved. There are also plenty of options for adjusting the difficulty, making it easy to tailor the experience to your situation. As a Christmas game, it hits exactly the right tone and is the sort of thing you can put on the table in December and know everyone will enjoy.
The artwork is a standout feature. It’s rich, evocative, and at times reminiscent of the Albert Finney Scrooge adaptation — not in every aspect, but certainly in atmosphere. The whimsical yet slightly haunting aesthetic suits the story perfectly and keeps you grounded in Dickens’ world.
Gameplay flows smoothly, and the components support the narrative nicely. The cards are linen finished and the wooden components are great, giving everything a pleasing tactile feel. The game’s “timer” of fifteen shillings is a particularly thematic touch that I personally appreciate — a clever nod to Bob Cratchit’s wages that strengthens the Dickensian flavour. If there’s one improvement I’d welcome, it would be a little more variety. A few additional chapter cards — perhaps covering more scenes from the book — and some extra ‘gift’ cards would add even more replayability. A small expansion pack in the future would be most welcome.
Overall, Spirits of Christmas is a charming, atmospheric, and thoroughly enjoyable addition to any festive game night. It captures the essence of Dickens while offering an experience that is both fun and surprisingly immersive. To borrow the words of Anton Rodgers (Tom Jenkins, the hot-soup man) and express them to Humble Bard Games: “Thank you very much, thank you very much, that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me…”
Great concept for a game! I like that the mechanics of the game actually fit with the theme, rather than feeling like mechanics that could have gone with any of a number of generic themes. And it fills a rather unique niche: the cooperative holiday-themed game! It has enough substance to be interesting without being too difficult to teach to relatives during the holidays. ;) The production quality is nice, too, with artwork on the cards that evokes Dickens' story.
Loving this game! It’s quick to learn and setup, and a perfect way to get into the Christmas season. I’m only a couple games in, but already seeing some strategies emerge that make us want to play again to get a higher score. We won’t rest until we reach Father Christmas status! Also, I recommend reading the flavor text on the cards in fun voices for extra holiday cheer.
Lovely game wth great component, especially for the price.
This is our Christmas Eve game (a family tradition) but I did sneak in a solo game, just to learn the game you understand.The perfect length and weight for our Xmas eve game
Having a collection of Christmas Carol memorabilia, this game fits right in with the exact meaning of the Carol which Dickens tried so hard to educate to the Victorians. Playing the game truly makes one aware of the hardships endured by the poor class of society in the Dickensian era! An educational as well as a fun game to play. What we did in our 8th grade was to make sure the novella was read first. So as a possible game time, the class knew already about the highlights of the game and were truly eager to see how the game corresponded to the book. Great job and nice illustrations. Dickens Lives !!!!
