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It happens all too often.
You think of the perfect board game to play, but you have one too many players than what the board game allows. Someone is nice and offers to sit out.
But, we don’t want that happening now, do we?
Sometimes we have to choose board games according to the number of players in our party. If you’re hosting the next board game night, check out some of these best board games for 6 players:
When I Dream is a fun party game with a hidden roles element for 4-10 players (photo by BoardGameChick.com)
6. When I Dream
When I Dream is a simple party game that is easy to teach yet has lots of replayability.
Given its simplicity, it still takes quite a bit of brainpower to play this game well.
Players take turns being the “Dreamer” while the remaining players alternate through hidden roles. They either will try to help the Dreamer guess the correct word on a Dream card, or they will trick the Dreamer and lead them to guess incorrectly.
Dreamers gain points for guessing correctly, while the other roles gain points for their clue-giving abilities.
Dreamers have an added memory game element as they try to recall their dreams.
Overall, this game is a lot of fun and it’s almost always a hit with a crowd. The creative artwork also adds to the experience.
Red Dragon Inn has several character options to choose from, each with their own unique qualities and strengths (photo by BoardGameChick.com)
5. Red Dragon Inn
Officially, the game box here says it will play between 2-4 players, but that is if you only buy a starter pack.
So while extra players will require more of an investment, Red Dragon Inn is always my go-to for a medium-sized gathering.
And honestly, I’ve played massive games of Red Dragon Inn where there are upwards of 15 or more players (if you buy enough expansions).
Is that obnoxiously too many and beyond the recommended amount? Sure. Is the ideal player count much lower? Probably. But the more ridiculous a game gets sometimes, the more fun it can be.
So what is Red Dragon Inn, you ask? I like to introduce Red Dragon Inn as a drinking game … even though it’s not.
Your characters will be drinking. The game is based in the world of Dungeons and Dragons, where our adventurers are relaxing at a tavern after a long day.
Each player has a deck where they will take turns gambling, fighting and drinking until the last man – or woman, or orc or ogre or whatever – standing wins.
There are several characters to choose from, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and several expansions are available.
A starter back for four players sells for $29.50 on Amazon. Remember, if you want to play with six people, you need to buy expansions.
Players: 2-8
For ages: 13 and up
Estimated time: 15-20 mins (per player)
Players build cities to gain favor with the monarchy. Each character is very well balanced (photo by BoardGameChick.com)
4. Citadels
Citadels is a strategy game set in medieval times. Players compete to become a Master Builder and impress the monarchy with the best city.
It requires planning and some wit. Each round, players will draft a new character to give them a special ability. Some characters are good at building, some are good at stealing from other players and some can even destroy districts.
My favorite thing about this game is that it’s very well-balanced. Each character has both a strength and a weakness, and you have to be clever and play your cards right to win.
Playing consistent types of cards can be beneficial. But be careful, being too predictable will also make you more vulnerable.
Overall, it’s a fairly peaceful game, until someone’s district gets destroyed.
The “house” in Betrayal grows as the explorers reveal new room tiles (photo by BoardGameChick.com)
3. Betrayal at House on the Hill
Betrayal is one of my all-time favorite games to play.
It’s especially great for Halloween given the spooky, haunted house theme. But really, you can play it any time of year.
The game is broken up into two segments.
For the first half, your explorers are playing a co-op game, exploring a dark house, finding items and triggering spooky events, which will either help or hurt their mental or physical strengths.
After each event, players make a “haunt roll” until the haunt triggers.
The “haunt” starts the second phase of the game. There are 50 different haunt scenarios that can happen, depending on how your characters played.
Sometimes, the game will continue as a co-op, but often, one of your own will become a traitor.
If a player becomes a traitor, each “team” will have a different set of rules to read and then the game will continue until the heroes or the traitor comes out victorious.
The game has so much re-playability, which is my favorite aspect of this game.
My only gripe is that some scenarios feel less balanced than others.
Lovecraft Letter is an adaptation of the original Love Letter game (photo by BoardGameChick.com)
2. Lovecraft Letter
Lovecraft Letter is a variant of the award-winning Love Letter game.
Love Letter is quick and easy to play. It can be a good starter game or something to play if you want to pass some time.
In the game, players draft cards at random and choose one of two cards to play. Each card has its own rule or action which much be carried out when played, even if it hurts the person who played it.
Players can be knocked out of the rounds quickly and easily, usually by having a low card.
It’s a game of risk, deduction and luck. Lovecraft Letter adds an extra element of insanity that makes the game a bit more challenging and a bit more unstable.
The game itself goes really quickly and is easy to learn and teach.
Secret Hitler is a secret roles game where players pass legislature to gain control (photo by BoardGameChick.com)
1. Secret Hitler
Secret Hitler is my favorite hidden roles game to date.
You do have to find the right crowd, though. I took this one home to my family on Christmas one year, and it was met with quite a bit of confusion.
Still, if you have people who are willing to learn and familiar with board games beyond Monopoly, it’s a hit.
Each player receives a hidden role card. The bad guys pretend to be good guys by passing legislature while trying to get Hitler in power. There’s more than one way to win for each party though.
The game itself is beautifully done and includes wooden cards and foil playmats. There’s a reason it raised more than a million dollars on Kickstarter.
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