2. Ca$h 'n Gun$ - This is a game where the main mechanic is pointing orange foam guns at the other players. Talk about catching the attention of everyone else at the venue! This is a great one to put on in a very visible area where it will catch everyone's eye. Added to the props this game is just a ton of fun and I've yet to see a group play it quietly. It's extremely easy to teach and it's the kind of game you teach once and then just let the table run itself for the rest of the night as people jump in and out. Cash 'n Guns also has the added advantage of being short which is good for public events where you want people to move from game to game and not be tied up in one game all night.
4. Torres - I mentioned Torres in my 2012 Game Retrospective. This is a much heavier game than the other ones listed and does take a bit to explain, even though there are only a limited number of moves in the game it takes a bit to figure it out. Torres is worth learning to play though as it's a great Eurogame and fully deserves is Speil win. So why suggest a heavy game for public play? Well two main reasons. One: at every event you are going to get some players who are into longer more detailed thinking games. Two: the game looks great, the game is about stacking plastic towers and really sticks out. It catches people's attention and has them come over and ask: "What are you playing?"
6. Pitch Car - Here's one most people haven't even heard of. Pitch Car is an amazing dexterity game that plays up to eight players. What is a dexterity game? Well it's a game you play by physically manipulating the parts in some way. In Pitch Car you flick a little disc representing your car around the track. I've yet to find a player who didn't like this game once trying it. It's quick to set up, incredibly easy to teach and really catches people's attention. This one is perfect for the non-gamers as well.
8. Red Dragon Inn - This one is pretty new to my collection but quickly becoming an event favourite. Red Dragon Inn is a backstabbing Gotcha game based on Fantasy Roleplaying Tropes. It's meant to recreate what happens after the adventure, when the party is sitting around at the inn after the quest is complete and the reward has been collected. Each player grabs a unique character deck and then players party until they are the last character standing. You can be knocked out by passing out when your alcohol level hits your fortitude or you can run out of gold. With the two expansions this great game will play up to 12 players and will get a ton of laughs out of anyone familiar with fantasy gaming.
10. Munchkin - I always grab a copy of Munchkin for every event I host. It doesn't matter if it's traditional fantasy Munchkin, Star Munchkin, Munckin Zombies, Super Munchkin pictured here or some other version. I will fully admit I'm not a big fan of this series of games but lots of other people are. Every event I've ever hosted someone has played at least one game of some version of Munchkin. It's quick to teach, easy to learn and people seem to enjoy screwing over friend and strangers alike. Another bonus to Munchkin is that there's usually other people there that already know how to play so it doesn't require someone to be tied up as a game teacher. The one thing I would suggest though is the possibility of adding a time limit rule. Munchkin can be fast furious and quick or it can drag on for more than two hours generally boring most players involved.
So there you have it: ten games I recommend for bringing to public play events. One of the things I find you want to do is try to hit a wide variety of theme and game styles and complexities which I think this list does. Yes, there are plenty more great games out there and this list is no where near complete or totally inclusive. That said: what's your favourite game to bring out to the local board game night?
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