3 Steps To Get Into Board Games When You Don’t Have All Night

Time is a precious commodity these days. How can you play a game unless you have a whole evening? There’s setup, rule reading, etc. By the time we do all of that, it’s time to clean up.

 

Anyone else feel that way?

 

My parents probably had something to do with instilling that thought loop. They were card game peeps, not board gamers. Our selection of board games consisted of Uncle Wiggly, Candyland, and Monopoly. After a certain age, that meant our selection of board games consisted only of Monopoly. Everyone seems to hate that game except me. That said, I can see how it’s a terrible time suck.

 

A lack of game night regularity isn’t the only roadblock. Endless to-do lists, trying to figure out the self-care routine for you, toxic productivity, life being an epic downer. All things that can lead to dust piling up on your game shelf.

 

What do we do about escaping this negative cycle?

 

Take a look at the games you own for their time recommendations. You don’t have to look at every game but try to get a good control group going. Usually, the game timetable can be found on the back of the box in the lower-left corner, although the game box designs vary.

 

As an aside, I am not trying to be condescending with this note. Until very recently, I didn’t realize game designers were including this information. I would just look before I leaped. Guess you all know I am not the rule reader in the house now.

 

But yes, all games were not designed like the juggernaut Monopoly. Some games can have a quick turnaround time, even as little as ten minutes.

 

What do you have on your shelf? Is there a mix of times? If you are lucky to find that you have a variety of game lengths, make note of the quicker games you find. If you are someone or have someone who likes to keep an organized game shelf, when you have time, move the shorter playtime games to their own section on the shelf where they are easy to grab.

 

When you’re in a time crunch but need a board game fix or if you are stuck in that “games take forever to set up” mood, grab one of the quick games in your retinue to satisfy your craving or shake off the game doldrums.

 

Finding that most of your games have a recommended playtime of an hour or more? Well, look at you overachieving gamers! Game dedication is nothing to sneer at. I’m not going to say ditch all of those mammoth games. What will you do when you get an evening or weekend for games? We’ll get to some recommendations so you can try rounding out your game collection in a few paragraphs.

 

A few weeks ago, Adam and I were sitting across from each other with a new game sprawled on the table. We were desperate to work through our new game pile. He read the rules while I opened the cards and popped out the cardboard tokens. We went through all the usual motions but I just could not get interested in the game. We packed it in and said we would revisit. A couple of days later, we were back on our quest to whittle down the pile of games we haven’t played yet. The same result occurred.

 

Why did this quest backfire so terribly? No playlist piping through the Bluetooth speaker. No snack sitting off to the side for munching. I don’t think we even bothered to get ourselves seltzers to sip on. Yikes. Game night foul.

 

This piece of advice is just as true for your game table as it is for the bedroom. Set the mood. Don’t just plop down at the kitchen table, unpack the game, and get right to it. Where’s the fun in that?

 

With the mood set and a quick game in hand, the only thing left to do is to enjoy the ride. You don’t have to spend an entire night at the kitchen table to get in a game fix. If that were true, all of those games on your phone wouldn’t exist. Disconnect and bask in your analog hobby.

 

Rounding out your collection to include shorter games isn’t going to be difficult in this board game revival era. Here are my go-to games when there isn’t enough time or I feel like there isn’t enough time but want to get in a game or two.

 

Designed by Uwe Rosenberg and published by Lookout Games, Patchwork is my number one quick format game to reach for. Even if you are settling in for a long night of games, this is an excellent starter game to warm up with. Two players compete to collect scraps and design the best quilt.

 

Hopefully, a record scratch didn’t sound off in your head. Yes, I typed quilt. Don’t let the homespun angle put you off. You don’t have to know how to sew, like sewing, or even like quilts to get into this game.

 

Each player has a 9×9 board that needs to be filled as completely as possible before you reach the end of the board. As you move around the board, you get to collect game currency (buttons) so you can purchase the pieces around the board. Don’t let the 15-30 minute playtime estimate fool you, you’ll need to get your strategy on in order to beat your opponent. These are of varying shapes and sizes so you have to be careful what you purchase. The more holes on your 9×9 at the end of the game, the more points you have to subtract from your score.

 

There are several editions to choose from. We have three in our collection (Standard, Halloween, and Christmas). The game pieces were edited in the Halloween version to fix some of the minor play issues with the earlier editions but the rules of the game remain the same.

 

Anyone familiar with the Ticket to Ride series is probably scratching their heads right now. Nothing about the North America and Europe editions says short play. While those are fun editions, the series also includes New York, San Francisco, and London editions, which have an estimated play of around 15 minutes.

 

For those not familiar, Alan R. Moon’s Ticket to Ride is a train-themed strategy game, where players are trying to build routes on the board to earn as many points as possible before someone at the table runs out of trains. Up to 4 people can play the shorter tracked boards. The larger editions allow for up to 5 players. Similar to Patchwork, you’re going to need to bring your strategy to the table in order to defeat your opponents. It’s all fun and games here until someone takes your route and blocks your path to success.

 

The rules to the speed editions are very similar to those of their larger companions. The one major difference is the number of cards you begin play with. I can’t think of anything else that was changed to accommodate the shorter format.

 

Like I said earlier, the options for board games are nearly endless at this point. These are the two games I use the most often when stuck in a rut or are crunched for time. Are there any games you use for times like these? Comment below to beef up the list!