Hello again, gamers! We’ve previously talked about what you can do if you are headed to enjoy your first game night. But we haven’t talked about what to do if you are the one hosting the board game night. So, let’s delve into that a little bit, shall we?
First up, you need to make sure that you have some games. The amount of games that you should have will vary based on the number of people you think will attend and the location. If you are hosting a small game night at your home, then you probably only need to have a few options available. Chances are that if you are hosting in your home, you are friends with these people and you already have an idea of the type of games that they like to play.
If you are hosting a game night at a location like a bar for a local group, then you will need to have a wider option of games available. You may want some smaller games (smaller in the sense that the box doesn’t take up as much space in your bag, and smaller in the sense of quickness of play). You will have some players who won’t want to tackle a heavier game, so these smaller and lighter games are good for those players. You’ll also want to have some middle of the road games (usually lasting 45 minutes to an hour) for the players who want to play one or two games over the period of a couple of hours. And you also want to include some heavier weight games (things that often take a couple of hours to play) for the players who like heavier games. As game nights progress, you’ll find that different gamers fall into different categories based on their moods and the games available.
If you are having game night at your house, you’ll probably want to provide some snacks and munchies. Nothing too greasy and nothing that will create a mess on your games. If you happen to be hosting in a public location like a bar, then you won’t need to provide snacks, but you will want to make sure that people can bring their own if they want. You’ll also need to make sure that your location allows outside food.
When your game night is an event open to the public, you, as the host, will be the person responsible for handling any issues that may come up. There are any number of possible things that could come up from having to teach a game and explain rules to handling a disagreement between two players. So, be ready for anything.
As a host, you also need to have made peace with the fact that your board game might get damaged. Most experienced board game players are good about how they treat the game. But you may have new players that don’t know that you aren’t supposed to bend the cards. Or someone may spill a drink on your game (if that happens, please remember that everyone saves the game!). If you aren’t comfortable with the potential for damage, then you may want to reconsider hosting.
Hopefully, this has given you a little insight on the things that need to be considered in hosting a game night.