Sometimes you know someone that’s incredibly hard to shop for. It seems like everything they want or need, they have, and anything else is superfluous or uninteresting. Birthdays and holidays where gifts are expected become stressful and, in some cases, dreaded. Luckily, if you have some geeky friends, this isn’t the case.

The world is filled with wonderful gifts for those who love all things within geek culture, and new products and releases are coming daily as the industry explodes and adults from all walks of life admit the magic of geeky stories, games, and collectibles. The following will explore a few gift ideas to get you excited about shopping for your geeky friends.

Board Games

The world of board games is massive and likely going to continue growing in the near future. One of the most fantastic elements of board gaming is how many classic games get remade with franchise-specific artwork and pieces. A classic game like risk has a Game of Thrones edition, a Call of Duty edition, a Star Wars edition, a Mass Effect edition, a Doctor Who edition, a Lord of the Rings edition, and so many more.

This makes for a very safe board game purchase as it combines two things you know your friend loves into one. Consider Rick and Morty Munchkin or Marvel Munchkin or Star Trek Catan. Beyond this, many franchises release games specifically regarding their storyline, and some of them are pretty fantastic. The Spartacus game is particularly fascinating (that market phase is really unique), as is the Firefly board game.

There are also endless cool board games that aren’t tied to franchises but are a blast to play, like King of Tokyo (which has a touch of gambling mixed in with critical dice rolls) and pretty much any of the highly regarded Dungeons and Dragons playthroughs.

When shopping for board games, be sure to look up how many players the game requires. If you need six or seven people and your friend group doesn’t have that many regulars, it might be a good idea to try another game that can be played more often.

Inside References

If you have a geeky friend group, you likely have specific lines or moments from movies, books, television shows, or games that you’re constantly revisiting and appreciating. Maybe for you guys, it’s Pickle Rick. Maybe that moment in Firefly where Wash is playing with dinosaur toys and says: curse your sudden, but inevitable betrayal is where it’s at for your group.

Consider finding a good quality image of these inside jokes and references and then applying one of many printing methods for shirts to create something unique that showcases just how well you know your friend. Tyrion’s line, I drink, and I know things, or a Robot Chicken reference might be the perfect thing to have on a shirt.

Nostalgia And Throwbacks

Of course, all geeks were kids once, and the things that got them into the geek culture will always have a soft spot in their hearts. For your friend, it might be Dragon Ball-Z or Cardcaptors, or it could be the video game series Spyro featuring the cutest purple dragon there ever was. If you know what they loved when they were young, you should be able to find some really sweet products that create all the nostalgia. There are One Piece pencil cases and Pokemon socks. There are Yu-Gi-Oh puzzles and Spy Kids Comic books. The possibilities here are endless, and all of them are heartwarming.

Special Edition Graphic Novels And Books

Whenever a graphic novel or book series has done really well and is a few years old, there seem to be special editions released. The new Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy covers are snazzy, as is that fancy anthology of the most famous time travel stories (including one by George R. R. Martin) is epic. Consider a Game of Thrones encyclopedia containing gorgeous artwork or the anniversary edition of V for Vendetta.

The above list is just the beginning. Whatever franchises and stories your friends are into will have products and games galore to pick from. Your local comic book store is a good place to go and ask for advice (hey, my friend is super into x, any good gift ideas? is a fantastic question to ask to get the ball rolling), as are YouTube review channels. You can literally watch someone open up a board game you’re considering buying, try it out, and share their honest opinion on how it plays and whether they think it’s worth purchasing.