Game Night

Board game night is an IAC tradition. It’s a good way to socialize during the conference. It’s also a great way to discover new games.

We’ve chosen games that are quick to learn, quick to play, and work well online. They support a wide range of players. They’re also widely available if you’d like to buy a copy.

Volunteers will be on hand to teach the games.

What you need

All you need is a browser and a microphone. Some games, like Spyfall, are better with a webcam. Use your IAC registration to join game night in Remo.co

You don’t need to download any apps or create any accounts. If you already have accounts on platforms like BoardGameArena or Tabletopia you can organize your own games using one of the open tables.

The Games

Here are the games we’ll have available.

Codenames
A team-based word association game. Best with 4-8 players. Widely available and comes in multiple versions. We’ll play the standard edition. Won game of the year in 2015.

Learn to play Codenames (Video; 10 minutes)

Spyfall
Players ask simple questions to determine who is the spy. The spy wants to avoid getting caught. Games take 15 minutes or less and plays up to 8 people.

Learn to play Spyfall(Video; 12 minutes)

For Sale
A classic card game of buying and selling houses. Plays up to 6 and takes 20-30 minutes.

Learn to play For Sale (Video; 7 minutes)

Skull
A bluffing game. Deceptively simple. Great fun over drinks. You can play it anywhere. You can also play this with any deck of cards.

Learn to play Skull (Video; 5 minutes)

Voodoo Prince
A trick-taking game. If you like Euchre or Hearts, give this a try. It has simple rules and a clever twist. It was republished as Marshmallow Test. That version simplifies the rules just a touch, but is more widely available than the original.

Learn to play Voodoo Prince (Video; 9 minutes)

FunEmployed
A creative party game about job interviews. Each round one player is hiring for a real job, such as window washer or mortician. Other players have cards describing their qualifications, which are always bizarre: afraid of water, always hungry, disorganized, etc. Each person gives a brief pitch explaining why these qualifications make them the most qualified candidate. Hilarity ensues.

Learn to play FunEmployed(Video; 2 minutes)

Watch people play FunEmployed

Wavelength
A creative party game about reading minds. Each round, one player is the psychic and draws a card with two words that form a binary: Job<->Career, Rough<->Smooth, Sad Song<->Happy Song. A special dial indicates a location on this spectrum that is randomly chosen and only the psychic knows. The psychic must provides a clue and the team needs to read the psychic’s mind.

Learn to play Wavelength (Video; 8 minutes)

Open Tables

We will have three open tables for anyone who wants to play their own games. We assume you already play games online using Board Game Arena, Tabletopia, Tabletop Simulator, or some other service. If that’s the case feel free to grab a table and organize your own games.