HOUSE PARTY GAME NIGHT

The Ten Party Project will be just as it sounds: I'll host ten parties in 2010. The parties will range from small dinners to all-out celebrations. All will have similar set-ups including: invitations, entertainment, food, decor, and budget. I'll recap (and sometimes plan) them here on the blog with full budget breakdowns.

For party #4, I was accepted by Hasbro to host a game night featuring some of their most popular games, including the so-brand-new-its-not-even-in-stores-yet Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It! We had 10 people attend, including Davey and myself, which was a good number for playing games (basically, we had no more room to fit anyone else around our kitchen table).

Party #4:

House Party Game Night (sponsored by Hasbro)

Invitations:

House Party is similar to Facebook, where you create an event page and send electronic invites. Personally, I would rather get a cool printed/handmade invitation, but I thought I would give House Party a chance.

Entertainment:

GAMES, of course! Most people in our group had played Taboo and Electronic Catchphrase before, so we focused on playing Trivial Pursuit: Bet You Know It most of the night. We divided ourselves up into three teams and had a blast. The rules were simple and easy to understand, so getting started went pretty quickly. Even the board and pieces set-up was simple (which is good, because by the time you assemble all the pieces to Mouse Trap, you're usually over the idea of actually playing the game).

I won't go into all the details of how the game is played, but I will say that Bet You Know It is a very clever twist on the traditional Trivial Pursuit game. The box said the game was for ages 16+ so the questions weren't all that difficult, but there were a few that threw us all for a loop. Basically, when its someone's turn to answer a questions, the opposing players bet poker chips on whether or not the person will get the answer right or wrong -- so its helpful to know your opponents and categories that they could do well in. It was a really great game, and I highly recommend it for any game night enthusiasts!

Food:

Hasbro sent along several boxes of Wheat Thins and Triscuits, and some Hershey Dark Chocolate Pieces to add to the party. I asked guests to bring a dip or complementary snack that would go with all of those delicious crackers. Since the day turned out to be so nice, we started the party an hour early with dinner on the grill. It was great to enjoy the fresh air and good conversation before the games began. We also had cupcakes for dessert!

Decor:

Just a freshly mowed lawn to enjoy during dinner and large cleared table for board games. I stayed very low-key for this party because, really, its all about friends getting together, having great conversation and fun!

Favors:

Hasbro provided coupons for all the party attendees to get $5.00 off one their board games!

Budget Breakdown:

Invites

Electronic Invites = FREE

Total = FREE

Food

Cupcake Mix = $3

Pastry Cream = $2

Icing = $2

Berries = $7

All other food = FREE

Total= $14

Drinks

A bottle of wine=$10.00

Soda=$4

Total=$14.00

Favors

Coupons for games=FREE

Total=FREE

Grand Total: $28.00

$28.00/10 people = $2.80 each

Lessons Learned:

1. HouseParty.com is an excellent way to host a very unique party on a small budget because the sponsors take care of the "main event" part of the party (and some do more than that!). However, since you have to apply to host the party, there's a chance you won't get chosen. So my thought is to apply to as many things that will interest you. If you are chosen, you can decline to host the party if the date/time/whatever doesn't work out for you.
2. I much prefer handmade invitations to electronic invitations, so next time I have a House Party party, I'll do both -- electronic and handmade -- because its more fun and its more personable.
3. Playing games is very distracting --- I think I took a total of 8 pictures from the entire evening because we were having such a good time playing the game. Perhaps I should hire a photographer for these Ten Party Events?

What are some of your favorite board games? Are there any games that you absolutely hate to play?