Not that kind of drinking game exactly
November 13, 2015 11:44 AM Subscribe
Our group of close friends is looking for more group entertainment in the form of board or other games. I’d like ideas and suggestions that will be hilarious and fun and can allow the six of us (or teams) to participate without long waits or taking forever to get to one’s turn.
Our group of close friends is looking for more group entertainment in the form of board or other games. We have played Cards Against Humanity a few times, and (despite some problematic bits) have generally found it a hoot, but we have also found that the hilarity lessens noticeably when we’ve played through a whole set of cards; we suspect that having seen the cards before lessens the shock factor effect. (we have also played a copycat version, Crabs … something?) I’d like ideas and suggestions for other games that will be hilarious and fun and can allow the six of us (or teams) to participate without long waits or taking forever to get to one’s turn. Raunch is fine but not required. We have also played Spot-It and liked it, but its pace and intensity makes it a game we wouldn’t play for hours like Cards.
Us: Three married couples in our late 40s (if it matters: a lesbian couple, a gay couple, a cis/het couple). We’ve all become very close friends over the last year or so and now get together every weekend. We love to eat and drink but our new friendship is, for that reason, getting expensive, so we’re looking for stay-home activities to rotate in. We always drink together, often a lot (so the game shouldn’t be progressively more complicated or require intense concentration as the night wears on). We’ll generally be sitting (sometimes crowded) around a dining table and need to be able to reach/see/hear the activity. We sometimes participate in trivia night events but haven’t yet broken out Trivial Pursuit, though we do own it. Thanks for your ideas!
Our group of close friends is looking for more group entertainment in the form of board or other games. We have played Cards Against Humanity a few times, and (despite some problematic bits) have generally found it a hoot, but we have also found that the hilarity lessens noticeably when we’ve played through a whole set of cards; we suspect that having seen the cards before lessens the shock factor effect. (we have also played a copycat version, Crabs … something?) I’d like ideas and suggestions for other games that will be hilarious and fun and can allow the six of us (or teams) to participate without long waits or taking forever to get to one’s turn. Raunch is fine but not required. We have also played Spot-It and liked it, but its pace and intensity makes it a game we wouldn’t play for hours like Cards.
Us: Three married couples in our late 40s (if it matters: a lesbian couple, a gay couple, a cis/het couple). We’ve all become very close friends over the last year or so and now get together every weekend. We love to eat and drink but our new friendship is, for that reason, getting expensive, so we’re looking for stay-home activities to rotate in. We always drink together, often a lot (so the game shouldn’t be progressively more complicated or require intense concentration as the night wears on). We’ll generally be sitting (sometimes crowded) around a dining table and need to be able to reach/see/hear the activity. We sometimes participate in trivia night events but haven’t yet broken out Trivial Pursuit, though we do own it. Thanks for your ideas!
You might like A Game for Good Christians, which is similar to Cards Against Humanity but everything is based on something mentioned in the Bible (often to hilarious effect, example: God holding your enemies’ heads under the water until the bubbles stop. (Exodus 15:1-12;19)). I also really enjoy Bohnanza, which is similar to Go Fish, but with beans (sounds random, but fun and pretty fast paced).
posted by rainbowbrite at 11:50 AM on November 13, 2015
posted by rainbowbrite at 11:50 AM on November 13, 2015
Coup is super fun and can be played in teams or individually (teams make for a more interesting game, in my opinion).
Innovation is also great.
posted by anderjen at 11:51 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Innovation is also great.
posted by anderjen at 11:51 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: My group of 6-8 always enjoyed Cranium.
Fluxx takes a few plays to get comfortable with but should be fast paced and can be a lot of fun.
posted by muddgirl at 11:52 AM on November 13, 2015
Fluxx takes a few plays to get comfortable with but should be fast paced and can be a lot of fun.
posted by muddgirl at 11:52 AM on November 13, 2015
My friends have taken to Funemployed lately and love it.
posted by Hactar at 11:52 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Hactar at 11:52 AM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Do they need to be board games? I love playing Contact with a group of people (I mean, it's especially great for long car rides etc, but I would also play it sitting around in my living room drinking.) Everyone is playing all the time and it's very fast paced and I'd imagine it would be only get more fun the more you drink.
posted by geegollygosh at 11:52 AM on November 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by geegollygosh at 11:52 AM on November 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
Came in to say Fluxx, with the caveat that it can lend itself to serious rules-lawyering/assholedom (especially some of the variants -- I have literally had to break up a fistfight over Star Fluxx).
posted by Etrigan at 11:53 AM on November 13, 2015
posted by Etrigan at 11:53 AM on November 13, 2015
Best answer: It's not a board game (although apparently they're working on a card game version) but you might want to try all being on a Spaceteam.
posted by egypturnash at 12:03 PM on November 13, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by egypturnash at 12:03 PM on November 13, 2015 [9 favorites]
Celebrity! It is so much fun, and frankly does get funnier the more inebriated the players get. Definitely play using the "alternative play" three round game suggestion.
