We may be known as the sunburnt country, but even in Australia, summer doesn’t last forever. Yep, it’s official: winter is here. Days are shorter, darker and colder, and our weekend plans have changed from beach trips and outdoor adventures to household hibernating and couch crusades.
But just because the sun is being antisocial doesn’t mean we have to be. In fact, the chilly weather is perfect for getting your mates around for a night of board games and banter. Better still, as it’s the end of the financial year, we’re heading into toy catalogue season, so you’ll be able to pick up a few tabletop games without breaking the bank. To make things a bit easier, we’ve gone and put together a list of easy-to-learn games that you and your gang can get around, leaving you with more time to, as the title says, rug and and roll some dice.
It’s worth noting that the prices listed for JB Hi-Fi are set to drop in the coming days, with the store’s EOFY sale reaching the board game aisle starting June 20.
Dumb Questions To Ask Your Friends
Where to find it: JB Hi-Fi for $34.98
Player count: Three – Eight
My group of friends and I have an ongoing argument, debating whether or not stacking two lasagnas on top of each other would then make one big lasagna. So, yeah, this game works for us. Quick, easy and sure to start a verbal dispute, Dumb Questions to Ask Your Friends is exactly that: a collection of 400 silly questions that are designed to see just how well you know your mates. Five questions are laid out on the table, for all but one player in the group to provide answers out loud. It’s then up to that one player to rank the cards in order of least to most likely to be the answered question. It’s a get-to-know-you quiz but in reverse….and ridiculous.
Let’s Hit Each Other With Fake Swords
Where to find it: JB Hi-Fi for $44.98
Player count: Three – Six
How do you put a spin on a simple card-collecting game? Well, having the players engage in sword fights to see who wins the sought-after cards is certainly one way to do it. Winning is easy, in theory, as you’re tasked with simply collecting three sets of three matching cards. The kicker here is that if you and another player want the same card, you’ll need to take up arms to win it. From here, you’ll each wield one of the two foam swords, battling it out in a duel to claim your prize. But this is no ordinary duel, as you’ll be forced to adhere to the rule on the card in question, which could have you yelling compliments at each other, fighting with your knees together like you need to pee, or clashing swords while bowing. Oh, and did I mention that these card quirks stack? Clear some room, this one will likely get messy.
You Can’t Say Umm
Where to find it: JB HiFi for $34.98 | EB Games for $19 (sale price)
Player count: Four – Ten
Try explaining anything to anyone without saying umm. If you nailed it, you’ll clean up in this next game. If you’re like the rest of us, then you’re in trouble. Split into two teams, you’ll each take turns drawing two cards adorned with random words, with your job being to describe as many odd pairings as you can (an example being “bouncy pie”). Buuuuuut, if you’re on the other team, you have a very distracting bell that you can ring every time the opposing team says “umm” or “err,” netting a point for each correct ring. It’s simple, painfully so, but I can guarantee that once you’re in the hot seat, it won’t be the cakewalk you’re imagining.
Get the Ick
Where to find it: JB Hi-Fi for $21.98 | Gameology for $22.45
Player count: Two – Eight
You don’t need to be into meme culture to know what “the ick” is. Fast, simple, and more than likely to cause some funny discussions, this is a game night starter that’ll get you loosened up and ready to roll. Laying out a range of common “icks,” it’s up to the player to choose which of the turn-offs bother their fellow players the most, earning points for each correct guess. From being a slow walker and calling dogs doggos right through to winking at themselves in the mirror and kissing with their eyes open, you can expect to see some visual reactions from your friends as they cringe at the thought.
Block Party
Where to find it: JB Hi-Fi for $34.98 | Kmart for $29
Player count: Two – Six
I love games that take an existing premise and give it a spin. In this case, think Pictionary, but with colour blocks and added pressure if you’ve got shaky hands. With one player acting as the guesser, all others will pick a secret word from a card and then get to building that object, character or thing with a range of coloured blocks. Without the intricacy afforded by a pen, you’ll need to get creative if you want the guesser to be successful, so think outside the box and pick your colours carefully.
One Night Ultimate Werewolf
Where to find it: EB Games for $50 | Gameology for $39.95
Player count: Three – Ten
It might sound like an odd concept, but some of my fondest board gaming memories don’t involve a board at all. Werewolf is royalty in the social deduction genre, with players lying, manipulating and scheming their way to victory, and this version condenses all of that fun into about ten minutes. Each player has a secret role, be it a simple Townsfolk that’s caught in the middle of the action, the Seer who takes a sneaky look at another player’s role at the beginning of the game, or the werewolf themself, trying desperately to convince the other players that they aren’t evil. After one “night” of the player’s abilities activating, the group has exactly five minutes to share their info (honestly or otherwise) and vote on who they think the werewolf is. Get it right, fantastic, the good players win. Get it wrong and, well, the township is in for a rough time.
Heat Pedal to the Metal
Where to find it: JB Hi-Fi for $99 | EB Games for $88 (sale price)
Player count: One – Six
I’m not at all into cars or motorsport, but I am into games that let you push your luck in hopes of getting ahead. Making your way around various tracks in open-wheeled deathtraps, you’ll shift gears and play cards in order to make your way around the circuit, collecting Heat cards if you push your car too hard. As the game continues and your hand gets clogged up with Heat cards, you’ll find yourself taking risky moves, as being forced to play a Heat card will result in you losing your vital turn. It’s a game that might look a bit daunting but is easy to learn and devilishly addictive once you find your groove. This one was out of stock for the longest of times, but can thankfully be found without any worry at the moment.
Wyrmspan
Where to find it: JB Hi-Fi for $89.98 | Gameology for $79.95 (sale price)
Player count: One – Five
If you’re in the hobby, you’ll know that Wingspan is a staple, not just for its enjoyable gameplay loop but for its delicious-looking game pieces as well. While the original game has you collecting resources in an effort to build your own little collection of birds from across the world, Wyrmspan takes a more mystical approach, focusing instead on dragons. Similar in many ways to its older sibling, Wyrmspan will challenge players to fill out their player mats by enticing dragons into their lairs with a range of different resources. There are a variety of different point-scoring options and a lot of dragons to see, each with their own abilities and costs, so if you have Wingspan already or not, this is well worth checking out.
Ranging from light family fun to something a little heavier, this is just a small list of board games you could introduce to your get-togethers and lazy nights in. With the EOFY sales in full swing, there are some decent deals to be had on board games, and I’ve tried to find some for you in this short list, so save some dollars and play some games this winter.
Have you played any of these games? Are you looking to pick any up? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.
