Boardgame nights can be a blast.
It’s a wonderful excuse to step away from the screens and sit down with some of your favourite people and cause a little mayhem for each other.
This being said, a poorly executed game night can leave people feeling left out, burnt out, or a little bored.
The following will explore a few nifty tips that can help you make your board game night more fun for everyone.
Number Of Players
One of the biggest elements that can make or break game night is whether or not everyone gets to play.
Yes, that one sweet friend will offer to sit this one out or to play with someone else as “one player,” but that’s not as much fun, and everyone knows it.
Find and secure games that reflect the number of players you have.
Alternatively, if you’re planning a night around a specific game, be sure to invite the right number of people to pull that game off.
Understand Emotional Investment
Some games take a lot out of you. In some games, you don’t just lose, you’re emotionally dragged through the act of losing again and again for several hours.
Read the room and everyone’s emotional state when selecting a game.
If a friend just had a breakup, they might not feel like getting pummeled territory-by-territory in Risk over the course of three hours.
There are times when the games that require a big investment are perfect and times when they’re not.
Find The Pieces Ahead Of Time
Whatever games you’re thinking of playing, take a moment before your guests arrive to dig through the boxes and make sure you have all the pieces.
Nothing is going to kill the vibe faster than everyone waiting around as you throw stuff around in your closet, looking for something that is necessary for the game to continue.
Clear Off The Space You Need
Some games take up quite a lot of room. It can be hard to play and enjoy yourself if you’ve got a pile of pieces and secret cards in your lap because there wasn’t enough space on the table.
Clear off the table that you plan on using and consider pushing a few pieces of furniture together if needed.
Read The Instructions
Again, before everyone arrives to play, it might be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the rules of any game you’re new to.
This can greatly speed up the process of getting the game started.
Of course, other players might want to peruse the instructions, but it is incredibly helpful if someone is comfortable with the game mechanics before you start playing.
Use Tech When You Need It
You can often look up rule-specific questions online if there seems to be a debate. You can also use technology to help with things that make gaming easier.
This might include a tool designed to generate numbers randomly or everyone keeping their score tallied on the calculator on your phones.
Figure out where tech can smooth things over and employ it.
Age Appropriateness
If your group contains people of varying ages, it’s a good idea to take a second to figure out which games reflect everyone’s skill levels.
Finding family-friendly games is pretty easy once you start looking.
If playing with very young children, expect turns to take a little longer than the game manual suggests and keep an eye on little pieces as these are choking hazards.
Snacks
There are a few factors to consider when you’re looking at snacks for game night.
First, you want to keep things that could damage games and cards away from games and cards.
This means taking a moment to consider serving bowls, tools, utensils, and things like napkins with game protection in mind.
You also want food that can be eaten in small increments without going stale or getting gross.
Beyond this, go crazy and get what you know you and your friends like.
Winner Cleans Up
If you’re going to be playing multiple games, it’s a good idea to instate the house rule that: the winner cleans up.
Losing a game isn’t always fun, and so often, losers aren’t in the mood to then start cleaning up and sorting through cards.
The winner is probably feeling pretty fantastic; they can do the tidying up.
The above tips should help you organize a game night that’s fun for everyone.
Of course, every friend group is different. If you and your buddies have a different way of doing things, that’s completely okay.
The goal here is fun. What works for you, works for you.