Also, you don't *have* to use just celebrity names. I like to write in clues like "Game of Thrones" and the evergreen "farts."
posted by cakelite at 12:03 PM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Also, you don't *have* to use just celebrity names. I like to write in clues like "Game of Thrones" and the evergreen "farts."
posted by cakelite at 12:03 PM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
The "copycat version" is Crabs Adjust Humidity.
posted by likedoomsday at 12:06 PM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by likedoomsday at 12:06 PM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Oh Hell is an amazing game that's easy to learn and super-fun. (It helps if you have someone to show you how to play, but it's definitely playable from the wiki instructions.) Seconding Dixit. Also Apples to Apples and the T-Shirt game, which work similarly to CAH and Dixit.
posted by okayokayigive at 12:12 PM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by okayokayigive at 12:12 PM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Apples to apples. Lots of fun discussion.
posted by ReluctantViking at 12:14 PM on November 13, 2015
posted by ReluctantViking at 12:14 PM on November 13, 2015
ESCAPE was a blast when we played it. It's collaborative, each person rolls their own dice constantly to move themselves around, and build up the tile-based dungeon layout. It's constant talking though, you have to work with other players to keep everyone mobile ("uncursed") and to accomplish "unlocking" type goals. There's a soundtrack that serves as an audio timer to move you through phases of the game and set the time limit. It takes 10 minutes to play.
Ours was the same situation, 3 couples - it's a 5-player game (I think there are expansion packs that increase that?) but it was handy to have an extra, someone to do soundtrack management and drinks fetching and all, or just to take a break. We did about 3-4 rounds after dinner one night, had a great time, added in one level of complexity but I think there was another set of optional rules we haven't tried yet. Looking forward to trying it again. That said, I couldn't imaging it being "the game" (i.e. it's not like poker night night or people who play Catan constantly), but some nights it's absolutely perfect to have a simple quick funny low-strategy game to bang through a round or two.
posted by aimedwander at 12:17 PM on November 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
Ours was the same situation, 3 couples - it's a 5-player game (I think there are expansion packs that increase that?) but it was handy to have an extra, someone to do soundtrack management and drinks fetching and all, or just to take a break. We did about 3-4 rounds after dinner one night, had a great time, added in one level of complexity but I think there was another set of optional rules we haven't tried yet. Looking forward to trying it again. That said, I couldn't imaging it being "the game" (i.e. it's not like poker night night or people who play Catan constantly), but some nights it's absolutely perfect to have a simple quick funny low-strategy game to bang through a round or two.
posted by aimedwander at 12:17 PM on November 13, 2015 [3 favorites]
i came to suggest Spoons. It can be lots of fun and needs little skill.
also, liars dice. but really you don't need a fancy set, just a bunch of plastic or stryofoam cups and a bunch of dice.
posted by domino at 12:20 PM on November 13, 2015
also, liars dice. but really you don't need a fancy set, just a bunch of plastic or stryofoam cups and a bunch of dice.
posted by domino at 12:20 PM on November 13, 2015
Time's Up, Loaded Questions, Electronic Catchphrase, Who/What/Where, 25 Words or Less.
If you can integrate a TV or laptop, the party games from the You Don't Know Jack company like Drawful have been very popular.
Betrayal At House On The Hill takes six players and can be a lot of fun.
posted by Candleman at 12:24 PM on November 13, 2015
If you can integrate a TV or laptop, the party games from the You Don't Know Jack company like Drawful have been very popular.
