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Last few months have been so exciting. Thanks for all the lovely questions and feedback.
We have decided to write stories from your questions and work to build content on making board games joyful.
Q: How do I plan a game night?
We are so excited to share this guide with you on how to host a game night. First, let’s make sure we are on the same page about our very own game night meaning, exactly what is a game night, and why you should host a game night.
Different people can have different meanings when it comes to game night. At Tacitgames, we feel as though game night is a time to get together with friends and/or family and have fun playing games. Pretty simple, right?
These games can be board games, card games, table top games, outdoor games, immersive game experiences, or even old school games such as Chess, Ludo or traditional games.
Game night is a great opportunity for laughs and bonding, bringing friends and families closer together. It is the perfect time to create memories that will last forever. In India, game times were part of festivals. Pagadi during Diwali, Dahi handi played during Janmashtami in Maharashtra, Jallikattu that started off as a game, which later transformed into a sport and then a tradition, vazhukku maram (slippery pole), Dhopkhel during Bihu in Assam and many more.... (I will try to make a long list of this in a future post for interested). Well.. game nights are a modern version of this beautiful event that are getting popular all over India.
Okay, now I’m getting a little emotional. I just love game nights!
We’re going to dive deep into how to host a game night and the game night essentials.
Why should you host a game night? Because it’s fun!
Game nights are not just for playing games. They are great opportunities to bond with friends and family by laughing and having fun all night long! Who wouldn’t want that? If this idea of ‘hosting a game night’ gets you excited, then you need to get your game night necessities in order.
Don’t worry, we are here to help!
To make it simple, you only need to know about the 4 game night necessities that we like to call the “game night essentials” for hosting a successful game night.
These involve making sure you have the best atmosphere, the best games, the best food, and the perfect amount of people.
HOW TO PLAN ?
Planning a game night does not have to be complicated. Just take our word for it! When planning a game night, there are a few things to take into consideration so that you can host a game night that is loads of fun!
Here are the four major things to think about when learning how to plan a game night:
Inviting the right amount of people to your game night
Choosing the right games for the personality of your guests
Setting up your game night with the perfect atmosphere
Putting together food and drinks in order to fuel your guests
RIGHT AMOUNT OF PEOPLE
Depending on the size of your group, there are certain settings and games that are best to play whether you have a small or large group. Also, knowing the amount of room (living space) you have within your home is important to take into account before inviting people over for a night of gaming.
Knowing which games will work for the size of group you are hosting is very important. Therefore, it is important to invite only the amount of people you can handle, or the chosen games can handle.
Getting a hold on the amount of people attending will help you decide on which games to play. We must say that we have made the mistake of inviting TOO MANY people before to our game night.
Don’t make our mistakes, it wasn’t fun. We learned our lesson.
We have found that game nights work well with about 4-8 people. This may seem like a very small amount of people, but remember… game nights aren’t parties.
ENGAGING CHILDREN
Most often the modern board games are for adults. We have found that engaging children in play situations and partnering with another children greatly help to make time to play your game. 7+ yr olds are great spectators and love to follow the game by watching adults play. In a couple of rounds, they pick up the operations pretty quickly but may lack strategic skills which develop over a period of plays.You can easily engage them and make them part of your team after a few rounds. Treating them as adults helps.
COUPLES
We have found that couples are super interested in participating and socialising. They love to make new friends and build relationships. They usually would have played before and bring a great wealth of knowledge to the table. They are the first to try new games and help others in playing one. They often love any game that can expand to more than 2 players and keen to see how that unfolds.
MASTER
If possible, call a 'Master' (Casual Gamer) for a 100% fun evening. He will save you time, energy and will engage everyone to have a gala evening. Who is a master?
A master is well versed with gaming world
He can easily explain the essentials of the game without reading the rule book
He is deeply connected in the gaming community
He is super helpful and wishes to share his joy of board games.
He will teach you ways to survive, strategise and win if you are patient :-)
He will connect you to other gamers who love your kind of games
He will be a long lasting friend
Note: A master comes prepared to the game night. He should know the audience much before and he should get special food :-). A good master guides the skill levels of players and inspires them with stories and his experiences.
