I recently made these delightful pumpkin cookies for a potluck lunch and was reminded of another time I made them. They are often my go-to for large gatherings, for a couple different reasons. This was a large game night, with many great party games played. Brace yourselves, there’s a lot to talk about!

At a Glance…

Pumpkin Cookies

These pumpkin cookies apparently are from Food Network! Maybe they took it from somewhere else, but I’ve had it on my google drive so long I’m not sure now. They are super simple and oh so tasty. They are soft and pillow-y, and super easy to whip up. I like mine with raisins and nuts, but you can totally leave those off if you’re not into that sorta thing. The icing recipe calls for some things I don’t often have on hand, so I usually end up making the same icing as my pumpkin scones from Oh She Glows. These are always a hit and rarely leave leftovers, despite how many they make!

I’ve recently talked about these Toffee Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookie Bars here, so I’ll just say that you should definitely give them a try. They’re a bit chewy and nutty, but also a bit sweet, which is just such a great combination to not be overwhelming. This recipe is great for your gf friends, or smaller gatherings of like 6-8 people. Give this one a try; it’s so easy and good! (Also Oh She Glows!)

Party Games

Dixit is one of my husband’s favorite party games, and I like it too! It’s a bit like a modern version of Apples to Apples. In it, you have a hand of cards with crazy weird art. One person chooses one of theirs, gives a clue about it, then everyone else picks a card from their hand they think matches that clue. You mix them up, then everyone votes on which was the original card. You get points if someone guesses your card, and if you guess the correct one. The original player gets points if at least one person chooses their card, but not if everyone or no one does. Super easy, and so fun to look at all the crazy cards and come up with clues. It often ends up with inside jokes and stories and fun stories from the night. We have so many expansions stuffed into one box Jon said I’m not allowed to get any more. 😂

Sushi Go, like Dixit, has become a modern classic in the party game genre. What started out as a simple 2-5 player drafting game with a simple deck of cards quickly expanded into a 2-8 player game with multiple menus to choose from. It’s one of the simplest games to teach drafting with, as each card is just a way to score points and it’s explained right on the card. You play over 3 rounds, and try to get the most adorable sushi. I mean, get points. lol. We once played it while eating sushi we had just made, which was delightful and we should definitely do that again. If you haven’t checked this one out yet, you should! Often found at mass market stores, this is loved by gamers and non-gamers alike.

The Great Dalmuti is a simple card game that can be quite addicting for those that love it. It was made by the same company my in-laws used to work for, so Jon and his family grew up playing it quite a bit. Ironically, my sister-in-law’s husband got hooked on it while spending a year in Palau as a missionary, so it’s one of his favorites as well. This is a card shedding game, aka you’re trying to get rid of all your cards first, with a deck of 12 12s, 11 11s, 10 10s and so on. Someone starts, and can play whatever they want, but it must be all the same number. Then next person has to play lower than that but still the same number of cards. The lowest card(s) played won that trick and get to start next. Get rid of all your cards and you become The Great Dalmuti! The next person to go out is the Lesser Dalmuti, the second to last person to go out is the Lesser Peon, and the final person to go out is the Greater Peon. At the end of each round, you can swap seats to reflect the order of who went out when, and then there are taxes to be paid because, feudalism! I find it to be fine, probably because 1) I didn’t grow up with it 2) I’m not the type to want to play multiple rounds of a single game over and over. But if you or someone you know loves card games, this is definitely a classic to try.

I previously and recently talked about 7 Wonder here. It’s another drafting game like Sushi Go, but definitely amped up in complexity. There is a simpler version (Architects), but even the standard version isn’t crazy complex. I love the historical theme and how drafting games go so quick with large groups but can still have a lot of interesting choices to make. If you have a history fan in your midst, try this one out!

Overall this was a great game night a couple of years ago where we got many classic recipes and games played with our large group that night. These snacks and strategy games are always a winner for us!

Want to buy these games? Check out your friendly local game store (FLGS), Amazon [here], or get a first-order discount at Board Game bliss [here].