The Wirecutter Show: "A Game Night Survival Guide"

Podcast by The New York Times | Released: December 10, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of The Wirecutter Show is dedicated to helping listeners host the ultimate game night, especially during the holiday season. Hosts Christine Cyr Clisset, Caira Blackwell, and Rosie Guerin welcome Wirecutter staff writer and board game expert James Austin (“James Games”) to provide actionable advice on how to organize a successful and enjoyable tabletop game night. From navigating tricky rules explanations to picking games tailored for every kind of guest (from kids to “crunchy” strategy fans and multi-generational families), this episode is packed with product recommendations and practical solutions for real-life social scenarios.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Struggles and Joys of Board Game Nights

• The hosts open by admitting their mixed enthusiasm for games:
  • Christine: Loves the idea of game night with family, but is daunted by rules explanations.
  • Rosie: Describes herself as "aspirational" about games—likes having fun but dislikes learning rules.
  • Caira: Likes board games, but agrees that learning how to play is the hardest part.
  • Memorable Quote: "If you take away one thing from this episode it’s that none of us likes to learn. Or read instructions." (Rosie, 02:02)
• Board games are pitched as a cozy holiday alternative to screens, and an opportunity to build intergenerational memories and inside jokes.

2. James Austin’s ("James Games") Approach to Testing and Recommending Games

• Job involves:
  • Playing and deeply analyzing a wide variety of games.
  • Testing with different age groups by involving coworkers' families.
  • "It's a lot of reading board game manuals." (James, 05:56)
• Tested over 320 games for Wirecutter so far. (James, 07:50)

3. Hosting a Successful Game Night: Strategies and Tips

• “Treat it like any other party” — prep the rules, snacks, and atmosphere in advance (James, 08:46)
• Rules explanation:
  • Know the game rules ahead of time—“Do NOT read the rulebook to your friends. They will hate you.” (James, 09:46)
  • Focus on teaching the theme, objectives, scoring, and win conditions. Rulebook is a reference, not a script.
  • Use YouTube (“Watch It Played” and “Goodtime Society”) and Board Game Geek for tutorials and rules explanations. (James, 10:26)
  • For online play and tutorials: Board Game Arena.
• Teaching games is a learned skill: If you’re not comfortable explaining, find the person in your group who loves rules and delegate. (James, 11:32)
• Monitor the vibes:
  • Be attentive to guests’ engagement and joy.
  • Sometimes being the host means sacrificing your own game performance to support others.
  • "The best way to have friends play board games with you afterward is that they have a good time on this one. It's a ploy to keep my friends involved." (James, 13:20)

4. Picking Games: Matching the Game to the Group and Vibes

• Consider group experience level and preferences ("crunchy" strategy games vs. party games).
• Think of game night like courses: start with lighter, easier-to-learn “starter games” (e.g., Anomia, Coup) as warm-ups. (James, 13:38)
• Navigating mismatched expectations:
  • “Have a couple games in my back pocket that everybody likes” for compromise.
  • Set expectations in invitations (“This’ll be a game night for more intense/gamer-y games, or it’ll be light and easy.”) (James, 15:25)
  • “Love a wine and cheese game night, honestly.” (James, 16:16)

5. Recap of Host Best Practices

• Choose games that fit the group’s mood and available time.
• Have snacks and drinks ready.
• Streamline rules explanations; don’t bog down the fun.
• Monitor social dynamics and adjust as needed.
• Resources: YouTube channels (“Watch It Played”, “Goodtime Society”), BoardGameGeek, Board Game Arena. (Rosie/James, 17:06–17:30)

Game Recommendations for Common Scenarios

[19:46] Kids Under 10

• Rhino Hero or Rhino Hero Super Battle: Build a card tower, move a rhino figure, short playtime, “big table presence.” (James, 19:52)
• Jenga vibes. (Christine, 20:21)

[20:25] Kids Under 5

• First Orchard: For ages 2+, teaches basic game concepts, fully cooperative, with chunky wooden fruit pieces. (James, 20:30)

[21:06] What is a Cooperative Game?

