7 Steps to Host the Perfect Game Night
Game night is the lifeblood of our tabletop gaming hobby. Maybe you've been hosting game nights for years, or maybe you are brand new to gaming and want to learn how to get your friends around the table.
Do you want to learn how to make your game night even better?
In this post, I'll break down the steps necessary to have a successful game night and include tips on how to improve your existing game night.
1. THE GUEST LIST
Even though plenty of solo games exist out there, board games are typically best enjoyed with friends around a table. Not knocking you, fellow Xia: Legends of a Drift System solo player!
Wisely picking the folks who will join you is critical to making sure everyone has a good time.
Consider your friend group and ask yourself some questions:
Have these people ever played board games before, or are these my regulars?
Are my friends more interested in socializing, or would they enjoy playing games?
Do I have any friends who are dying to get a certain game to the table?
Asking the right questions will help you figure out who to invite and who to put on your "maybe next time" list.
EZPZ Strat: Don't have many gaming buddies, or any? Maybe you just moved to a new city? Try out Meetup.com to find local like-minded folks who enjoy the same hobbies as you!
I personally don't often accept invitations to attend sporting events or to play disc golf. Consider this for the people you choose to invite. Some people would rather see a movie than play a game around a table.
2. SCHEDULING GAME NIGHT
OK, so you have the PERFECT set of people to play with... When are you going to do it?
Some groups find a weeknight works best. Others might gravitate to a Friday or Saturday evening. Maybe Sunday morning? Of course, there's also trying to align 4+ people's schedules.
EZPZ Strat: Depending on your group, you might find it easier to send out a Google calendar invite or use an event planning site like Punchbowl.
Take the guesswork and coordination out of it. Remember, you are the one in charge of getting this thing off the ground.
Make it as easy as possible for your friends to say "yes," or to sadly decline your invitation.
Send a group message to your prospective gaming group with the following information:
Questions you’ll need to answer.
Where you'll be playing
What date you'll be playing
What time you'll be starting
What game(s) you'll be playing
Any additional information
Yes, you can instead pick the game when people arrive. No, you don't have to have a meal together.
However, planning ahead and promising food are two easy ways to get people on board. We'll talk about these further down.
3. THE MENU
I'm a firm believer that food around a table is one of the best ways to pass the time with others. Some of you might share this sentiment, but not when your precious games are on the table.
I too used to gawk at the idea of greasy, fake-cheese covered fingers touching my miniatures, or bottles of craft beer getting tipped and sploshed all over my Smash Up cards (I did this once and it was a very sad day).
However, I've changed my ways. Good food and drink heighten the experience of socializing.
Have people bring sides, snacks, or drinks. Plan ahead and make a meal for everyone. Make it even easier by choosing a slow cooker meal.
If you are still wary of sticky fingers, you could always eat before you play, or teach the game while people are eating. If not, here's a few non-sticky, non-powdery snacks and drinks that will keep your table and games clean from messes.
Pretzels
Dried fruit and nut mixes
Veggie tray
Bottled drinks
Take things a step further by checking out My Kind of Meeple's list of no-mess snacks for game night!
4. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Not everyone is going to have fun playing a 2-3 hour strategy game. Some people don't even enjoy filler games like Sushi Go or Flip City.
As you consider who to invite, think about what kind of games you think they'll enjoy.
But think smart. There's an old idea in the tabletop hobby that people who don't play games often aren't able to grok the bigger, badder, heavier games. While I think this is a good idea in theory, I've also had plenty of experiences where new gamers have loved their time with a weighty game. Sid Meier's Civilization: The Board Game was actually one of the first games to get me into modern gaming.
I mention all of this to say, don't gatekeep people. Instead, be considerate as you pick a game.
I think it's always a good idea to include a filler or two to start the night. After that, maybe you'll just stick with fillers or lighter-weight games based on your audience. Or maybe, you purposefully invited three euro-gamer friends so you can finally crack open that copy of Trajan you bought six years ago in a Miniature Market sale.
5. PICK AND LEARN GAMES AHEAD OF TIME
It sounds pushier than it is, but choosing your games before game night means two things:
You won't spend 45 minutes talking about what game to play
You can learn the game ahead of time if you don't know it
How many of your game nights have been derailed by standing around the game shelves and talking around what to play? No one wants to make a decision. But not anymore. Not after you've read this article!
Be decisive!
Does this mean you'll be reading rules in bed the evening before game night? Maybe. Does this mean you might need to set up the game and play a couple of rounds to understand how it runs? Possibly. This is usually what I have to do.
It's going to be extra work, but if you put the time in, you not only guarantee a smoother game night experience for everyone else, but you also increase the odds of having another successful game night in the future.
6. THRIVE IN SOCIALIZING
Game night is about more than just playing a game and eating good food. It's also about building relationships and getting to know people better.
As you plan the evening, don't be afraid to spend time talking with people. Sure, we all got together to game, but take time to get to know people better and hang out. If you end up talking so much you don't get to a filler game... who cares?
7. END THE NIGHT AND PLAN THE NEXT ONE
Once you've played your games and your eyelids begin to close, it's time to close things up.
Well, at least sometimes. I've had one or two people head out, leaving behind two or three of us. If it's early enough, we might even get another game in. It's a bonus!
Regardless, once the games are finished, it's time to rest and enjoy those precious moments as you drift off to sleep and rethink your strategies. Maybe you should have gone for extra grain production earlier. Maybe you shouldn't have launched that attack on Brian.
In the following days after a game night, I like to check in with a person or two who I played with. I'll ask them how the game night went and if they had a good time. I'll ask them if there are any games they wish we had played, or if there was anything they'd improve for next time.
These are great ways to get better at planning your next game night. They also happen to open the door to get the next one scheduled.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
We're still populating our backlog of articles on games and how to best enjoy them. We also have resources for you if you are looking to get into creating board game content yourself!