Betrayal At House On The Hill takes six players and can be a lot of fun.
posted by Candleman at 12:24 PM on November 13, 2015
Oh, in the vein of Escape -- I played Damage Report at Origins a year or two ago, and it was super fun. Your group is a crew on a damaged starship, and you have to repair various systems to stay alive and arm your weapons or whatever. Everyone is taking their turns simultaneously based on a clock that advances based on how much oxygen is in whatever compartment you're in, so it's 15-60 seconds of waiting for the clock and strategizing, and then you make your move and adjust things and wait until your next turn, and it's all terribly chaotic and everyone's working together except of course not and whew.
posted by Etrigan at 12:40 PM on November 13, 2015
posted by Etrigan at 12:40 PM on November 13, 2015
President, aka Asshole, but we play it with all ages across the family and call it Serf (i.e. King/Queen, Duke/Duchess, etc etc, down to Serf)
President is a get rid of all your cards game with lots of variations. Like Oh Hell there are lots of variations but it's a bit simpler to be social (get rid of all your cards vs. trick taking)
And it makes a fine drinking game too.
posted by ElGuapo at 12:50 PM on November 13, 2015
President is a get rid of all your cards game with lots of variations. Like Oh Hell there are lots of variations but it's a bit simpler to be social (get rid of all your cards vs. trick taking)
And it makes a fine drinking game too.
posted by ElGuapo at 12:50 PM on November 13, 2015
Best answer: Here's a conveniently-timed FPP from yesterday about a game that seems to fit your criteria.
posted by babelfish at 1:00 PM on November 13, 2015
posted by babelfish at 1:00 PM on November 13, 2015
Fishbowl!
It's dumb and fun.
You and your drunk-ish friends all write down three words on scraps of paper and toss them in a bowl/hat/whatever. Then, divide into teams.
With one minute (or two, ymmv) on the timer, each person has to get through as many pieces of paper as they can, while their team guesses what it is. (Like Taboo!)
Every piece of paper guessed correctly is a point. There are three rounds per game. After each round, count up your points, and put ALL the pieces of paper back in the hat for the next round.
Round 1: Describe each word without using it, in as many sentences as you like.
Round 2: In one minute you have to describe each word, in only one word. But it can't be the word on the paper. (Computer = Mac)
Round 3: Act out the word!
posted by functionequalsform at 1:04 PM on November 13, 2015
It's dumb and fun.
You and your drunk-ish friends all write down three words on scraps of paper and toss them in a bowl/hat/whatever. Then, divide into teams.
With one minute (or two, ymmv) on the timer, each person has to get through as many pieces of paper as they can, while their team guesses what it is. (Like Taboo!)
Every piece of paper guessed correctly is a point. There are three rounds per game. After each round, count up your points, and put ALL the pieces of paper back in the hat for the next round.
Round 1: Describe each word without using it, in as many sentences as you like.
Round 2: In one minute you have to describe each word, in only one word. But it can't be the word on the paper. (Computer = Mac)
Round 3: Act out the word!
posted by functionequalsform at 1:04 PM on November 13, 2015
Response by poster: Thank you all SO much - there are some great ideas here, which I'll share with the gang. (feel free to keep them coming, of course.)
posted by Occula at 1:20 PM on November 13, 2015
posted by Occula at 1:20 PM on November 13, 2015
There is a reddit subreddit for board games and (though I haven't clicked there recently) the mods and participants seem to keep it very welcoming to new boardgamers. There are lots of archived threads on casual games and games for groups, though you seem to have plenty of suggestions here. Some of the "best" games on the lists will be loooong games.
Also, I love that now with the internet you can peek inside the boxes of some games (like looking at Dominion card sets) online, rather than just buying a pig in an unopenable square box.
posted by puddledork at 1:24 PM on November 13, 2015
Also, I love that now with the internet you can peek inside the boxes of some games (like looking at Dominion card sets) online, rather than just buying a pig in an unopenable square box.
posted by puddledork at 1:24 PM on November 13, 2015
Here's a conveniently-timed FPP from yesterday about a game that seems to fit your criteria.
I'd also recommend the very spiritually similar 1000 Blank White Cards.
posted by capricorn at 1:24 PM on November 13, 2015
I'd also recommend the very spiritually similar 1000 Blank White Cards.
posted by capricorn at 1:24 PM on November 13, 2015
Oldie but goodies: Pit, Balderdash, Password
posted by vitabellosi at 1:35 PM on November 13, 2015
posted by vitabellosi at 1:35 PM on November 13, 2015
7 Wonders has simultaneous turns. While it isn't funny, it does allow for everyone to be actively involved in the game most of the time.
posted by miguelcervantes at 1:44 PM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by miguelcervantes at 1:44 PM on November 13, 2015 [1 favorite]
Fishbowl is the greatest! You can also add variations such as a pictionary-esque round and a final round where you act out the word underneath a blanket or sheet.