• All players work together vs. the game rather than against each other—great for kids who struggle with losing and for mixed competencies. (James, 21:06)

[21:37] Politically Diverse or Awkward Holiday Meals

• A Fake Artist Goes to New York: Hidden traitor, drawing and guessing, low-pressure, high-fun.
• The Game and The Crew: Cooperative card games where table talk is banned—“If you really don’t want to hear your family’s opinions, rock out those games.” (James, 21:47)

[22:41] In-Laws You Can’t Stand

• Sushi Go: "Adorable" card drafting, variable strategic meanness, keeps things light. (James, 22:52)

[23:26] Huge Age Range (5–95 years old)

• Monikers: Evolving clues and in-jokes, easy to adapt.
• Anomia: Quick, energetic, but requires reading—better for literate players.
• Dixit: Visual, abstract clue-giving; better for pre-literate or language-diverse groups. (James, 24:50)

[25:00] People Who Don’t Speak the Same Language Fluently

• Carcassonne: Visual tile-laying.
• Dixit: Visual clue association, minimizes language needs. (James, 25:04)

[25:44] Boozy Adults Who Can't Follow Rules

• Stick with party games, especially team games:
  • Codenames: Clue-giving word association, great with teams, works with distracted guests.
  • Wavelength: Guessing where opinions fall on a spectrum, encourages fun debates.
  • “Wavelength really underlines how your brain is different than the brains of the people you’re around.” (Rosie, 26:36)

[27:05] Tired of Catan, Want an Upgrade/Alternative

• Bonanza: All about negotiating and trading beans (“...if you like that aspect of Catan, Bonanza is just that, but focused and more…”). (James, 28:32)
• Brass: Birmingham: Up-tempo, interconnected strategy—“You go galaxy brain to figure out what a move is.” (James, 28:34)
• Not everyone likes “crunchy” games—knowing your style matters.

[30:03] Only Have a Standard Deck of Cards

• Oh Hell: Trick-taking game, family classic, full of surprises.
• For rule refereeing: Pagat.com is the go-to site for card game rules. (James, 31:14)

[31:36] Just Two People (Date Night, One Friend)

• Splendor: Engine-building, works well at two.
• Star Realms: Deck-building game, ramps up intensity and excitement.
• Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: Solo or two-player, detective experience, “closest I’ve ever felt to being an actual detective.” (James, 32:40)

[32:33] Want to Play Alone

• Final Girl: Solo, thematic horror survival game.
• Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective: See above.
• Games in this category are generally replayable, not “one and done.” (James, 34:01; 34:19)

[34:35] Gifting Board Games

• Only gift games to those who’ve shown prior interest in tabletop games.
• Tailor selections to demonstrated preferences, either by structure (party vs. strategy) or theme.
• Personal favorite: “If you find a game that hits those boxes, or that you really enjoy and you have overlapping tastes, that’s always a good thing to be like, hey, I really loved this game. I think you will too, because we have very similar tastes and go from there.” (James, 35:50)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "[Board game rules explanation] peppered with reassurances that it will be fun. And I am perpetual fear that I am just living that headline all the time." (James, 08:46)
• "Do not read the rulebook to your friends. They will hate you." (James, 09:46)
• "I like to think that it’s because most of my attention, instead of focused on, like, an optimum strategy for me, is trying to make sure everybody around the table sort of is having a good time..." (James, 13:20)
• "[Catan] was one of the flagship [games]. A lot of board game culture grew out of Germany and Europe... If you’ve been playing Catan for too long... focus on, like, why they love Catan so much.” (James, 27:25)
• “You first have to know that they do enjoy tabletop games… trying to give a board game as a gift to somebody who has never really interacted with board games… may be a little bit hurt.” (James, 34:55)
• “The best way to have friends play board games with you afterward is that they have a good time… It’s a ploy to keep my friends involved.” (James, 13:20)

Segment Timestamps

| Time | Segment | |--------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:34–02:34 | Host roundtable: feelings about learning/teaching games | | 05:17–08:14 | Introduction to James and his background | | 08:46–12:30 | How to prep and host a successful game night | | 13:38–17:06 | Picking games for your group; party vs. crunchy strategy | | 19:46–34:55 | Rapid-fire game recommendations by scenario | | 34:55–36:23 | Gifting guidance and closing thoughts |

Key Takeaways

• Game night success is about social engineering, not just the game.
• Hosts prepare: know the rules, snack up, match games to the group and mood.
• Start with easy, inclusive games as “warm-ups.”
• Read the room and be willing to adapt—it's about guests having fun, not a perfect, rigid plan.
• Party and social games (“Monikers”, “Wavelength”, “Codenames”) are safe, high-replay picks for most groups.
• For rules help: turn to YouTube, BoardGameGeek, Board Game Arena, and pagat.com for cards.

Further Resources

• Complete game list, links, and Wirecutter guides: Check the show notes
• Book recommendation for puzzle lovers: Puzzlemania: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee Minis & More by NYT Games editor Joel Fogliano (37:48)

Hosts: Christine Cyr Clisset, Caira Blackwell, Rosie Guerin
Guest: James Austin (“James Games”), Wirecutter Staff Writer

For full product guides and episode details: [Visit Wirecutter’s website and check the episode show notes]