Game nights have been a monthly tradition in our house since January 2014. It’s nearly always on the same weekend each month, and we’ve only cancelled a few times in the last four years.
We have anywhere from 5 to 12 people on any given game night (including me and my husband). We’ll set up 1-3 tables, depending on how many people have RSVPed, and often break up into smaller groups, since many of our games are 4-5 player games.
I also look at game nights as an excuse to bake. It’s just two of us at home, so I try not to bake too much, even though I love it – I don’t want the two of us to have to finish a lot of desserts! This month I made my second (or maybe third?) ever rolled cake. These turn out to be easier than I expected, and basically require one to show no fear in the face of flipping it out of the pan and rolling it.
This month turned out to be a quieter game night, with just 6 of us playing. We have a couple people who typically arrive right at 3PM (the start of game night), and then a trickle until just after dinner. Generally that means we start with a couple shorter games and then build up as the evening moves along. This weekend we started with Kodama and a couple hands of Dr. Who Fluxx.
The we pulled out Sagrada – our first time trying this with more than 2 players. It was still fairly fast. I was expecting it to be a little easier – at least with the first round of drafting, but somehow it felt just as hard. Somehow, each pull from the dice bag resulted in just 2 or three dice colors (or at least, that’s how it felt!). Still loving the puzzle-nature of this one.
When our player-count reached five, we pulled out Rise of Augustus, another new acquisition. This plays up to six, so is a perfect game for our game-nights, and it plays fast so that we can either get a couple games in or play it when we’re waiting for another group to finish up a game.
We pulled out 7 Wonders when our sixth player arrived. Oof. I couldn’t get anything going in the two games of this we played, but it’s still a fun game. Its also one we pull out frequently on game night because of the high player count.
We capped off the night with the Pennsylvania map for Ticket to Ride. I like the stock collecting aspect of the Pennsylvania map – it adds some interest to the game.
All in all, we fit in nine games across six different titles. Whew!
What are your favorite game night games?
Game night is always fun! My favorites are Catan (Star Trek version because that’s the first one I ever played), Clank, and Dominion.
One of the best things about game night is that I get to try out lots of games and different kinds of games so I can figure out what I really like. It’s overwhelming to go into a game store and have so many choices. It’s hard not to pick a game just because the box looks pretty – good marketing but bad way to select a game.
Another awesome thing about game night, especially with excellent hosts such as yourselves, is that it’s relatively easy to introduce people to gaming when there are experienced gamers who can explain the rules and mechanics of game play simply and clearly. There is plenty of opportunity for friendly competition, but also it’s open enough so anyone who wants to learn a new game has a chance to.