5 Games You Need At Your Next Game Night

1. Telestrations: This has to be one of the funniest games to date. There has not been a time that I haven't played it where my cheeks and stomach don't hurt. This game combines drawing and the game Telephone ( remember you would whisper something into someone's ear, then they would whisper it in their partners, and by the time that you got around the whole circle it was not what you had said). Well this is that but drawing. You start with a word, and depending on how many people are playing, you either write the word down and then hand it off, or write the word down and then draw your word. The person next to you will then either draw your word or guess what you have drawn. The hilarity comes from the pictures and guess that people produce. It is a lot more fun when you play with people that can't draw. You send your drawing boards around the circle and when it gets back to you, you are able to see what word you started with and what word you ended up with (ex: I had started with the word ice cream and the last word one of my friends wrote was surfboard). You can then share your drawing boards with everyone and see where the word went wrong.

Time To Play: 45 minutes (Also depends on size of group)
Age Range: 8-99
# of Players: 4-6 or f you get the party size 4-12

2. Wits and Wagers: If you are a Trivia Buff then this game is for you! This game combines trivia with wagering. Each player gets two tokens one a smaller bet and the other is a larger bet. A question is asked and then you have to try and estimate the closest answer ( Ex: How many tootsie pops were consumed in the US in the year 2014?) Each player would write down their estimation. Before the answer is read aloud, each player will then bet on another players, or their own, answers. The person that estimates the closet, without going over, wins, plus everyone else who put their bets on that answer. You get a certain number of tokens for bets placed and if you have the winning answer. The first player to reach a certain number of tokens wins. Lot's of fun, plus you get to learn interesting facts.


Time to Play: 45 minutes
Age Range: 8-99
# of Players: 3-6

3. The Game of Things: This game was one of the first games I bought for a game night. The answers that friends come up with are hilarious and sometimes unexpected. Each person gets a strip of paper, the reader will then read the card aloud ( Ex: Things you wouldn't say to your boss). The first thing that pops up in your head you write down and then fold up the paper, place it in the middle of the table, and the reader will collect them all once everyone has finished. The reader will then read them aloud and try to guess who said what, if they guess right then they continue guessing, if they guess wrong then they pass the answers to the next person. The person with the most strips of papers at the end of the round wins. The other way you can play is the reader picks their favorite answer and you play until someone reaches a certain number of tally's for likes.  Be careful, this game can become mature very quickly, so it is better for a 18+ crowd.

Time to Play: 1 hour    ( the more players you have, the longer it will take to play)
Age Range: 8+ ( If kept clean)  18+ ( for mature answers)
# of Players: 4+

4. Phase 10: A challenging yet somewhat strategic card game. Phase 10 is a card game that all ages can have fun with. During a family vacation, I kid you not, we played Phase 10 at least 15 times. It is an addicting game that even the most competitive person will enjoy. Each player is dealt 10 cards. You try and complete each of the phases on a Phase Card. If you complete a phase then you move onto the next phase, if you are unable to complete your phase before someone goes out then you have to stay on the phase until you are able to lay your cards down. Someone can pull ahead very quickly in this game, only to get stuck on a phase for 5 rounds. The games ends when someone completes the last phase and goes all out. You can take points during the game, where each card represents a certain amount of points. The player at the end of the game with the least amount of points wins.

Time to Play: 1+ hour ( The more players, the longer the game. I have played a game that lasted 3+hours).
Age Range: 7-99
# of Players: 2+

5. Fish Bowl: Fish Bowl is a game that you can play anywhere as long as you have: pens, piece of paper, and a bowl. Fish Bowl combines: Taboo, Charades, and Password. Fish Bowl is played with two teams. Each person begins by writing down a person, place,and thing on separate pieces of paper. The papers are then placed in a bowl, and the game is ready to begin. The first round the team members are allowed to describe the word on the paper, but can't say what the word is or any words in the description (ex: place- Eiffel Tower- can say: Paris, large, monument  Can't Say- Eiffel or Tower). Each team has 30 seconds to guess. At the end of the 30 seconds you count how many slips of paper you have and write the total under your points. You then pass on the bowl to the next team, so on and so on until all the slips of paper are gone...it usually helps if you sit A,B, A, B... The second round begins when all the slips of paper are returned to the bowl, but in the second round you can't speak and have to act out the word. Again the round ends when all the pieces of papers have been guessed. The third and final round, the players can only use one word to describe the word, so hopefully you and your teammates have remembered what words you have heard. The game ends when all of the pieces of papers have been guessed. The team with the most amount of points after the three rounds are the winners. A game that includes lot's of laughs.

Time to Play: 30 minutes in total
Age Range: 6-99
# of Players: 4+