Fictionary is also fun.
posted by earth by april at 1:45 PM on November 13, 2015
Fictionary is also fun.
posted by earth by april at 1:45 PM on November 13, 2015
Do you have access to cheap, trashy paperbacks? Play the Paperback Game! (Links to NYT)
posted by mmmbacon at 1:55 PM on November 13, 2015
posted by mmmbacon at 1:55 PM on November 13, 2015
A few good newer party games:
Spyfall
Codenames
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Skull
posted by Paragon at 1:55 PM on November 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
Spyfall
Codenames
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Skull
posted by Paragon at 1:55 PM on November 13, 2015 [2 favorites]
I have hosted a (mostly) monthly gamenight for the last 5 years, and our criteria are the same as yours - must be simple enough to play while drinking and joking around; must not require too much thought or time (so no Settlers of Catan etc.)
Favorites we play again and again:
- Cards Against Humanity (I know you have this already, but just to make the list official)
- Who What Where (like Pictionary, except more challenging and everyone draws - really great game)
- Dixit (very different and the artwork only gets more interesting the drunker you are)
- Snake Oil (works really well if folks are creative)
- Apples to Apples (the tamer version of CAH, but still fun)
- The Game of Things (great open-ended game - we've played this a lot more than I thought we would)
- Pictionary (my first love)
- Charades (of course)
Games we enjoy every once in a while
- Headbanz (yes, kids' game but great fun after a few drinks)
- Taboo
- Scattergories (best in the early part of the evening)
- Say Anything
- Wits & Wagers
- Telestrations
- 5 Second Rule
Games we didn't like:
- We Didn't Playtest This At All - it was just too dumb for us
- What's Yours Like - tries too hard
- Dirty Minds - meh
I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting, but these are the ones that leap to mind. Enjoy!
posted by widdershins at 2:26 PM on November 13, 2015
Favorites we play again and again:
- Cards Against Humanity (I know you have this already, but just to make the list official)
- Who What Where (like Pictionary, except more challenging and everyone draws - really great game)
- Dixit (very different and the artwork only gets more interesting the drunker you are)
- Snake Oil (works really well if folks are creative)
- Apples to Apples (the tamer version of CAH, but still fun)
- The Game of Things (great open-ended game - we've played this a lot more than I thought we would)
- Pictionary (my first love)
- Charades (of course)
Games we enjoy every once in a while
- Headbanz (yes, kids' game but great fun after a few drinks)
- Taboo
- Scattergories (best in the early part of the evening)
- Say Anything
- Wits & Wagers
- Telestrations
- 5 Second Rule
Games we didn't like:
- We Didn't Playtest This At All - it was just too dumb for us
- What's Yours Like - tries too hard
- Dirty Minds - meh
I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting, but these are the ones that leap to mind. Enjoy!
posted by widdershins at 2:26 PM on November 13, 2015
We've recently been playing Telestrations a lot. It's a cross between pictionary and telephone. Good for up to 8 people, although I see on their website that they have a party pack which is good for up to 12.
We also really like Dutch Blitz which is a super quick kind of solitaire but for a group of people. One set of cards is good for 4 players, but they have expansion packs.
Great question! I like looking through the answers for our own game nights!
posted by hetobeto at 4:48 PM on November 13, 2015
We also really like Dutch Blitz which is a super quick kind of solitaire but for a group of people. One set of cards is good for 4 players, but they have expansion packs.
Great question! I like looking through the answers for our own game nights!
posted by hetobeto at 4:48 PM on November 13, 2015
Mad Gab. I played it a while ago at a family gathering. It was well received, but we have some English and Linguistics majors in the family. I haven't had a chance to play more than once though, so I'm not sure about repeated play throughs.
posted by ghost phoneme at 5:24 PM on November 13, 2015
posted by ghost phoneme at 5:24 PM on November 13, 2015
This is only loosely a game, but a few years ago I had a group of friends (we hung out/drank together probably 2-4 times a week) where we rotated a monthly movie night. The movies should be awful (we watched the room once, the entirety of trapped in the closet another), the drinks should be plentiful, and the host has to create a quiz (5-10 questions for each movie) during the movie. After the movie, the host quizzes everyone and grades the quizzes, and the winner hosts the next movie night! We usually also added additional drinking game constraints during the movie-- sometimes the mustache game (tape a mustache to the TV, whenever a face lines up perfectly everyone drinks), sometimes traditional movie-watch drinking game, etc.
