Date Night - Game Night

According to MoneyGeek the average date night in America, for dinner and a movie, costs around $159. If you were to add flowers, a babysitter, drinks, or other stops for your date, we’re talking closer to $300 for a night with your significant other. While a night out is a nice treat, it can be an expensive item to factor into your budget.  One of me and my husband’s favorite date night ideas is Date Night – Game Night. We have always loved playing board, card & video games together. The concept for this date is simple. One of us picks out a couple games (could be ones we already own, or we may buy a new one). Then we add some snacks or pop in a frozen pizza and boom - we have a fun and inexpensive night in. 

The problem we have run into on occasion is finding good two-player games. Many games are for at least 3-4+ people. Also, Puzzle Warehouse has over 500 games to choose from. You can see them all here. It’s hard to weed through all the games on the site to find the ones that would work for just two people. So, in this blog I thought I’d share some of our favorites and ones that we have recently enjoyed. Now, this blog is coming out with Valentine’s Day right around the corner. I made a fun little basket in the picture below for a Valentine’s idea. This is a great way to save a bit of money while also having a nice night with your partner. If you and your partner are gamers, I’d love to know some of your favorites down in the comments!

Let’s start this off with some classic games. These are always fun and if you don’t already have them in your game cabinet, they are worth looking into. Dave and I have played them hundreds of times and get quite competitive. First up, we have Stratego. This game has been around for over 50 years. This classic red vs blue battlefield strategy game is a fun one if you like chess style games. It is VERY easy to catch on and great if you are new to board games. Another twist on a classic game is Scattegories Categories. This is a fun and fast wordsmith game. In this new version of the popular word game, each round starts by flipping over a theme card instead of a letter card, and during play, you come up with words that match each theme, using the letters on the theme card. The game is very fast – each round is only 2 minutes long. I’d suggest having this as an appetizer for game night before the main event.

Recently Dave and I bought Deblockle by Project Genius and we have already played it about ten times. Deblockle is a casual strategy game of tips and turns. Each player has four blocks. The turns are simple, you tip your block and move them according to the symbol on the top. Be the first player to successfully remove all your blocks by maneuvering them onto the final square on the board, and you win! 

The game board is a simple grid, and the pieces are chunky wooden blocks. It only took us a couple minutes to catch on. Each game only takes about 15 minutes, but we have never played just one. The first time we took it out, we played it four times! It’s a bit addictive and could easily be one we bring while traveling. It doesn’t have a lot of pieces, and without the box is very compact for a carryon bag.  Highly recommend this one!

This next one isn’t technically a 2 player game but it can still work. Hues and Cues by USAopoly is a party game for 3-10 players. It is a vibrant game all about color. For a two player variation, it is a collaborative game. Player one gives cues to describe a color on the board. Player two uses their pawns to place on the color they think the first player is describing. Points are determined by how close you are to the exact color. With two players the points are added together, with a perfect score of 50. 

This all seems super simple, the difficult part is that the game board has 480 colors. Since everyone imagines colors differently, connecting colors and clues can be very tricky.  The first time we played this together we only got 12 points after ten rounds! The second time we got 30 points. Sometimes the color you are describing is really challenging – especially since you only get three words. We have not tried this with more than two players, but I can see how it would be fun with a group of people as well.

TIP: If your cat ends up sitting on your game board – use this as a tool for your cue. “Under Nose” 

If you are a history buff (or not) you may enjoy the game Chronology by Buffalo Games. This is a very easy game to play, and can be for up to eight players. The box comes with 429 cards with more than 858 historical events. The goal is to create a historic timeline of ten cards to win. The game is simple but is super interesting, especially if you like history.

We also have been enjoying Disney Chronology which is a super fun variation. We are just on the brink of a Disney World trip and this game is getting us all excited. The box has fewer cards and I do think it could have included some historical events from the Disney Parks. However, it is a fun game if you are Disney fan.

Gamewright creates some of our favorite games. If you and your partner like collaborative games, you will love the Forbidden series. Forbidden Sky was our first introduction to this series and unfortunately it is out of print. However, Forbidden Desert was the next one that we did, and it was just as thrilling. 

Looking at the game it is very unassuming. The game is a very intense and as you get close to the end can be a nail biter. The concept is that you are stranded in a desert city and your team must gather resources to help you escape while surviving the heat and sandstorms. This is a great Date-Night game as it requires you to work together to survive. The game requires strategy, luck, and cooperation to make sure you both make it. It really is very exciting. Forbidden Island is the version of this game and is currently on the docket for our next game night.   

Finally our newest addition to our game closet is Carpe Diem by Ravansburger. Dave and I love strategy games and was very intrigued with this one when we saw it. It is a bit complex when you first get started but the instructions are clear and easy to follow. However, there are a lot of elements to this game, and it does require a bit of set up. You do get a lot of components within the box.  First there’s the game board, then the 220+ tiles, 150 cards and of course the 44 wooden pieces. 

The goal is to have the most victory points at the end of the game. Victory points are accumulated by gathering resources, building dwellings, markets, and vendors, and completing secret missions. There are seven rounds and four phases each with their own scoring period. You really can’t gage who is winning until the very end at the final scoring round. This all seems really complicated at first, but it is very easy to catch on. 

TIP: We’d advise to keep your pets off this one. Not only are there hundreds of pieces that they could mess up, but there is no way to play around them if they settle in on top of your board…

Now that we know how to play, each game takes about 30 minutes. What makes this one super fun is that each time we play it is completely different. The tiles, cards and even your personal board is never the same each time you play. You’ll need different strategies and will have very different outcomes. 

Those are some of the games we have been playing recently. If you are thinking about having a Date Night-Game Night, I hope you found this helpful. You can make your date super special by buying something fun for dinner or make it casual by making popcorn on a Tuesday night. Either way, it is always a fun night in!

Emilee Frost @thecasualpuzzler