See original post at http://gameswithtwo.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-game-night-experi...
It was time for another game night. We haven't had a big one since July so the time had come. Labour Day weekend seemed to be a good weekend for us so we landed on Sunday night since most people are off on Monday. We also decided on a theme for our night: DnD otherwise known as Dice and Dexterity. I know, I know big surprise, I am on a huge dice and dexterity game kick. Therefore, I had tons of games that fit these two categories that I was itching to play. So, the invitations went out and the tables were setup, it was time for a game night.
Our gaming marathon started around 4:30 as our first guest began to arrive. We started with a two-player game of Roll Through the Ages (review forthcoming). This was the first time I had a chance to play this with another player. The Yahtzee variant plays very well, and the pieces are beautiful. I ended up winning the match, and it was a solid way to begin the evening. As we finished up, a couple more players showed up. Since more were bound to be coming soon, we played a four player game of Martian Dice. This was a hit with all the players at the table, and the game went down to the final turn. This little dice game as quickly become a go to game when we have 20-30 minutes. It's a great little filler and travels very easily (we even played while waiting for some Shakespeares Pizza on a trip to see the Mizzou game).
Once Martian Dice ended, the party began to kick into full gear. About 10 people showed up within a 15-20 minute time frame. This is when throwing a large game night in a small apartment can get really interesting. There are people everywhere and there is no end in sight to the madness. For me, it's just part of the fun. I'll grab a game and sit down and just yell and see if anyone wants to play. Then, someone else will grab a game and start playing with the 3 or 4 people they are talking to. One such group wanted to play Dominion. There were two new players and two other who had either just learned the game, or hadn't played in some time. I gave them a quick overview/rundown of the rules and tried to stay close by to answer any questions. In the meantime, I grabbed Villa Paletti and rounded up three other players. Villa Paletti is a "Jenga" style dexterity game, where you are pulling out support beams of a tower and placing them on the next level to make it taller and taller, until it crashes to the ground. This one was a blast, even though I am pretty sure that I lost both rounds and was the cause of the tower crumbling. If you are looking for a twist on Jenga, this might be a good option.
At this time, our food selection was growing with all sorts of delicious treats. The biggest hit was two pretzels stuck together with a ball of cookie dough and then the end was dipped in chocolate. These were amazing. I don't mean to brag on our friends, but they bring the good stuff to our game nights, and I think the food is the real reason that people come back to our game nights. It was also at this time that the game of Dominion was ending and we had a large group looking for games to play, so I suggested Liar's Dice. We brought two tables together and started the insanity. I didn't get a chance to play this one very long, as it was time for my two-year old (who had been playing Don't Break the Ice non stop with her aunt) to go to bed. So, I got her situated just in time for the game of Liar's dice to end, and a game of King of Tokyo to begin.
King of Tokyo brought the game night to another new phase. Some of the early arrivals began to leave and some new folks began to join the party. Long game nights, allow this, which I love. It makes it easy for people to stop in and play a game or two and then do whatever else they needed to do. Some come early and others come late, but either way a constant flow of games can be had, especially with the crowd we had.
After our rousing game of Tokyo, we got rid of one of the tables, brought out the Crokinole board and also began a game of Werewolf. We had about 12 players in Werewolf and then another four playing Crokinole and then yet another group socializing in the kitchen. Since Werewolf is more of a social game, it worked out well with the large group we had. Normally when we play, I prefer for it to be the only game being played, but not everyone is into Werewolf, which is fine by me. Our game was great. The Seer played the game great (except for the fact that he put a lot of trust into one of the werewolves), he did find one werewolf on the first turn, and then the bodyguard figured out who the Seer was and protected him from death 3 times. It was pretty impressive. After endless searching, the Seer found the last werewolf close by. This is a great game for large groups, you need the right person to moderate the game, but once you have that the game works pretty well.
I ended the night with a game of Sentinels of the Multiverse. This was my first play of this one, and I enjoyed it, but I really need another play to get a grasp of the game. Before and after this game, I spent a good amount of time socializing with the other people at the party. I really think this is my favorite part about throwing a game night. I get to see and interact with a lot of my friends. Some of whom I just do not get to see very often. It is also a great opportunity to meet some new people and for your friends to meet your other friends. So, for me, the key to a great game night is not the games you play or the food you eat, it's who you spend it with. Game night for us, is just an excuse to throw a party and jam a bunch of people into our apartment, and just enjoy each others company, and if that happens around dice, cards, and pieces of cardboard and wood than so be it.
see more at www.gameswithtwo.com
It was time for another game night. We haven't had a big one since July so the time had come. Labour Day weekend seemed to be a good weekend for us so we landed on Sunday night since most people are off on Monday. We also decided on a theme for our night: DnD otherwise known as Dice and Dexterity. I know, I know big surprise, I am on a huge dice and dexterity game kick. Therefore, I had tons of games that fit these two categories that I was itching to play. So, the invitations went out and the tables were setup, it was time for a game night.
