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You screwed up. You made a New Year’s resolution to spend less money at the bars. Maybe you’re participating in “Sober January,” but that only applies when you’re out of the house. Either way, you have to come up with something fun to do when it’s cold, snowy, and boring outside. Gather up your nerdiest friends and have a board game because you’ve already seen every good movie at the theater and you’d rather die than go bowling again.
That leaves you with the question: what the hell do you play? We’re in the middle of a board game renaissance here, folks. We’re not talking about Monopoly, Candy Land, and Pictionary. Sure, it’s fun to break out the classics, but every now and then you have to mix it up. Here’s the definitive ranking of all the best games to play when there’s nothing else to do.
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Have you ever played Trivial Pursuit but decided there isn’t enough “screwing your friends over” involved? That’s where Bezzerwizzer comes in. This game is all about knowing your strengths when it comes to trivia, with the added bonus of being able to steal categories away from your friends. Your neighbor who was an English major? Take her literature category and give her history – she got a C in History 101, you know she’s not getting the question right. You’ve got all the fun of going to bar trivia without having to drive home afterward.
Monikers is an exercise in memory, pop culture knowledge, and a constant struggle with sobriety. This game is, as many are, best played while drinking. In this game, you have a stack of cards where your teammate will describe something to you – a historical event, a meme, a food – using any words except the word you’re guessing. The next round, they’re only allowed to use one word. In the third round, they have to act it out without speaking. It’s like charades, but you already know what your answer choices will be, assuming you can remember the first round through the haze of that six-pack of IPAs your buddy brought over. The real magic happens in this game when everyone’s a little drunk and trying to do cartwheels to get you guess “Ferris Wheel.”
This is one of the more popular new wave board games having been released in 2001. Munchkin is a “role-playing light” game, where you play a fantasy character equipping yourself with silly items and fighting goofy looking monsters to level up, all while trying to kill your friends. Sure, it sounds more nerdy than it actually is, but you’re having a board game night. Embrace your inner geek and get into it. Not a fan of playing elves and wizards? Munchkin has about a hundred expansion packs, including everything from Adventure Time and Rick and Morty to Marvel Comics, zombies, and Cthulu. It’s quick, it’s easy to learn, and you can totally screw over Karen for that time she turned you down for a happy hour after work.
Half the party just left to go pick up pizzas, so what do you do for the next half hour? Exploding Kittens is your answer. This one was published by the fine folks over at The Oatmeal, so you can expect all the weird, chubby drawings, gross-out humor, and, of course, exploding cats. This game is all about the luck of the draw, stealing cards from your friends, and hoping you don’t pick up a kitten with a time bomb inside it. It’s a quick game to play and to learn, so if you’re pressed for time and want something easy to play, Exploding Kittens is the way to go.
Betrayal is a personal favorite of mine. It’s equal parts Clue, Scooby Doo, and Dungeons and Dragons. You choose one of six adventurers who explores a haunted mansion, working together to discover the layout of the house. Sounds easy enough so far, right? Well, halfway through the game, one of the players will find a haunted object that turns them evil, and the remaining players will have to team up against that person to try to escape. This game has over 50 different scenarios, making it unlikely that you’ll play the same scenario twice. To quote a friend of mine the first time he played, “I’m gonna betray the shit out of you guys.” And betray he did.
Go home, grandpa. Who invited you? .
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@DoubleYeti
Secret Hitler
Nothing beats getting to scream you’re a Nazi at your friends
True American from New Girl is actually a fun drinking game if you don’t fall off a chair and bust your skull open. Also there are slightly less insane versions of Chardee Macdennis online (please don’t throw darts at each other, but emotional battery is fair game).
Game of Thrones Risk or GTFO. There’s no better way to end a night but everyone leaving pissed off at each other at 2 in the morning
Yeah, but did you try the corn tortillas?
Might as well play Monopoly then. Only difference is that game will end with someone tossing the board across the room.
telestrations after dark is AMAZING. part whisper down the lane, part pictionary, part “who can draw the best interpretation of ‘muff diving’?”
There’s one called Werewolf that I played once at a game night, where everyone is secretly assigned a character each round and you have to figure out who the werewolf is before you die. It’s so cheesy, but by the second round, everyone was really into it, and it ended up being a blast
Came here to say this! Although if you’re searching on Amazon I believe it’s called One Night. Lots of fun and a good way to test whether your friend group can withstand lying to each other’s faces.
I know nothing about this game, but I just bought it so thanks
7 Wonders
Dominion
Pandemic
3 very different types of games but those are the biggest at our house currently.
I hear great things about Pandemic (especially Pandemic: Legacy), I’ll have to keep an eye out.
MAJOR shouts to Betrayal. That’s been a big hit among my friends for a few years. Ticket to Ride should have been included here. Other popular ones in my group have included Tsuro and Zombie Dice. Game nights in college were litttt
Just got the second version of betrayal. Just as good
Ticket to Ride is a strong contender for best board game of all time.
Munchkin is a 10/10 game. Ahead of its time being released in 2001.
Here’s your list:
Codenames Pictures
What Do You Meme
Joking Hazard
Sushi Go Party
How did I forget Joking Hazard? The guys behind Cyanide and Happiness are the most hilarious dudes on the internet.