Best After-Dinner Board Games For Adults To Keep The Night Going
The moment after pudding is when a dinner party either gets going or quietly ends. The right game restarts it; the wrong one sends everyone to find their coats.
What you want is small, verbal, and playable with a wine glass in one hand. These all qualify.
Shop the cards that go with these
Shop funny cards Board games hub How to host a Traitors theme night Best board games for a weekend away with friends
Cards for the people round the table
Funny cards, blank inside, drawn and printed by us in the UK. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.
Happy Valentines Day, Bab (Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
"Woof Woof" Sausage Dog Valentines Day Card
£3.87
Happy Valentines Day Card From The Cats
£3.87
Happy Valentines Day, My Love (Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
You're Purr-fect To Me (Cat Valentines Day Card)
£3.87
Happy Birthday Papa (Happy Birthday Card) (Multiple designs)
£3.87
Barely needs any table at all
- The Traitors board game - cards, roles and a vote. The talking is the game, so the plates can stay where they are.
- Coup - five cards each and two minutes a round.
- Wavelength - one dial in the middle, everyone else just argues.
- Just One - small pads and pens, cooperative, no losers to sulk.
- The Chameleon - one player doesn't know the word. Perfect for six round a table.
Conversation-heavy, no board needed
- Herd Mentality - write the same answer as everyone else, one cow at stake.
- Spyfall - eight minutes of questioning and a lot of bluffing.
- Werewolf with a normal pack of cards, if you've got eight or more.
- So Clover or Codenames - word games that suit a mixed-age table.
- Would I Lie To You? style rounds using real stories from the guests.
If people want something longer
- Avalon - ten-minute rounds, and people keep asking for one more.
- Articulate - loud, teams, and you can play it half-standing while clearing.
- Wingspan or Azul if the group has thinned out to four.
Found your words? Now find the card
Shop funny cards Board games hub How to host a Traitors theme night Best board games for a weekend away with friends
How to write it so it lands
- Have the game already in the room. Going to fetch it is where the momentum dies.
- Pick something that plays your exact number - a six-player game with seven guests is a bad start.
- Teach the rules in under three minutes or choose a simpler game.
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We make cards, pin badges, prints and party bits in house. These are from other shops we rate, and buying through the link costs you nothing extra.
Herd Mentality
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Frequently asked questions
What board games are best for a dinner party?
Small-footprint, talking-based games: The Traitors, Coup, Wavelength, Just One and The Chameleon. All of them play around glasses and plates without a big board.
What can you play at the table without clearing up?
Card-only and verbal games. Coup, Spyfall, Herd Mentality and Werewolf need almost no surface, so you can start while the coffee's still being poured.
How long should an after-dinner game last?
Twenty to forty minutes per round, with a natural stopping point. Anything that commits people to ninety minutes tends to get politely declined.
Do you sell board games?
No. We make greeting cards, art prints, pin badges and party bits in the UK, so the games here are simply what we'd recommend to a friend. Some links go to other shops and may earn us a small commission, at no extra cost to you.