If your group likes party games where everyone wins or loses together, Shape It is worth a look. It is a new cooperative game from Hachette Boardgames where you and up to six friends push simple shapes around the table, trying to build a picture that makes everyone privately think of the same word. Get it right as a group and you score. Get it wrong and the whole table takes the hit.
Run game nights? Backseat Gamer handles RSVPs, waitlists, date polling, and game voting so you can focus on playing.
Start organising for freeThe clever bit is that nobody is quite sure which word they are aiming for. The word you are illustrating has to be one of five cards on the table, but you are not told which, so you are reading the shapes and reading each other at the same time. It plays 2 to 7 players in about 20 minutes, which makes it an easy filler to open or close a games night, or to hand to non-gamers who would run a mile from a rulebook. At $19.99 (around £15) it sits firmly in the impulse-buy bracket.
Cooperative party games have been quietly booming, and Shape It leans into the part people actually enjoy: the moment when four people blurt out the same answer and realise they were on the same wavelength. It plays well with a crowd, so if you have been meaning to run a casual, low-commitment games night, list a session on Backseat Gamer and let a game like this do the icebreaking.
Looking for board gamers near you? Browse local communities and find your next game night.
Find events near youSources: Hachette Boardgames | Bleeding Cool
