Planning a game night with giffgaff

One thing you know about me it is that I am obsessed with board games, whether it’s D&D, Settlers of Catan or a straight forward game of Monopoly, I can’t get enough.  In fact, Harry and I own over fifty board games…it’s fair to say we are obsessed!  The mobile network giffgaff heard about my love of tabletop games and sent me a box of goodies so I thought I’d show you how I incorporate them when I am planning a game night:

Set the tone with music

Background music can make a big difference to the vibe of an evening, so it’s important to create the right playlist.  You want something that fits the game you are playing but isn’t too distracting.  If it’s a group of friends you know well you can make a playlist based on your favourite songs or if not, something upbeat and instrumental always goes down well.  If I’m playing something action or adventure-based I love using the Skyrim soundtrack to create an atmosphere and build drama or if I’m playing something more fantasy based like D&D I have sound effects apps on my phone to add to the drama.  Thankfully with my Alexa Dot I can play music, adjust the volume settings and change playlists with just my voice so it never interrupts play and it’s super compact so it leaves plenty of room for gaming. 

Stock up on food and drink

When hosting it’s always a good idea to supply some kind of food and drink of at least snacks and soft drinks to keep everyone well fed and hydrated.  Something none-messy and easy to share is usually a good choice so you can snack as you play.  If you’ve got a long gaming day ahead I usually plan a takeaway break mid-way through.  I usually like to order this on Just Eat early and pick a later delivery slot so we can plan when to take a break.  

Internet access for all with giffgaff

It’s always good to have a digital switch off now and then but whether it’s arguing about the rules of a game, live streaming your play or sharing your night across social media it’s always good to make sure everyone can access the internet easily.  I loved giving my friend welcome gifts of giffgaff sim cards to make sure they can stream stress-free and it made planning a game night a breeze.  One of our favourite game to play with my friends involves connecting our phones to our PlayStation so you can answer quiz questions and it’s great knowing everyone can connect and play stress-free and the sim-only plans mean you only pay for what you use.  It’s also good to keep a handful of battery chargers stored up and ready to go so everyone can keep their phones fully charged and avoid the fight over plug sockets!  If you want to film your evening for Youtube it’s great to use an action camera, they take up so little room and you can hang them from anything in the room.  

A good variety of games

As mentioned myself and Harry own around 50 board games but you don’t need anywhere near that amount, but it’s good to have a great variety.  giffgaff send us three new games Bucket of Doom, Obama Lama 2 and Wierd Things Humans Search For which are great casual, quick and funny games to play which contrast well with some of the games in our collection that have a million rules and last for hours.  Sometimes you want games for quick ice breakers to make you laugh and bring you closer together, other times you want a game that makes you want to destroy your friends with your competitiveness!

A good gaming table

This is the hardest thing about living in Lonon, space is so limited.  We’ve managed to get a storage trunk coffee table with a flat top that’s just big enough for most tabletop games.  In my dream world I’d have a solid wood, custom table for at least eight people with storage space for all our games and extra bits and pieces but you have to make the most of the space you have.  With this you also need lots of cushions, blankets and generally anything that makes sitting somewhere for long periods of time as comfortable and cosy as possible.  if you are still struggling to find enough space check out my post on my fave London gaming bars. 

So that’s just a few ways we plan to make our game nights great.  Since moving to London we’ve actually struggled to have as many as we have limited space and people in London are spaced so far apart so if you know people in London who are up for a game, drop a comment!

What’s your top tip for planning a game night? 

giffgaff provided all products in bold for a game night, all words and opinions are my own.