Summer means barbeques, holidays, and hanging out late while the sun lingers. Casual board games with a few friends and a few drinks can strengthen friendships and generate long lasting, laughter-filled memories. Here are Brig’s top picks for games that are perfect for casual hang outs over the summer.
Flip 7
- 3+ players – very short
- This casual push-your-luck card game is just a pile of cards, making it easy to take to wherever folks are gathering. The deck is made up of 12 number 12s, 11 number 11s, and so on, and players are trying to get the highest number of points without ever doubling up on a specific value. Sure that 12 is giving you a ton of points, but there are 11 more of them in the deck ready to bust your round for a zero score. The tension when someone is about to win and just needs to flip one more card is exciting and the laughter when they inevitably flip a dupe is raucous. The modifier cards really add to the experience too – forcing someone else to flip three cards is a great way to either bust your opponent or give them the extra points they need to win the game. It’s really adaptable too – play to the recommended 200 points, or lower if you want a quicker game. It goes up to pretty much any player count too, perfect for big groups.
Just One
- 3-7 players – short
- In Just One, a player randomly chooses a word that the other players then have to get them to guess with a single clue each, but beware – if multiple clue-givers give the same clue, they are both eliminated. Sometimes a key clue will get eliminated and cause the entire thing to fall apart and suddenly someone has to guess the word “Pineapple” with only the clues “fingerprints” and “yellow”. It’s a fascinating insight into how your friends’ brains work and is sure to generate many a “how does THAT make sense???” debate.
Secret Identity
- 3-8 players – medium
- Players in Secret Identity are all given (wait for it) a secret identity which they have to indicate with a selection of clues. The clues are, however, less than useful, taking the form of icons and abstract shapes. What do you mean I have to get people to guess “Princess Diana” with a thing that looks like a tent and an icon of a beard?? Luckily you also have the power to give a general sense of green for yes or red for no for each clue too. Helpful, right? Getting players to explain themselves at the end of each round leads to some of the best laughs board gaming has to offer.
Cockroach Poker
- 2-6 players – short
- The ultimate bluffing game. Try and empty your hands of critters onto other people’s boards until one person has a full set and is the official loser of the game. You achieve this by misdirection. Hand someone a frog and tell them it’s a rat – they can either believe you (they’d get the card), doubt you (you’d get the card as punishment for bad lying), or pass, which means they look at the card and then pass it to another person, who has the same options. Lying to your friends is a lot of fun, and passing all the spiders to the arachnophobe never gets old.
Codenames
- 6+ players (though you could probably play with 4 in a pinch) – medium
- Divide into two teams, with one spymaster per team who has to give clues to get their teammates to guess the right words. Be careful though, they might guess the other team’s words, which gets points for them. And make sure you avoid the assassin – choosing this word means your team automatically loses the game! Codenames is an all-time party classic for good reason and leads to many head scratching moments that culminate in a demand to “explain yourself on this one”.
Featured image credit: Czech Games Edition, Drei Magier Spiel, Funny Fox, Repos Production, The Op Games
Student journalist & freelance writer. Check out Quick Play, where I review video games that are 10 hours or less.
