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Our next guest game night is here, and this time we're putting the spotlight on Tom from @BuryBoardGames. As a professional in the board game industry, Tom has taught more games and run more more game nights than i've had hot dinners, and trust me, he knows how to make every session sing.

Today, he’s discussing his ultimate board game night from warm-up to wind-down.

Take it away, Tom!

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We've got six hours!?

As adults, we’ve all got clear schedules, and we’ve got a whole evening to play with. (Surely you can't be serious! What witchcraft is this?!) By the looks of things, it’s also my choice to pick the games. And the drinks and snacks. And the music playlist! Wow, is it my birthday, or something? I never usually get this much control!

First things first: my ideal player count for games night tends to be three or four players. The intimacy of a smaller player count allows you to pick from a wider range of games (in case you’re all indecisive). Inviting eight players is fantastic from a social point of view, but it limits how many strategy games you can get to the table, if we’re being realistic. The main reason I like this player count, though, is because this means less down-time between turns. Just because you can play Scythe at seven players doesn’t mean you should…

The Brief: Who’s At The Table… And Where?

Given the brief is we have six hours to play with here, I’d pick a modest three games across that period. I’d start with a Euro-style strategy game that I love and am already mega-confident with the teach. Then I’d go for a game off my Shelf of Shame (a title I own, but haven’t played yet). Finally, I’d finish the evening with a shorter game, where again, I know the rules like the back of my hand.

Setting-wise, it would be somebody’s house (rather than out in public). The reason for this is I’d want to be able to control the ambiance, such as the music and food and drink. I’m a huge fan of having thematic music in the background while playing board games. The other week I played Men-Nefer and we put on an instrumental Ancient Egypt soundtrack on Spotify. It amplified up the atmosphere, ten-fold!

Woodcraft – Suchý For Starters

So, first up I’m going for a Euro-style strategy game. One where I know the rules like that clicks fingers so we can get it set up and playing, quick as a flash. I’m tempted to say Woodcraft by Delicious Games. Vladimír Suchý is one of my favourite designers; his games always tickle my fancy! (Underwater Cities, Praga Caput Regni, Shipyard… All bangers!) Suchý’s games tend to sit around the 3-4/5 weight on boardgamegeek.com with regards to complexity, and that’s where my sweet spot is for strategy games.

Woodcraft has a fascinating action selection system upon a circular saw. Apt, since theme-wise, you’re rival elves crafting things out of wood! It’s not quite a rondel, but you do select actions around a wheel, of sorts. The other part of the game involves using dice in a clever way to make items out of wood. You can even ‘cut’ dice in half (not in a literal sense!), which I admire as a mechanism.

Off The Shelf Of Shame And Onto The Table

My second game choice would either be something from my Shelf of Shame, or a game that someone else has brought along. The reason for the former being, we all know the thrill of trying out a brand-new game for the first time, right? The alternative – and latter reason – being, I don’t want to be the one teaching games all night! I work in a board game cafe, where I spend a lot of time teaching games. Thus, having ‘a night off’ from having the responsibility of being The Rules Guy feels like a treat. 

I’ve got Ark Nova on my Shelf of Shame (I know, I know…). That needs to hit the table at some point! When better than to fit it into a six-hour games night? If this is my ideal evening, I’d try to fix it so that someone else at the table knows how to teach it! Is that a bit of a faux pas, though? It is poor etiquette bringing along a certain title to a games night, knowing full-well you’re unable to teach it? All the while hoping someone else can be the hero and explain the rules?

Kitchen Roll At The Ready!

Before we move onto the third and final game, let’s fit in which drinks and snacks I’d have! I don’t mind having food at the table alongside board games, but on the vital proviso that there is kitchen roll nearby. I appreciate board games are precious to us hobbyists, and it’s important to respect the components. I don’t want anyone to have their dirty paws all over the game, but at the same time, I like food! Kitchen roll feels like a happy compromise…

Food-wise, then, if it’s my choice, I’d opt for pizza, or a variety of savoury snacks. Drinks: I like unwinding with a beer when I play board games. Craft ales are where I tend to venture, and it’s a bonus if it’s something I haven’t sampled before. Some board gamers like logging the games they play and their scores. I like logging which beers I’ve tasted! (I use the Untappd app for this.)

And For Dessert, Sir Will Have The…

Somehow, I’ve turned this into some kind of three-course meal. A board game menu, if you like! It makes sense to me to end the evening on a lighter note, after back-to-back heavier games. The logical choice for me is Crokinole, a flicking/dexterity game circa 1876 (which is almost as old as me).

Crokinole is the ultimate light-hearted-yet-competitive game. It can play two players (1 vs 1) or four players (2 vs 2). The latter is what I’d opt for, given my chosen player count. Each team gets six discs, and they take turns flicking them from the edge of the circular board, trying to knock their teammates’ discs out of bounds. It’s like Curling, without the ice, but instead on a slick, smooth, wooden surface. Crokinole is the kind of game that’s equal parts as entertaining to watch as it is to play. The drama involved as players aim (or fail to do so) never gets old!

So there you have it: that’s my ideal games night! Something golden, something new, and something a tad more chilled to let your hair down as the evening winds in. Chuck some beers and some snacks into the mix, alongside some on-point tunes, and that’s one heck of a Friday night in. Do you agree? Would you want to join me at the table for this kind of games night? Or would you plan things a little different? 

Tom - @buryboardgames

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If that doesn’t sound like the blueprint for a cracking game night, I don’t know what does. Big thanks to Tom from @BuryBoardGames for walking us through his perfect mix of Euro brain burners, Shelf of Shame redemption arcs, and snack diplomacy.

If that resonated with you, you can find Tom over on his instagram page @buryboardgames for lots of creative and thoughtul content

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go cut some dice in half.