10 Best Classic Board Games For Guys Night

Games are always a fun way to spend an evening. There are thousands of board games and card-based games to choose from and every year the list gets bigger.

Now is as good a time as any to reclaim Guys Game Night. So how do you decide what to play?

Well with this list, we are going to stick with some classics. Classics are great because your friends will already know the rules or at least be somewhat familiar with what to expect.

With these games, you can beat each other up, screw each other over, and have a great time. So don’t worry about feelings, and be as aggressive and ruthless as your mates can handle.

These are the 10 “classic” board games for your next guys’ night.

Balderdash

Balderdash is a bluffing game. The better you are at “piling it high and deep”, the better you will do at Balderdash.

Balderdash is a word game in the sense that gameplay is centered around the player’s vocabulary. Playing Balderdash is simple, and winning is even simpler; players make up phony definitions of real words and earn points based on their ability to call other players’ bluffs.

If you have a verbose vocab, or if you simply have been blessed with the gift of gab, you will be able to destroy your mates when you play Balderdash.

It gets both harder and more fun with the more people you have, so save it for a night when you have a few people over.

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Catan

Catan is a game that combines the simplicity of elements with an impressive breadth of gameplay experiences.

The basic play involves gathering resources over various turns and using them to build roads, towns, and cities in order to score points and achieve victory.

Catan is a resource-management game that expertly encourages social strategizing, complex bargaining, kindliness, cooperation, and still manages to leave space for bloodthirsty competitiveness.

If you decide to bust out Catan on your next game night, you and your friends will be rewarded with a rich and entertaining experience.

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Risk

The game of Risk is a popular game that was developed more than 60 years ago and by now there are dozens of themed versions.

Are you a big fan of Fantasy franchises like Game of Thrones, and Lord of the Rings? There’s a Risk version for you?

Is Sci-Fi more of your schtick? There are Star Wars, Warhammer, and Doctor Who versions.

Are video games your thing? Halo, Call of Duty, Mass Effect, and Skyrim have been adapted as well.

This incredible variety within the basic structure of Risk makes it a perfect choice for a game night. Another great thing Risk has going for it is the simplicity of its ruleset, which provides a complex web of strategic and social interactions.

The basic gameplay revolves around capturing and defending territories around a world map, forming alliances, and defeating your opponents in battle. Risk is a classic board game that’s sold on the promise of conflict and conquest, so it is perfectly suited for your next guys night.

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Dominoes

Dominoes is a popular tile-based game that, very much like a deck of playing cards, allows for a wide number of games to be played. There are various ways to play with a set of dominoes but, by far, the most popular game type is the layout game.

“Layout” is the game most are familiar with and involves you laying down your dominoes to match what has already been played on the board. While it seems almost like a game of chance, true players know that this game is all about strategy.

Perfect for 2 or 4 players.

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Yahtzee

Yahtzee is a simple dice game that offers a great deal of timeless fun.

Yahtzee is very easy to play and it is perfect for both small and large groups due to its simple rules. The object of the game is to roll 5 dice over 13 rounds and generate points based on various scoring options.

There is another game that is more strategic than it would first seem. Sure the rolls are chance but how you score is up to you so when playing Yahtzee, two games are never going to be the same.

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Othello

Othello, also known as Reversi, is a classic strategy board game in which players place small, pebble-like discs to gain control of the board.

In a game of Othello, each player places one of their discs on the board per turn to close off one or more tiles from the opponent. To close your opponent’s disc, your disc must bound your opponent’s in a straight line. Enclosed discs remain on the board, but must be turned over to match the color of the player who made the capture.

Sounds confusing but it’s far from it. The game is simple and fun.

Othello is a game that is very easy to play but that also has great depth and strategic potential.

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Chinese Checkers

I used to love playing Chinese Checkers as a kid, and am surprised how this game seems to have disappeared from the mainstream. 

Chinese Checkers is a fun strategy board game of German origins, yes German. The name was an attempt by the folks who brought it to America to make the name sound more exotic.

The goal is to be the first to move all the marbles to the corner opposite the starting position, using one-step movements or movements that jump over other pieces.

Chinese Checkers is great because basically anyone can play it. Also, it can be played with 2, 3, 4, 5, and even 6 players, so no matter how many friends you have over, you’ll be able to get a game of Chinese Checkers going.

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Clue

Clue is the murder mystery board game par excellence. As players, you and your buddies have to deduce where in the lavish mansion a victim was killed, what weapon was used to do the evil deed, and, most importantly, who the murderer is.

Clue is meant for 2 to 6 players. It can be a great deal of fun with friends, but especially so with family members of all ages. If you are into problem-solving and analytical thinking, few other games will be better suited than Clue.

Be warned if you are running out to grab a Clue board, the modern version of the game has some extra gameplay mechanics that were not available in the original. These are not necessarily a bad thing, but you should know there are 2 slightly different versions out there with the same name

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Scrabble

Scrabble is both an exercise for your brain, and one of the best games you can play with 2 to 4 people.

Scrabble is a tile game but instead of numbers or pips, the tiles are marked with the letters of the alphabet.

The goal of the game is to arrange the tiles into words (crossword fashion) in order to score points, based on which letters were used and the position on the board into which they were placed.

The slow, methodical pace of most scrabble games makes it ideal for socializing and talking to your friends over some drinks.

However, don’t be fooled into thinking games of scrabble are dull or boring. In fact, scrabble has been the source of some of the most intense rivalries my friend group has experienced over the years.

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Scattergories

Scattergories is a really simple game that is quick to play and quick to explain. When playing Scattergories you won’t even need a table, and it will most definitely work out your brain!

But what is Scattergories?

The game consists of writing lists of words that begin with a specific letter and fall under a specific category, in a limited period of time.

Scattergories is very easy to set up because all you need to play it is a few pencils and sheets of paper.

After a category and letter are chosen, all players must attempt to write unique words that begin with the chosen letter and fall under the chosen category in the time allowed. The answers are then read out loud and points are given for every unique answer.

What do you play on game night? Let us know and maybe you will see it on a future list.

Last update on 2024-04-22 at 21:59 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API