Honourable Mentions

There are a number of games here that almost made the list but didn’t, largely because I tightened up the inclusion criteria or because I already had something like it in mind. Ice Cool is hard to fault as a game that gets funnier in line with how drunk people are. I think Rhino Hero Super Battle though is about as perfect a game for these scenarios as you could hope to find. Spyfall likewise benefits from a bit of cheerful inebriation but it does require everyone accomplishes at least a little coherent deception if anyone is to enjoy it. It’s also, in my view, not a particularly great game.

Junk Art and Meeple Circus get name-checked in the text of this top ten, but they didn’t make it on to the list because they’re both a lot more obviously ‘gamey’ than Rhino Hero Super Battle. There’s a lot more of a focus on scoring and skill, and you don’t need to worry about any of that with our preferred pick. Survive: Escape from Atlantis almost made the list but didn’t since it only goes up to four players and it does rely on people enjoying being mean to each other. That’s a risky prospect sometimes but for those that enjoy the taste of tears, it’s a great pick.

I didn’t include Once Upon a Time – one of my reliable favourites – because Funemployed falls into a similar kind of category and I know that improvised story-telling is a harder ask than ‘pretend to do a job interview’. It’s also a game that does require people to at least follow the track of a set of stories so they can interrupt at the appropriate times. It might be hard to follow after the fifth or so glass of wine. I’d still break it out at Christmas though just because I’m always looking for an excuse.

That List in Full

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