How to Host a Laid-Back Game Night

Score points with your friends with a few winning dishes and a crowd-pleasing activity.

What to Play 

Burned out on charades and Scattergories? Give one of these lesser-known contenders a try.
 
 

1. Parlor Games

Bunco: In each round of this dice game, you try to roll specific numbers (ones, twos, and so on). It’s easy to learn but so addictive. For 12 players. 

 

How’s Yours?: Find a common factor among your group of friends and have one person try to figure it out with clever one-word clues. For 6 or more players.
 
 Mafia: Put your poker face to use with this whodunit game played with cards. Snare the Mafia before it offs the whole town. For 6 to 17 players. 
 
 

2. Board Games

Apples to Apples: Make split-second matches between nouns and adjectives―for example, “hair transplants” and “unnatural” ($22, target.com). For 4 to 10 players.
 
 Say Anything: Answer questions like “Which movie should never have been made?” A judge picks the best ($21.50, amazon.com). For 3 to 8 players.
 
 Wits and Wagers: A trivia game in which you don’t have to be a know-it-all. Just bet on the right answer ($24, amazon.com). For 4 to 20 players. 
 
 

3. Electronic Games

Catch Phrase: Classic Password enters the digital age with this handheld version ($27, hasbrotoyshop.com). For 4 to 20 players.
 
 Scene It TV Edition: Test your pop-culture prowess with this DVD trivia game ($22, amazon.com). For 2 players or 2 teams.
 
 Wii Carnival Games: Try your luck at the ring toss and 25 other attractions that you can re-create with the Wii remote (from $28, amazon.com.) For 1 to 4 players. 
 
Get instructions for More Games for a Crowd.