Love is a Game: 6 Games To Play This Valentine's Day
Posted by Hayley Mullen on
Happy February from Funny Bones! We're finally open again for in-store play, and what perfect timing for couples looking to break out of hibernation. The season of love is upon us, and while a third Valentine's Day during Covid may not sound wholly romantic, there's always a way to find joy in the tough moments, especially if you have someone who loves you enough to play board games with you. Love is so coveted in our society that it's the subject of most songs on the radio and a major plot in most movies, so why wouldn't there be some great love-themed board games out there?
Quench your thirst for romance and desire by playing one of these six games on our shelves (also available for rent!) There's sure to be one that catches your heart.
Love Letter
First up is a classic card game that's easy to learn and easier to fall in love with. Players aim to woo the princess of Tempest, who is locked up in the palace and quite difficult to reach. The game has players taking and discarding cards which represent people in the royal court. The player that ends the round with the highest value card is the person closest to the Princess and will deliver the player's love letter to her.
Players are more likely to win a round with the King, who has a value of 6, rather than a Priest who has a value of 2. Higher cards make you a target, however, so be wary of how you play your hand. Whoever gains the most tokens of affection from their love letters wins the heart of princess Annette and the game.
The All New Dating Game
The official board of the nostalgic hit TV show, The All New Dating Game has 3-6 players compete to be paired off with the most dateable match for them. Like the show, you'll answer some questions provided by the game, which are fill-in-the-blank prompts such as "I never met a [BLANK] I didn't like." or "The next James Bond movie should have a villain called [BLANK]." The game urges you to be witty and charming to attract potential mates!
Once answers are given everyone votes on their favourite, similar to party games like Cards Against Humanity. Votes are then counted and used to match participants with each other so they can live happily ever after. The game has over 1,000 questions to answer, leaving plenty of opportunities to charm potential matches and find true love.
Dream Crush
This cute game emulates all those sleepovers when you were younger, staying up late with friends and trying to guess who their crush was. The game actually features photographs of real-life people, all crush-worthy, as they will be the main focus of the game. Each game will draw three crushes from the deck and place them face up for everyone to see. Each round will then consist of Milestone cards being revealed, which will represent aspects of the crushes' personalities and interactions with you. The first round is the "Gettin' Acquainted" cards, which reveal how you met the crushes (e.g. "They ask you for coffee" or "They ask you to be their partner in a canoe race." Alongside how you met are accolades, which give each individual crush a unique trait such as "Has a podcast about microbrews" or "Has a British accent."
With each round, you will choose which crush you like best and secretly jot it down, while trying to vote for who your friends will pick. Each round has different cards that are revealed, such as Interests, Quirks, and Deal-breakers, meaning your choice of crush could change depending on what is revealed. The game has five rounds and the winner is whoever correctly guesses the most crushes of their friends. Cheers to love!
Fog of Love
This fascinating storytelling game is great for two lovers of romantic comedies who want to create a story of their own. You both will create a dynamic and in-depth character and have them meet and fall for each other, all while facing unique challenges along the way. What kind of love story you create will largely be determined by you and how you shape your character and their wants and desires.
The board has spaces that will help determine your character's traits: their discipline, how extroverted they are, and even how honest they act. Cards exist for occupations, features, and the overall destiny that your character is trying to achieve. There are also scene cards which give realistic relationship scenarios such as petty fights, revealing secrets, or simple moments that couples share together. The outcome you choose will affect stats and how much love each the characters have for each other, and that can impact both your destinies. It's a great roleplaying board game for folks that may not consider themselves roleplay fans.
Battle of The Sexes
If you enjoy some old-fashioned competition, you may find Battle of the Sexes a fun choice for double date night this Valentine's Day. Because we're separated by gender in our society from a very young age, the knowledge and experiences that we amass end up being very different. Women aren't inherently better at cooking and fashion, and Men don't inherently have a love of sports and vehicles, but the information we're fed by pop culture and society creates these divides, as well as how we're raised.
Battle of the Sexes puts a fun spotlight on these differences by making a competitive game out of it. Men receive questions such as "How do you stop a run in stockings?", while women will have to answer questions like "How many lugs are on the typical wheel?" Players highly knowledgeable in all sorts of subjects will do well in this game, but it's a fun way to see how differently each of us see and understand the world...while also making fun of your friends for not knowing how to sew or where a carburetor is.
Dr. Ruth's Game Of Good Sex
We've saved the most naughty game for last, as Dr. Ruth's Game of Good Sex doesn't just have adult themes; the whole premise is about learning more about sex and seeing how well you know your partner and their proclivities. The game is played with two to four adult couples, though special rules exist for a single couple to play together. Players try to gain "Arousal points" by going around the board and engaging in several challenges such as answering true or false questions about sex. There are different questions for men and women to challenge their knowledge of the gender unfamiliar to them. Players will also draw "Sex Clinic" cards which detail a real case that Dr. Ruth advised on, trying to choose the right multiple choice answer that represents the advice Dr. Ruth actually gave.
Dr. Ruth's insights are informative and nonjudgmental, though sometimes dated, being a game from 1985. The game is great for giggles and a silly couple's date night, though, if you don't mind discussing explicit details. One thing's for sure: Dr. Ruth emphasizes that knowledge is power, that therapy can help everyone, and that communication is key to any relationship, in and outside of the bedroom.
Rent all of these games and more from our store here!