Planning a games night? Fantastic! Since you’re reading this page, chances are that this might be your first foray into hosting an epic night for your friends and family. To be honest, you can’t go wrong with it. Get some good games and some decent company, and you’re pretty much set. Still, if you want things to go off without a hitch, read on. We’ll share some advice we’ve gathered from years of hosting our own game nights.
Note: We’re going to assume that you’re planning a games night in your own home. Make sure you’ve got the space for all your attendees – you don’t want to host a 20-person game night in a flat made for one person. We’re sure you knew that part, though.
Set a time and date
This is probably the trickiest part of the whole thing. Anybody who has ever run a game group in the past (particularly Dungeons & Dragons) will know that getting everybody together is hard. Even when people say they’re going to come, many won’t pitch up. That can’t be helped, but there is one thing you can do to mitigate the chances of ending up with a poorly attended games night – plan it well in advance.
Planning a games night two to three weeks in advance will work wonders. Most people shouldn’t have plans for themselves, so getting them to turn up will be easy. There’ll still be those who don’t make it, but hopefully, they’ll be kept to a minimum.
Know who is attending
The games you play (and the food you serve) will be based on who is attending. So think about:
– The ages of people.
– Their experience with games.
– The number of people coming.
For example, if you’ve got a particularly game-experienced group of people turning up on your doorstep, then you can probably play slightly more convoluted games than normal. But, if you’ve got people coming over who might not play board games or video games that much, then you might need to play something a bit more simplistic.
Get the right games
This is where things get a little tricky since we don’t know what your friends and family like. We also don’t know their experience with games. For example, some groups may be fine playing epic, multi-stage board games, while others may be confused by a simple game of Monopoly. We can give you a few suggestions, though:
- Get a mix of games. We’re assuming that you’re having a board game night, but video games can go down a treat too. Choose games that suit every level of gameplay, from the simple ones through to those that are a bit more convoluted. This applies even if you only have experienced gamers coming. We are veteran board gaming fanatics, but even we love a simpler game, at least to kick the night off.
- Choose games that encourage socialising, particularly if the group doesn’t know each other that well. For example, we love games like One Night Ultimate Werewolf or The Resistance, as they encourage discussion. Some co-op games may not go amiss either (for example, Pandemic). Again, get a good selection of games, so people don’t get bored. You can always start with a game that encourages socialising and move on to more competitive games later on.
- Choose games that need minimal setting up. Nobody wants to spend an age placing small pieces onto a board. Plus, you don’t want those pieces to get lost, right?
- Choose games you wouldn’t be fussed about being damaged. Games get damaged at parties. It happens. So, don’t pull out some extremely rare board game worth hundreds of quid, particularly when food and alcohol are involved.
These tips should help you. Don’t forget to ask your friends if they want to bring some games too – a lot of people do.
Make sure you understand the rules
If you’re running a games night, then you’ll be expected to understand the rules of the games you’re playing, which is another reason why you might not want to play anything too complicated. You don’t want to be forever thumbing through the rules book. Luckily, now there are plenty of online guides to game rules, from Cluedo to Craps! Whether it’s from a YouTube video, or an online article, you can access any information needed for your games night. If you were to take the route of including gambling-focused card or dice games, then sites like AskGamblers can give you advice on gameplay rules, equipped with useful diagrams. Trusted platforms like this are a great source of information, especially as the content available has been carefully curated by a team of experts with the intention to educate players on the rules.
Food and drink are a must!
You probably know this part already, but we must reiterate that food and drink are an absolute must. Your guests will expect it. Of course, the food that you serve up will be tailored to the people coming to your games night. So, for example, you won’t be serving copious amounts of alcohol at a party where a lot of children (or your grandmother) will be in attendance.
On the food front, we highly recommend that you stick to snack foods that are easy to make. You know, like crisps, sausage rolls, etc. Finger foods. While we know that some people like to crank out amazing snacks and meals for their friends and family at game nights, it just takes way too much effort. Do you want to be slaving over a hot stove when you could be in there enjoying time with those closest to you?
Of course, you could always order some takeaway. Pizza, curry etc always go down a treat.
If you do want to add a little flair to your drinks selection, consider serving craft cocktails or a whiskey tasting setup. Brands like Aged & Charred make it easy to impress guests with unique cocktail smokers and stylish bar accessories that elevate the whole experience.
Final thoughts
So, that just about sums everything up. When you’re planning the ultimate games night with your friends and family, think about who will be attending. Choose games that will suit the players, not games that you want to play. Make sure you understand the rules of every game and serve up some decent food. It’ll work, we promise!
**This is a collaborative post
