5 Games to Play for Friendsgiving
Friends are the family we choose — and a cause for celebration. It’s no wonder that annual Friendsgiving gatherings have become a popular holiday tradition.
For the fun, the memories, and the gratitude we have for the people that mean so much — here are The Secret Lantern’s picks for our favorite games to play with friends!
1) One Night Ultimate Vampire
The stakes have never been higher…
“In One Night Ultimate Vampire, the sun has just set, and vampires have descended on your sleepy little town, slowly turning the villagers into even more vampires. Fortunately, the village has several residents with special powers, with most willing to help eliminate this fanged menace!
One Night Ultimate Vampire is a fast game for 3-10 players in which everyone gets a role: The nefarious Vampire, the well-meaning Cupid, the sneaky Assassin, or others, each with a special ability. In the course of a single evening, your village will decide who among them is a vampire...because all it takes is finding one vampire to win!”
One Night Ultimate Vampire can be combined with One Night Ultimate Werewolf for double the chaos!
Here’s what you need to know:
Suitable for ages 8 and up
Rapid-fire rounds of 10 minutes
3 to 10 players
If your friend group’s love language is yelling, cackling, and roasting each other — this is the game for you.
2) Monikers
A curated take on a classic.
“Monikers is a party game based on the public domain game Celebrities, where players take turns attempting to get their teammates to guess names by describing or imitating well-known people.”
In Round One, clue givers can say anything they want (except for the “moniker” itself). With each passing round, the options become more limited and the resulting clues more hilarious.
Here’s what you need to know:
Suitable for ages 17 and up
A perfect after-dinner game that can last between 30 minutes and an hour
4 to 16 players
This Friendsgiving game is best played after a shared bottle of wine. Take it from us.
3) Wavelength
Can you read your friends’ minds?
“Wavelength is a social guessing game in which two teams compete to read each other's minds. Teams take turns rotating a dial to where they think a hidden bullseye is located on a spectrum. One of the players on your team — the Psychic — knows exactly where the bullseye is, and draws a card with a pair of binaries on it (such as: Job - Career, Rough - Smooth, Fantasy - Sci-Fi, Sad Song - Happy Song, etc). The Psychic must then provide a clue that is *conceptually* where the bullseye is located between those two binaries.”
Wavelength combines relative perspective with highly personalized context clues. If your friends enjoy Cards Against Humanity and other similar games, Wavelength is ideal for leveling up!
Here’s what you need to know:
Suitable for ages 14 and up
A quick pick-up, with gameplay lasting between 30 and 45 minutes
2 to 12 players
Perfect for friend groups that know each other a little too well.
4) Obey the Block!
Twister meets Jenga in this chaotic game of dexterity, physics, and crossing your fingers and hoping for the best!
“The classic game of physics, luck and a steady hand, with a playful twist. Now you must do what the block says when you remove it from the tower.”
We all know Jenga — but this is Obey the Block! While you balance the tower, each block will come with a specific instruction that players must obey!
Here’s what you need to know:
Suitable for ages 8 and up
[Is it hard? How much time does it take? That’s up to you…]
2 to 6 players
For a low-key Friendsgiving among old friends.
5) River Valley Glassworks
In the River Valley, adorable woodland creatures find lovely glass and set up shop!
“In River Valley Glassworks, you play as one of these pioneers, drafting glass from the market of river tiles. To do so, you have to play a piece from your inventory into the river. Each river tile can take only a specific shape, and you must play into a space adjacent to where you want to draft from. After you pick up your glass, the river shifts forward, revealing new pieces and new opportunities.”
How you choose to store the glass in your shop can have a major impact on your score! Strategy will make all the difference, but in this family-friendly game of sorting it’s the chill vibes that shine.
Here’s what you need to know:
Suitable for ages 8 and up
Easy for players of all skill levels, with a tight gameplay of 25 to 45 minutes
1 to 5 players
A light, casual game that’s absolutely adorable! Perfect for a cozy gathering.