Essential Board Games for Newlyweds to Own

As a newly married couple building a home together, one of the things you will want to consider building is your game cabinet. Board games are a great thing to have around, not only to play with each other, but to bring out when you have other young couples or singles over for dinner and want something to do when the food is gone.

Essential Newlywed Board Game: Backgammon

Backgammon is a board game that is designed for two players, and it is a perfect game to play with your spouse during those times of the day when you have just 10 minutes or less to relax and do something fun together. It is easy to learn, but also involves a lot of strategy. In addition, although a player who knows the strategy well is more likely to win, there is a significant amount of luck involved as well, making for dramatic comebacks.

In addition to short games, you can also play backgammon matches if you have closer to an hour available for game playing. A match to 5 points usually consists of at least 4 games, with players getting 1 point for a win, 2 points if the win is accomplished before the other player has taken any pieces off the board, and 4 points if the other player still has a piece in the far back corner (back gammon) when you take your last piece off.

The only caution with backgammon is to not let winning and losing ruin your relationship. Games can get very competitive, and it is easy to get upset when the other person seems to be getting all the perfect rolls all the time.

Essential Newlywed Board Game: Settlers of Catan

Settlers of Catan doesn't work well with two players, but it is perfect from anywhere from 3-6 (for 5-6 players, you will need to buy the expansion pack). Although the rules can take a little while to explain to new players, it is fairly well known to many people, and once people play a game or two, they will be hooked.

It is great for after dinners when you have another couple over and want to spend time together doing something other than just talking. However, beware for trading alliances within couples - if you suspect the others might do that, it is a good idea to try to get resources that will make for good trades with your spouse as well. One caution is that Settlers of Catan takes at least an hour to play, especially with more people involved, so make sure you have enough time set aside for a full game.

Essential Newlywed Board Game: Balderdash

Another great board game for newlyweds to own is Balderdash, a game of bluffing that is great for creative minds. It is a good party game, although it can be played with as few as 3-4 players if necessary. Just make sure that the people playing are up for the challenge of inventing crazy yet believable definitions, and won't just cop out and write "a tribal outfit of civilizations in _____" for every word.

Essential Newlywed Board Game: Taboo

It's not actually a board game, but Taboo is really fun to play, especially if at least one of the players is a little bit tipsy. This makes it incredibly hard to restrain from saying the taboo words, and many blasts of the buzzer will be sounded. Taboo is a fun game for anywhere from 2 couples to a large group to play. With couples, teams can either be within couples, where you can hear the other couple's funny little inside jokes, or a war of the genders to see which is better.