So you’re thinking about planning a game night and want to know some of the basics, eh? Well, it’s really not that hard. One might even say there’s no planning involved, all you need are friends, some games, and a place to play.
But that’s not enough for you, right? You want the game night of all game nights. The one that people will be remember and say on their death beds, “At least I was there.” Well, if that’s the kind of game night you’re looking for, then look no further, because we at Games Overboard are going to lay it all out for you right now.
Of course the first thing you’ll need are friends to come over and play the games with you. We know (from experience) that it’s hard to get an accurate count when planning a game night, so here are some tips:
- Post your event on sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Game Board Geek, whatever.
- Text anyone and everyone you want to come.
- Make a count of the people who said they’d be there.
- Divide that number in 2.
- That’s the largest number of people you’re going to get.
Yes it sounds bad, we know, after a few years of doing this stuff for a few years, we know the formula. So now you need to get games together, and this is why it’s important to know the number of people.
If you’re somehow unaware (you’ve been living in a cave your whole life, you’re parents refused to by you board games because of their devilish influence, etc.) board games have a recommended number of players. So make sure you have:
- Enough games for everyone to play something.
- A good mix of games for people who like different things.
- Some games that will last a long time, and some that are fast easy plays.
- A few games that everyone knows and has played, and a few new games that you’ll have to explain to the crowd.
Following these rules will allow everyone to have a good experience, play some things they haven’t seen before, but allows them to play some things they’re comfortable with as well.
Now there’s one other aspect of a game night, the food and drinks. It’s very important to provide your fellow gamers with something to eat, but there are some important things to keep in mind:
- Avoid greasy foods like chips or chicken fingers. You don’t want to smudge up the cards or get the game board all messy.
- No sauces. Ranch, honey mustard, hot sauce, all of these are a bad combination with the tokens and dice.
- Avoid alcohol. Yes a couple beers are fine with friendly game of Carcassonne, but on a game night you’ll want to keep it sober and spill free.
So what does that leave you? We suggest hot dogs, sandwiches, Pringles, soda, and whatever other foods that are low on grease and high on ability for one-handed holding.
So there you go, you’ve got your friends, your games, and food. Now go have fun and play some games.