Our gaming marathon started around 4:30 as our first guest began to arrive. We started with a two-player game of Roll Through the Ages (review forthcoming). This was the first time I had a chance to play this with another player. The Yahtzee variant plays very well, and the pieces are beautiful. I ended up winning the match, and it was a solid way to begin the evening. As we finished up, a couple more players showed up. Since more were bound to be coming soon, we played a four player game of Martian Dice. This was a hit with all the players at the table, and the game went down to the final turn. This little dice game as quickly become a go to game when we have 20-30 minutes. It's a great little filler and travels very easily (we even played while waiting for some Shakespeares Pizza on a trip to see the Mizzou game).
Once Martian Dice ended, the party began to kick into full gear. About 10 people showed up within a 15-20 minute time frame. This is when throwing a large game night in a small apartment can get really interesting. There are people everywhere and there is no end in sight to the madness. For me, it's just part of the fun. I'll grab a game and sit down and just yell and see if anyone wants to play. Then, someone else will grab a game and start playing with the 3 or 4 people they are talking to. One such group wanted to play Dominion. There were two new players and two other who had either just learned the game, or hadn't played in some time. I gave them a quick overview/rundown of the rules and tried to stay close by to answer any questions. In the meantime, I grabbed Villa Paletti and rounded up three other players. Villa Paletti is a "Jenga" style dexterity game, where you are pulling out support beams of a tower and placing them on the next level to make it taller and taller, until it crashes to the ground. This one was a blast, even though I am pretty sure that I lost both rounds and was the cause of the tower crumbling. If you are looking for a twist on Jenga, this might be a good option.
At this time, our food selection was growing with all sorts of delicious treats. The biggest hit was two pretzels stuck together with a ball of cookie dough and then the end was dipped in chocolate. These were amazing. I don't mean to brag on our friends, but they bring the good stuff to our game nights, and I think the food is the real reason that people come back to our game nights. It was also at this time that the game of Dominion was ending and we had a large group looking for games to play, so I suggested Liar's Dice. We brought two tables together and started the insanity. I didn't get a chance to play this one very long, as it was time for my two-year old (who had been playing Don't Break the Ice non stop with her aunt) to go to bed. So, I got her situated just in time for the game of Liar's dice to end, and a game of King of Tokyo to begin.
King of Tokyo brought the game night to another new phase. Some of the early arrivals began to leave and some new folks began to join the party. Long game nights, allow this, which I love. It makes it easy for people to stop in and play a game or two and then do whatever else they needed to do. Some come early and others come late, but either way a constant flow of games can be had, especially with the crowd we had.
After our rousing game of Tokyo, we got rid of one of the tables, brought out the Crokinole board and also began a game of Werewolf. We had about 12 players in Werewolf and then another four playing Crokinole and then yet another group socializing in the kitchen. Since Werewolf is more of a social game, it worked out well with the large group we had. Normally when we play, I prefer for it to be the only game being played, but not everyone is into Werewolf, which is fine by me. Our game was great. The Seer played the game great (except for the fact that he put a lot of trust into one of the werewolves), he did find one werewolf on the first turn, and then the bodyguard figured out who the Seer was and protected him from death 3 times. It was pretty impressive. After endless searching, the Seer found the last werewolf close by. This is a great game for large groups, you need the right person to moderate the game, but once you have that the game works pretty well.
I ended the night with a game of Sentinels of the Multiverse. This was my first play of this one, and I enjoyed it, but I really need another play to get a grasp of the game. Before and after this game, I spent a good amount of time socializing with the other people at the party. I really think this is my favorite part about throwing a game night. I get to see and interact with a lot of my friends. Some of whom I just do not get to see very often. It is also a great opportunity to meet some new people and for your friends to meet your other friends. So, for me, the key to a great game night is not the games you play or the food you eat, it's who you spend it with. Game night for us, is just an excuse to throw a party and jam a bunch of people into our apartment, and just enjoy each others company, and if that happens around dice, cards, and pieces of cardboard and wood than so be it.
see more at www.gameswithtwo.com