I hosted a double-feature of The Wall / The Wall and made McDonald's style french fries, but didn't theme much beyond that (although if someone's in to it, it's only more fun).
posted by worstname at 5:25 PM on November 13, 2015
I hosted a double-feature of The Wall / The Wall and made McDonald's style french fries, but didn't theme much beyond that (although if someone's in to it, it's only more fun).
posted by worstname at 5:25 PM on November 13, 2015
Nthing One Night Ultimate Werewolf ... it takes a couple of rounds to fully understand it, but each round takes ~5 minutes, and it's easy to change up at any time.
posted by zebra at 5:42 PM on November 13, 2015
posted by zebra at 5:42 PM on November 13, 2015
I've got a copy of Superfight that plays pretty well provided the members of your group are a little geeky. It plays with similar game mechanics to Cards Against Humanity, but it is all about which of the superheroes that you each just made up would win in a fight.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:54 PM on November 13, 2015
posted by jacquilynne at 5:54 PM on November 13, 2015
Red Dragon's Inn
We also liked The Game of Things and Wits and Wagers.
posted by anaelith at 6:02 PM on November 13, 2015
We also liked The Game of Things and Wits and Wagers.
posted by anaelith at 6:02 PM on November 13, 2015
Parade. Card game with beautiful Alice in wonderland cards. Simple yet deceptively strategic. Bonus, comes with Cheshire cat drink coasters! Relatively inexpensive and quick to play.
Nthing Dixit as a good social game. More creative than appkes to apples.
Good card cames are the cheapest possible group games for drinking.... Big 2, and screw your buddy (taught to me as Winnipeg bust, but i have never met anyone else who calls it that!) are our big group favourites.
posted by chapps at 9:15 PM on November 13, 2015
Nthing Dixit as a good social game. More creative than appkes to apples.
Good card cames are the cheapest possible group games for drinking.... Big 2, and screw your buddy (taught to me as Winnipeg bust, but i have never met anyone else who calls it that!) are our big group favourites.
posted by chapps at 9:15 PM on November 13, 2015
Munchkin! There's a bunch of expansion packs too.
posted by jrobin276 at 2:36 AM on November 14, 2015
posted by jrobin276 at 2:36 AM on November 14, 2015
Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards: Duel at Mt. Skullzfyre is awesome and goes perfectly with alcohol. It's easy to explain, doesn't require 100% concentration, and is still surprisingly strategic. And the flavour is hilarious.
posted by 256 at 6:22 AM on November 14, 2015
posted by 256 at 6:22 AM on November 14, 2015
The card game Exploding Kittens is an absolute blast. It's fast enough that no one waits long for a turn, but doesn't require you pay rapt attention to every move so people can still chat during the game.
There are two versions of the game, family friendly and NSFW. The latter contains curse words and such but none of the things that make Cards Against Humanity so objectionable.
posted by _Mona_ at 7:40 AM on November 14, 2015
There are two versions of the game, family friendly and NSFW. The latter contains curse words and such but none of the things that make Cards Against Humanity so objectionable.
posted by _Mona_ at 7:40 AM on November 14, 2015
You want Camel Up it's quick and easy and based on betting on a camel race. We just bought the expansion but I event been able to play it yet.
posted by Uncle at 8:05 AM on November 14, 2015
posted by Uncle at 8:05 AM on November 14, 2015
We regularly have a very similar-sounding game night. Usually we'll start the night out with a more complex but fast-paced game-- the aforementioned Fluxx and Coup, and the not-aforementioned spaghetti-western game Bang!, are really good ones for 6 people. Then we devolve into something like CAH once people are more impaired. One of our favorite late-stage games is Catchphrase, which is fast-paced and goofy, and has the advantage that there's very little waiting for your turn.
posted by bookish at 12:22 PM on November 14, 2015
posted by bookish at 12:22 PM on November 14, 2015
Coming in late, but I add my recommendation to Dixit, Exploding Kittens, and Contact. My friends really like One Night Ultimate Werewolf too. I played 1000 Blank White Cards for the first time recently and it was fun but took soooo long.
posted by serelliya at 9:58 PM on November 14, 2015
posted by serelliya at 9:58 PM on November 14, 2015
Seconding the recommendations for Dixit, Coup, and Funemployed! Codenames is also great - it's played in two teams and works really well with six people. It's much funnier than I would've guessed, and not overly complicated.
posted by ants at 10:08 AM on November 15, 2015
posted by ants at 10:08 AM on November 15, 2015
Seconding SKULL. Everyone's turn is fairly quick so games turn around quickly. There's usually a lot of 'how dare you' when you flip someone's skull. Its not difficult to learn. My friends who think games are lame will definitely play skull.
posted by kookywon at 2:47 PM on November 17, 2015
posted by kookywon at 2:47 PM on November 17, 2015
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posted by phunniemee at 11:48 AM on November 13, 2015 [5 favorites]