Date nights for parents are tough.
What used to be easily spontaneous pre-littles is now more tricky and needs to be much more intentionally planned. My husband and I have been extremely fortunate to have help with taking care of our little one from both sets of grandparents so that we can get out of the house for monthly date nights. However, we have found we need to reconnect and get some dedicated “us” time more frequently than once a month.
The Solution? Board Games!
The board game date night is here to save the day! Get the kids to bed, bring out some delicious snacks, pour your favorite beverage, and settle in for some friendly spousal competition.
Before meeting my husband, I didn’t realize that there were “grownup” games outside of Cards Against Humanity and Sequence. He opened my eyes to a brand new world of board game goodness. Not only has this helped me embrace my sparkling inner nerd, but it has also given us a fun and different way to connect as a couple. The games we have played range from one player to many players. Some can be played in 20 minutes whereas others take a few hours.
Here are a few of our favorite picks to get you started:
Morels
This was given to us as a wedding gift from one of my husband’s best friends and it is so fun. Morels is a colorful and quick 20-minute play for 2 players.
According to Board Game Geek, “Morels uses two decks: a Day Deck that includes ten different types of mushrooms as well as baskets, cider, butter, pans, and moons; and a smaller Night Deck of mushrooms to be foraged by moonlight. Each mushroom card has two values: one for selling and one for cooking. Selling two or more like mushrooms grants foraging sticks that expand your options in the forest {that is, the running tableau of eight face-up cards on the table}, enabling offensive or defensive plays that change with every game played. Cooking sets of three or more like mushrooms – sizzling in butter or cider if the set is large enough – earns points toward winning the game. With poisonous mushrooms wielding their wrath and a hand-size limit to manage, card selection is a tricky proposition at every turn.
Following each turn, one card from the forest moves into a decay pile that is available for only a short time. The Day Deck then refills the forest from the back, creating the effect of a walk in the woods in which some strategic morsels are collected, some are passed by, and others lay ahead.”
Azul
Azul is a beautiful game that is a quick and easy play for 2-4 players. It can be finished in about 30-minutes. This is a favorite of my husband and I when we want to fit in a few rounds of the same game or a few different short play games.
According to Board Game Geek, “In the game Azul, players take turns drafting colored tiles from suppliers to their player board. Later in the round, players score points based on how they’ve placed their tiles to decorate the palace. Extra points are scored for specific patterns and completing sets; wasted supplies harm the player’s score. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.”
Terraforming Mars
This game is a household favorite! It definitely embraces our competitive nature and is beautiful and colorful on top of that. There are several expansion packs that give the game a fun new twist. Terraforming Mars can include 1-5 players and takes around 2-hours to play. Board Game Geek describes the game as follows:
“In the 2400s, mankind begins to terraform the planet Mars. Giant corporations, sponsored by the World Government on Earth, initiate huge projects to raise the temperature, the oxygen level, and the ocean coverage until the environment is habitable. In Terraforming Mars, you play one of those corporations and work together in the terraforming process, but compete for getting victory points that are awarded not only for your contribution to the terraforming, but also for advancing human infrastructure throughout the solar system, and doing other commendable things.”
