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Board game night is an important time of the month in my house. I imagine like many people carving out time to enjoy an evening of fun and (un)friendly competition can be a challenge. To ensure that our game night gets off on the right foot we have a pile of games that we use to start the night. These games are upbeat, easy to play, have relatively short play times and get everyone warmed up for more complex games. Not all games tick these boxes, here are seven that do, making them perfect for starting your board game night.
Codenames
Codenames is a party game that divides players into two teams and turns them into spies attempting to identify undercover agents using only word association. Both teams have access to a randomly distributed grid of cards showing individual words. Players must then identify which words are associated with the blue and read teams. The problem is that only one member of the team, the spymaster, knows which words belong to which team. Spymasters must give their fellow teammates one word clues linked to their team's words. If team members guess the wrong words from the grid they could hurt an innocent bystander, one of the opposing team's spies or the dreaded assassin, which ends the game causing the guessing team to lose immediately. Codenames is a great mental challenge, even if the guessing mechanic seems mind bending at first. Whether it ends in celebrations because of a spectacular guess or an argument because of an obvious mistake, putting yourself in someone else's shoes is a great way to start a game night.
Dobble
Dobble is a fast-paced card game that challenges you to match symbols on a series of cards before other players spot them. Each card in the deck features eight symbols, and any two cards have only one symbol in common. Players must spot the symbol and yell it out before anyone else, whoever spots it first keeps the card on the table. When the deck runs out, whoever matched the most cards wins.
Dobble is a classic quick to play card game, the only setup involves shuffling cards and handing them out to players. Likewise, since the central gameplay relies on straightforward symbol matching, it is just as quick to learn and play. It can be a great introductory game when playing with kids or a warm up game for a play session with seasoned gamers. In either case, Dobble is a great way to create a high energy atmosphere, and it doesn’t hurt that there are a handful of different versions available, which tailor to any fandom from Harry Potter to Star Wars.
Triqueta
Triqueta is a competitive set collection game where players aim to gather exactly three identical animal tokens from a shared pool of tiles. On their turn each player has two options, they can draw a tile and add it to one of several rows of tiles, or they can end their turn early and keep all the tiles in one of the rows. The catch is that if a player gets too greedy and collects four or more tiles of the same animal, they accumulate negative points.
Triqueta relies heavily on risk management. Each turn you have to ask yourself: How far are you willing to push other players, and your own, luck? The straightforward rules make Triqueta a game that starts out as simple set collection but often ends up as a competitive scramble for the “least bad” option. Rapid setup and gameplay make it a great choice if you’re looking for a lightweight game to play at the start of your night that has a balance between luck and strategy.
Nice Buns
Nice Buns is a light strategy game in which players race to fill up their plate with three sets of colourful bao buns. Each round, players roll three dice that determine the actions that they can take, the actions are then resolved in a specific order, determined by the size of the dice. However, one player chooses how those dice are paired while the other player chooses which dice to keep and which to give away. It’s then up to players to select, steal or randomly pick the bao buns they want, and hope they can be the first to get the sets they need.
The adorable artwork and straightforward gameplay might trick you into thinking Nice Buns is a friendly game, when it can easily turn into the exact opposite. Alongside the green, yellow, blue and red buns there are also grey buns that force players to discard an entire stack of buns. Between this and the ability to steal from one another, Nice Buns has the ability to become oddly ruthless, often leading to hilarious betrayals and backstabbing, making it an entertaining way to start your game night.
Sushi Go
Sushi Go is an incredibly popular set collection card game where you are given three rounds to gather the best combination of sushi based cards that you can. The game's central pick-and-pass mechanic forces players to choose a card then pass the rest of their hand to the next player. This means that every turn you risk losing valuable points to other players. This mechanic encourages rapid gameplay, especially once players are more familiar with the sets they are trying to collect, which includes maki rolls, tempura and dumplings.
The adorable design of the cards paired with straightforward and fun gameplay gives Sushi Go mass appeal. When you’ve played it once the mechanics click and you’re clambering for another game, and the variety of cards means the game rarely grows stale. The surprisingly energetic gameplay and high degree of replayability make it a game to keep on hand ready for the start of game night.
Love Letter
Love Letter is a wildly popular, quick play card game where you attempt to deliver love letters as you woo a princess, while actively preventing other players from delivering their own romantic missives. Using a small deck of 16 cards players take on a role within the royal court, and try to be the last player standing. Each player starts with only one card in hand, on a turn, players draw one card, and play one card. Then they must try to expose other players' cards and knock them out of the game.
A balance of educated guesswork and dumb luck is needed to succeed in Love Letter, the gameplay depends heavily on your ability to bluff convincingly or deduce what rivals are hiding. The game is also rapid fire, which leaves little time to get bored, making it an ideal choice when you want to play a few rounds of deductive gameplay at the start of night. Likewise, for those who don’t fancy the historical setting of the game, there are multiple “Love Letter” style games available, including Star Wars Jabba's Palace and Marvel Infinity Gauntlet.
Wavelength
Wavelength is a party game that challenges teams to get on the same mental wavelength using only intuition. One player, the "Psychic," is given hidden location on a spectrum and has to gives a clue to their team mates based on two opposing concepts (e.g. "Hot/Cold" or "Genius/Dumb"). The people guessing then debate and rotate a dial to where they believe the target lies, trying to
get as close as possible. The closer they get, the more points they score. In the end the team with the most points, who are on the same “Wavelength” win.
Wavelength combines strategic guessing, lively debates, and hilarious misinterpretations into a game that’s easy to learn and perfect for groups. The unique mix of abstract thinking and teamwork creates memorable moments. I've had more than one argument about who the most over/underrated actor in the world is. With its clever design and wide variety of topics, Wavelength is a fantastic choice when you want to add a spark to the start of game night.
These seven games offer a fantastic variety of gameplay that cater to different preferences and group sizes. Whether you’re looking for a balance of strategy and luck, quick-paced action, or lively party debates, these games will ensure your board game gets off to the best start.
