Informal Dinner Party Games: Board Games and Cards

Board Games

Dinner parties make for the perfect excuse to break out family favorites or discover new, lo-fi group games like Cranium, Trivial Pursuit, Apples to Apples, Taboo or Scattegories.

Though not technically of the "board" variety, Catchphrase is also a perennial crowd-pleaser--but apartment-dwellers might want to warn--or invite--the neighbors beforehand, as these games are known to invoke frequent shrieking!

Cards

Cards mark another classic ripe for a dinner party revamp. Once plates are cleared, bring on the poker, high stakes or none at all--chances are, every bunch likely has at least one person well-versed in the many variations of the game, from five-card draw to Jacks & Trips. More innocent games include Uno, Gin Rummy and Go Fish--and everybody knows how to play those.