Saturday nights do not have to be wild and wasteful just to be enjoyable. There are a lot of alternative ways to enjoy Saturday nights without excessive partying or getting drunk. Not only can you read a book or watch a good movie, but you can also spend your Saturday night playing classic board games with your family and friends. Board games are timeless, uncomplicated and enjoyable activities that will stimulate your mind. Here are ten such board games that will surely fill your Saturday nights with fun and excitement.

10. Battleship

Destroy your opponent’s ships by firing pegs at them. Sounds easy? Not really. It takes a great deal of chance and guesswork, because you initially don’t know where or how your opponent has placed his or her ships. If you want to while away the time, increase you guessing skills with this highly-popular board game.

9. Dungeons and Dragons

Travel in a world filled with creatures and people from your staple fantasy genre. Descend into dungeons with your friends, find great treasures, and battle vicious monsters. All this can happen in the “Dungeons and Dragons” role playing game. Strictly speaking, this game is not exactly a board game, but the enjoyment you get from using pen and paper, plus the unpredictable things that could happen in every journey, can ensure you have a night filled with awe, wonder, and all-out enjoyment.

8. Clue

This game is an interactive crime whodunit: the back story tells of a murder, and it’s your task (and your opponents’) to guess who is guilty from the given list of suspects, with the winner guessing this correctly, along with the weapon used and the room where the crime happened. It requires a lot of guessing and deducting and some role-playing as well, a great combination that will surely take up most of your night.

7. Snakes and Ladders

This game is a classic among children. It is a type of game that is purely based on luck. The game board is composed of 100 checkered squares with drawings of ladders and snakes (in earlier versions, there were also illustrations of children doing bad or good deeds). If you land on the foot of a ladder, you accelerate to a higher number. Landing on the tail of the snake is the exact opposite: you slide down from a bad deed to the consequential punishment and lower number. This game is ideal if you have kids with you or you just want to relive nostalgic memories with your friends.

6. Backgammon

Backgammon is a game in which you race with your opponent to transport all your pieces across the game board based only on the roll of the dice. You win once you remove all your pieces, or checkers, on the board. Backgammon is a very old game, similar to chess and checkers, and belongs to the tables family of games. Luck plays an important role, but you also need a strategy to win the match.

5. Checkers

Checkers is similar to chess, but this game has much simpler rules. All you have to do is to eliminate your opponent’s pieces by jumping over them. The catch is that you’re only to move your pieces in a diagonal manner, and you can only do one jump per turn (though you can do multiple jumps when you’re jumping over your opponent’s piece). The game is fast and exciting, but it doesn’t mean that you don’t have to think your way through every game. Checkers is great if you tire of chess or just want to enjoy a simpler game.

4. Go

The oriental version of chess, Go requires the skill of foresight and strategy. Played with two players, you’re required to dominate the other player by forcing his or her colored stones into your color. Rules of different versions vary, but all require you to think first before you move, because a single wrong move can have dire consequences. If you’re in for a little oriental flavor, Go is the perfect game for your weekend nights.

3. Scrabble

Scrabble is the quintessential word game, the favorite of language majors and word freaks, but regular folk can still have fun with this game. You’re sure to learn new words while enjoying the game at the same time. Scrabble tests your vocabulary and strategy: will you put your tiles on a square that will double your score, or will you save it for a better opportunity later? Sold in 121 countries and in 29 languages, you’re sure to never be playing Scrabble alone on a Saturday night. (Tips on how to win at scrabble games)

2. Monopoly

Originally made in the 1930s to explain tax theory, Monopoly has since become one of the world’s favorite board games. Since its launch nearly eight decades ago, the game has been played by around 750 million people. The game includes play money, trading properties, and other strategies that are sure to be a training ground for future economists and stockbrokers. For Saturday nights, it’s a great way to “spend” without really spending.

1. Chess

Chess is the godfather of all board games. This game has been played since the time of antiquity. The game is so complex and open-ended that no player can claim complete mastery of this game. Chess has evolved into a competitive sport, with international bodies governing global competitions. Saturday night chess games may not be appealing for many, but they still are quite enjoyable once you get the hang of the game. Chess will teach you strategy and a great sense of deduction, things that will help you in a lot of endeavors in your life. (Want to make your own chessboard? Learn how to make a chessboard)

 

There’s so much to gain for a simple Saturday night activity, isn’t there?These games are not only a source of enjoyment without all the expense, but are also a perfect venue to bond with your relatives and acquaintances. Board games may not seem to be much with today’s hi-tech and complicated living, but sitting back and enjoying a few old-fashioned games may be just the thing to do to while taking a break from crazy weekend partying.

 

* Thank God its Saturday! You don’t have to leave your house to have fun during Saturdays. Enjoy the many board games available. Learn how to play checkers here and while you’re still at it, you may also want to learn how to play chess.