Source : Author
CHOOSE THE RIGHT GAMES
It is always a good idea to have an assortment of games picked out before guests start to pile into your home for a fun filled night of playing games. Knowing about different types of games are probably one of the most important aspects to really get a good grasp on when learning how to host a game night.
If you don’t have games picked out at the beginning of the night, then this can delay your gaming. It can even cause conflicts when different parties do not agree when choosing a game to play.
We don’t want any arguments brewing at the beginning of the night, do we? This could really put a sour taste in everyone’s mouth for the rest of the night. Even worse than that, people might leave!
It’s best to know your guests and what games they would enjoy playing. Most game nights are usually held with friends or family, so you probably will have a good understanding of your guest’s dislikes and likes before choosing which games to play.
If you are having a game night with fresh faces, then we will go over some of the best generic games that most people enjoy playing. A lot of people don’t realize that game nights can be really good ice breakers when meeting new people.
Who wouldn’t want to reveal the ‘fun side’ of someone they just met? Hosting a game night is the perfect opportunity to let loose and explore one another’s goofy and fun characteristics.
Although, we don’t recommend playing ‘Monopoly’ with someone you just met, because wow, that game can really bring out the worst in people. If you are planning a game night with people who have never played board games before, then we recommend Hampi & the Sun Jewel as it is a gateway game to introduce the player to the world of board games.
Having games picked out already will set the mood that these are the chosen games and your guests will go along with whatever has been planned already.
Hopefully one of your guests don’t want to be “that guy” or “that girl” who changes all the plans and goes against what everyone says.
After all, game night should be fun and relaxing, so your guests should understand that.
Although, we must say, playful competition and arguments are always entertaining, as long as they have to do with the games being played. You don’t want to ruin the mood at the start of the night and get into an argument about what games are being played.
Therefore, have a stack of games ready to play. If anyone asks about other games, then just say “oh man, those games are stuffed away in my closet. Let’s just stick with these games.”
Choosing more games than the allotted time for gameplay may be a good idea as you can offer guests a few choices on which games to play during the night.
SET THE ATMOSPHERE
Since we touched upon the topic of space and making sure your guests are comfortable, let’s discuss the best type of atmosphere for game night.
Your guests are going to be there for a while and will most likely be sitting in the same spots the whole night depending on which games you play. Therefore, you want to make sure your guests are comfy and have plenty of room to settle in.
You may have to move around some furniture or add in some additional seating so that everyone can have a seat and enjoy the fun! Get creative with your space!
It’s best to have an open play area where everyone can sit in a circle or a semi-circle. Make sure that everyone can see each other and there is nothing blocking the view of each player, especially if you are playing a game where you need to see a person’s facial expressions or hand gestures!
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HAVE PLENTY OF RIGHT FOOD
If you want to have a successful game night, then you need to make sure you feed your guests and have small bites so that guests can grab some goodies in between turns. This goes without saying :-). Note a few things
Avoid sticky ones and coloured ones - you don't want to stain the game components
Avoid heavy ones! - you are mostly sitting and lighter foodies keep you alert
Just make sure your guests have plenty of napkins and clean off their fingers before playing their turn.
Don’t forget about dessert. These can be simple offerings such as brownies and cookies! You can either buy some from the store or throw a quick batch in the oven.
You don’t need alcohol to make a game night fun, but it can sure help people let loose and be less tense, especially if you are hosting a game night with some new faces.
We feel as though the best drink to make for game night is fruit punch.
It’s also important to have a pitcher of water or some water bottles for the people who don’t drink alcohol or sugary drinks.
Just make sure your guests are well hydrated and ready to game!
WRAP IT UP
To wrap it up, the most essential parts of hosting a game night include choosing the right games to play, inviting over the right amount of people, making seating arrangements with plenty of room to play, and serving the best food and drinks.
We hope you enjoyed these game night tips on the game night essentials! Feel free to come back as we will be adding more findings as we host more and more game nights.
Let us help you plan your next game night. Leave us a message or just Watsapp us and we will more than happy to share our learnings
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