Category: Party Games

The Importance of Categories

This is entry #1 of my categories series where I go over the categories in the tabletop game market. I have divided the market into 5 categories ordered by complexity: party, light, gateway, mid-weight, and heavy games. No creative person wants to be bound by categories or genres, but categorizing a game is important for publishers in order to reach the correct audience. Understanding categories can also help players to more easily find games to suit their own taste or the tastes of the group they are playing with.

What is a Party Game?

Party games are simple games designed to appeal to most everybody. They often entertain through humor, creativity, and social interaction rather than strategy or theme. Some of the important components for a successful party game are:.

Large Player Count: Party games are inherently designed for larger groups, usually 6 or more players. This makes it a great option for large gatherings. Party games should also be designed with all types of people in mind. They should try to appeal to people that may like traditional board games.

Easy To Learn: Part of what makes party games approachable is their simplicity. Most successful party games can be taught in under 5 minutes or picked up in a few turns of demonstration. This makes them versatile and easy to bring out even with new groups.

Little To No Set Up: Similar to learning the game, set up should be fast and simple. Players shouldn’t have too much to manage or take in at the start of the game.

Social Interaction: Social interaction is an essential aspect of party games. They should allow a group to laugh, get to know one another, express their creativity, or bond in some way. This is a great way to make games fun, while still remaining simple.

Short/Low Stakes: Because you’re playing in a large group, games should be short and low stakes. Rounds should move quickly and players should feel satisfied and enjoy the gameplay even if they don’t win. Some party games have players work in teams, or have no real winner at all. This allows the group to keep focus on the fun aspects of the game. It all depends on what the group is interested in.

What are the best party games?

For Adults

Quest: Quest is a very interesting social deduction game where players work in teams to either succeed or fail on quests. But players don’t know who is working with them and who is working against them. The game does a great job of creating tension

Mysterium Park: Mysterium Park is a streamlined version of the already popular group game, Mysterium. In this game players work together to solve a mystery before time runs out. The game is simple and fun, but with enough meat and strategy to keep board gamers engaged.

Skull King: Skull King is a favorite for friend groups and activities. In this game players attempt to bid on how many hands they will win in a round over a series of ten escalating rounds. The game has a great push your luck feel to it that really adds tension and excitement to the table.

For Families

Telestrations: It’s hard to go wrong with Telestrations. In this game each player is given a secret prompt which they must draw on their pad and pass to the left. The next player then guesses what they drew and passes again. The next player draws a picture based on the new prompt. This process is repeated until the drawing pad returns to the original player. It is always funny to see how people interpreted drawings after finding out the real prompt.

Codenames: Codenames is a definite favorite in the party game genre. In Codenames the table is covered with a square of prompt cards (usually words, but some editions have pictures). Players are divided into teams and two cluegivers, one from each team, must give clues to lead their team to specific cards on the table. The teams have to guess which cards are theirs while avoiding guessing their opponents cards.

Exploding Kittens: Exploding Kittens is a cloud pleaser. It’s funny, competitive, and fast paced. Players play cards and sabotage other players, while trying to avoid the exploding kitten cards that can eliminate them from the game.

So Clover: So Clover is a very clever wordplay game where players have to write down words related to several pairs of prompts given by cards from the game. Other players must then attempt to guess how their prompt cards were arranged. Its a game that really makes you think and leads to some humorous combinations.

For Kids

Sushi Go Party: The party version of the popular game Sushi Go. In Sushi Go players try to create a winning sushi platter from an array of ingredients, as cards get passed around the table. It is fast paced and keeps players constantly involved. It’s a great choice for kids or anyone that loves sushi.

Apples to Apples: Apples to Apples is still a classic in my book. In Apples to Apples players play cards in order to make the best pairing based on a descriptive prompt. Players always make some very unexpected pairings, and each is given the chance to defend their reasoning. The judge (the player who played the prompt card) then decides who won the round. Its undeniably simple, fun, and flexible.