Our tips for hosting a board game night will help you plan and execute a night full of fun gaming that your friends will love! Everyone will leave asking when the next one is scheduled!
Hosting a board game night is all about having fun with your friends. But to make sure it goes smoothly, there are a few things you can and should do to prepare! These tips will help make sure your next board game night is a success no matter how many friends are invited!
Decide What Kind of Game Night You Want to Have
Are you wanting a chill evening around the table? Or a house bursting with all your friends?
It’s important to know what type of game night you are wanting to have and then invite the right number of people to meet that need.
If you are wanting to have a quieter night filled with more gaming, perhaps playing a longer strategy game or those with a bit more intense rules, you’ll want to invite a smaller group of people.
If you’re wanting to have a louder, more “party” vibe for your game night, then you’ll invite more people.
Set the Guest List
Once you’ve decided the type of game night you want to host, that will determine how many people you’ll want to invite.
We feel that the sweet spot for a board game night that includes lots of quality gaming is about 4-6 people total, including yourself. More players begins to tip it towards a party atmosphere.
If possible, it’s great to know what their general experience with gaming is — especially if you’re are going with a smaller group.
This will help you determine the games you select for the evening.
Select the Games Beforehand
This is perhaps the most important tip!
We highly recommend selecting the games you are interested in playing AND learning them before your guests arrive.
It’s much better to have a small selection of games to choose from than being overwhelmed with a shelf full of options.
You can still have more games than you think you’ll end up playing and let your guests vote on which sounds more interesting.
As a host you can give your friends a few options, the night will just run smoother if you’ve already whittled down the selection to a few titles.
Which types of games should you choose?
For the best flow for the evening, you’ll want to select games intentionally.
I like to think of this two ways. It’s like designing a dinner menu with an Appetizer, Main Course, and Dessert. Or quite similar to how you would pot a plant with a Filler, Thriller, and Spiller. This last one is my favorite way to think of it!
Fillers — The appetizers of your evening
Fillers helps set the tone for the evening and they’re great to have ready to got the moment your first guests arrive.
These are games that you can teach and play quickly. Typically they tend to be lighter on strategy — I especially love selecting games people can just jump in and play when they arrive.
Games that make great fillers:
Point Salad
Incan Gold
Kluster
No Thanks!
That’s Not a Hat
Sushi Go
Qwixx
Tsuro
Thrillers — The Main Course
Thrillers are your main event of the evening. They are typically the games that require the longest rules teach, take the most time, and require the most brain power. Often these are the games you invited everyone over to play — the “thrill” of the evening. Most game nights typically only have enough time for one or two thrillers max.
The games you select in this category will largely depend on your group size and experience.
If your guests are relatively new to gaming, we recommend selecting lighter gateway games that take about 45 to 60 minutes to play. There are tons of great games in this category. Here are just a few.
Ticket to Ride
Azul
Between Two Castles of Mad King Ludwig
Isle of Cats
Port Royal
Rattus
If your group is more experienced or wants to try their hand at a tougher game, then go for it!
We recommend making sure the game doesn’t exceed the 90 minute mark for play time. Anything more than that is a true event game. These we recommend inviting friends over to play specifically and not worry about playing anything else.
Spillers — An enjoyable dessert to end the evening with.
A spiller game is much like a filler. These are the games that “spill” over to the end of the evening. They don’t require much brain power, are easy to teach, and help make sure the evening ends on a fun note.
These can still be more of a game than your fillers, but it’s best to choose titles that take 30 minutes or so and work well even if some guests have to leave early.
Games that work well as Spillers
Cartographers
Welcome To…
Barenpark
Survive: Escape from Atlantis
Floriferous
For Sale
Fantasy Realms or Marvel Remix
Skull King
Tutankhamun
What About Food?
Have an area set up in the kitchen for food and drinks.
Typically we start game night after dinner, but that doesn’t mean we don’t still want something to enjoy during the night!
Finger foods work best. You’ll want to avoid foods that leave a large amount of residue or are overly sticky/messy to eat. (Think Cheetos)
Don’t be too worried about your games getting ruined if folks enjoy food at the table.
In all our years of hosting game nights, this has never once happened.
Relax! Eat. Drink, and be Merry!
Foods I love serving at game night:
Veggie + Dip platters
Charcuterie boards
Grapes, nuts, or small candies like M&Ms
Bite size S’mores
Cookies
Have napkins or, my favorite, a package of baby wipes out by the table for guests to wipe their hands with if necessary.
For drinks we like to keep it simple with chilled water bottles or soda cans available for guests.
These are great because spills are much less likely.
tips for hosting a board game night. Board game night hosting tips
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