How to Plan for A Great Game Night.

With a good group and the right preparation, board game night can easily become the highlight of you and your friends week.

One reason Board Games are a great hobby is they provide an easy way for people to socialize that doesn’t involve screens. That said, it can be intimidating to host a game night; the pressure is on the host to get the group together, have games to play, and to teach those games. I hope to provide some help for those preparing to host a board game night.

Planning for the Group

The first step to hosting game night is to know who is coming. Will you have a large crowd? Two to four friends? What kind of gaming experience do they have? The answer to these questions will dictate many of your decisions. Group chats are an excellent way to organize a game night and get an idea of what people are looking for. Having an idea of the guest list allows you adequately prepare your space and be sure you are stocked for food and drinks.

Once you know who is coming you will need the other critical element of game night: the games! You don’t need a strict list, but it is useful to have a lineup to choose from. In an earlier blog post I wrote about creating a diverse collection of games. It’s always good to have plenty of options, especially if you plan on playing several games in one evening. Having a progression of games elevates a game night to a more complete experience and make it easier to get to the heavy, 2-3 hours behemoth (looking at you Scythe) out of the box. Personally, I usually start with a quick small game, even better if players can drop in, Love Letter fits this role perfectly, as do party games like  What do You Meme? or  We Didn’t Playtest This At All/. Having a starter game gets the group in the mindset to take on a more intense game.

Teaching the Games

Depending on who is coming and what games you are playing, you may need to teach some players how to play. Learning games is not always a pleasant experience, and you owe it to anyone who has taken time out of their lives to come to game night to make it as painless as possible. Many people have given their opinion on how to teach games and there isn’t a right or wrong way, but however you go about teaching games, make sure you have a plan and that you practice it. If you have someone around you can practice teaching to, even better. Getting the amount of time it takes to learn how to play a game to as little as possible means everyone gets to spend more time playing.

Gaming is Exhausting!

I mentioned food and drink earlier, but it deserves more attention. Depending on your plans for game day, your guests may be over for a meal or two. There are plenty options, and just like teaching, having a plan is critical. Potluck, pizza, or snacking are all great. If you are worried about dirty fingers, take a look at card sleeves. Talk to you guests about expectations for keeping you games in good shape, ans watch out for spilled drinks!

Game night can be easy and fun, it just needs a little planning. With a good group and the right preparation, board game night can easily become the highlight of you and your friends week.