Family Game Night: Reinvented!

When it comes to family game night, you usually need to include a variety of games to keep everyone happy. While each person in your family will probably have their own favorite game, the key to a successful run of family game nights in the long term is to switch things up from week to week.

Thankfully, this is easy to do with today's plethora of game choices. Board games have come a long way since the days of Monopoly and Sorry, and now include far more strategy that help to teach better critical thinking skills than the old "throw dice and move pieces clockwise in a circle" style of games that dominated in the past.

The first thing you'll need is your standard go-to game that the entire family can come to again and again when no one wants to try anything new. That's where Dominion truly shines. Dominion is a card-based game that has an age-appropriate theme for the whole family that nevertheless also makes older players happy by letting you put as much thinking into your strategy as you want. It never plays the same way twice, so it's great as a game to come back to repeatedly if you don't feel like trying something new one week. Try serving themed snacks to make it even more fun, like nuts and berries.

 Families with younger children will also need a game that will excite and enchant them every time it comes to the table. Tales of the Arabian Nights is just such a game, with storytelling and a choose your own adventure style feel. This is the kind of game that kids can never get enough of. Serve with hummus or stuffed mushrooms for an Arabian feel.

 If you have a large family, then also add Cosmic Encounter to the mix. This game of space politics plays beautifully for seven players, and is definitely one of the best large group games of all time, though younger children will definitely have a tougher time with grasping which strategies will work best. For a snack, cut up cheese slices shaped like stars served alongside round crackers to represent the space theme with planets and stars. Cupcakes with star sprinkles also work well here.

Finally, if you're just looking to have a lot of fun, then you really need to bring Sentinels of the Multiverse to the table. While most superhero games are just regular games with a superhero theme tacked on, Sentinels of the Multiverse really makes each player feel like they're playing a superhero battling an evil supervillain. Serve alongside superhero themed snacks, like cookies in the shape of Tachyon's lightning bolts and ice cream representing Absolute Zero's frozen condition.

Regardless of which games you choose, the main point is to keep changing things up so that no one gets bored. Keep a lookout for new games & puzzles on Pricegrabber.com to add to your collection and you'll be sure to always keep a smile on everyone's face.