Top Board Games to try at Get-Togethers

The student’s eyes glued to the screen, tapping once after another: entertainment is becoming almost completely digital. Although devices are a wonderful gateway to hours of independent scrolling, it’s overwhelmingly dull to sit at a table where everybody is on their phones. Oftentimes, genuine human connection is needed, and board games are certainly one of the most universal ways that a group of people, being close friends or total strangers who first met, can connect. With this list of recommended board games to try and disconnect, lighten up any boring get-together with this old-fashioned form of entertainment.

Exploding Kittens:

When Exploding Kittens was introduced on Kickstarter in 2015, it was an instant hit, raising over $8.7 million with over 200,000 supporters and breaking the record for most-backet project. This was one of THE games to play during indoor recess in elementary school. Although it is less frequently mentioned now, I’ve revisited this game many times, and it always surprises me with the room for strategy every time I play it, making the game suitable for all age groups. The basic rules of the game involve playing cards in your hand while trying to avoid drawing an Exploding Kitten. After learning the basic rules, the game is most enjoyable with all of the expansion packs which offer unique cards like Streaking Kitten, Imploding Kitten, and Curse of the Cat Butt. It sounds like a low-stakes silly game but can get really competitive!

Coup:

Coup involves “influences” or characters that every player draws at the beginning of the game, with each character performing a specific role: some can collect coins, some can kill other influences, etc. The catch is that the player can lie about which influences they have, but if they get caught, they have to lose an influence. Be a good liar and potentially get caught – or play it safe with the cards you were dealt.  This game is best with a tight-knit friend group because of the high involvement of social aspects. It’s a total blast to try and deduce if your friends are lying or not, but if you’re with a quieter group who just met each other, maybe try a different game. That said, the quick and fun round makes it still one of the top games to try for a gathering.  

Cards Against Humanity:

Cards Against Humanity is the game that will make you laugh so hard that you will start crying and your stomach will cramp up from the effort. In this fill-in-the-blank game, players choose cards from their hand to match the question card in the middle, with the funniest combination receiving points. Go into this game with a positive attitude and with a group of funny people, and you’ll laugh all night long at the responses. Not to spoil it or anything but a dirty mind might help.