Hosting a boardgame night can be a lot of fun and really enjoyable but what do you do when you have more then the usual five or six people decide they want to come what happens when it’s eight players, nine players even ten players?

Well don’t freak out there are heaps of fantastic boardgames that you can still play with a group this large from formula D to The Resistance.

So take a deep breath and relax and keep reading because Here are our top tips for hosting a boardgame night for a large group. 

Tip 1 Choose your Games Wisely 

Game choice is one of the first things you as an Organizer are going to need to do so make sure you take some time to pick your games wisely and really think about what you and your group will want to play.

There are heaps of board games that have a high player count but you need to know how to play them and how to play them well because you will become the group’s authority on the rules.

We even recommend getting your group to take the time to watch a quick rules video this will allow you to set up the board and give you time afterwards to spend your time answering questions about what they just watched rather than reading rules. 

Side Note: it will also keep the group entertained 

The upside to a large group is if they all just watched a ten-minute rule video there is a very high chance are they will be able to answer each other’s questions so leverage this. 

Some of our suggestions for games with high player counts are:

Note: We have also included some links of places to buy these games some we are a Mightyape affiliate so those links give us a referral bonus.

Games for 8 Players 

Games for 9 Players 

Games for 10 Players 

Tip 2 Know the Order you are going to play 

This seems like a suggestion you can just skip over but it’s really not you need to plan the order your boardgames will be played with a group this size. 

I was once at a party where we played three different social dedication games in a row, let’s just say feeling where hurt that day. 

If you don’t want to plan out each game at least be aware that you shouldn’t play the same type of game over and over again.

You need to spice it up and throw in something different your friends will thank you and you won’t have people leaving the table because everybody kept thinking they were the spy. (yes that’s from a real-world experience)

Tip 3 Split into groups 

Don’t spend your whole night in groups but also don’t be afraid to split into groups during the night after you have played a few games. 

This offers an opportunity for many more games to be played throughout the course of the night while also offering the opportunity for smaller groups. 

It may seem like cheating to just split the group but if you spend the start of your night playing larger group games most of your guests won’t really notice and will welcome the split into a smaller group. 

Let’s be honest some boardgames are better with a smaller group of players. 

Tip 4 Know your commitment Levels

Playing a large number of games can be fatiguing for some players so make sure you have a rough understanding of your group and the types of games that they like to play.

Don’t plan to play 10 games when you know most people will be keen just for two. Also, don’t play a bunch of heavy Euro’s when your group is used to playing party games.

If you have a mix then play some light games to start with then break into groups put all you’re hardcore gamers into one group and everybody else into the other and let Nature take its course and weed out the weak. 

It’s not cruel it’s just natural selection / Letting your casual gamers actually go home.

Tip 5 Make Sure You have lots of snacks 

This isn’t really a tip just an obvious statement but you will be surprised how many boardgame nights I have attended lately that were missing the snacks. 

That being said some of those where mine and I regretted it don’t be that person remember the snacks! 

Did you like this post, did it help you if so let us know in the comments section below. 

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