London Mums Magazine recently sent a group of reporters to Draughts Hackney, 41 Kingsland High St, London E8 2JS to play board games and drink beer.
We arrived at Draughts which is a unique cafe bar that contains a wide array of board games to allow you to entertain yourself whilst having a delightful drink or meal. The restaurant provides an original experience that can’t be matched at any other venue. We were warmly welcomed by the organisers of the event. We then went onto playing board games and eating delicious food.
The 1st game we played was Taco Pizza Game, this game is lots of fun and laughs, which the whole family can enjoy. Just remember the five crazy words Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza then wait for the slap against the hand. The 3 wild cards Gorilla, Narwhal and Groundhog add more of a twist to the game. Make sure you can handle being mocked for flinching or the way you pound your chest. The game is very easy to follow with simple rules.
The 2nd game we played was my personal favourite “Karen” because of its humorous take on modern online reviews. A slight variation on Cards Against Humanity, Karen has a voting system which helps to incorporate a competitive nature within the game. This game is not for younger children more likely for 12 years and over. In this game you attempt to fool others into thinking that your review is an actual one-star review. In more detail, each round one player takes the role of host and reads one of three types of review cards: What’s Being Reviewed, Fill in the Blanks, or Write the Review. The host reads out the review or the partial review or the product to be reviewed, then they write the product, the missing words, or the review on a sheet of paper, while everyone else makes up a product, missing words, or review that sounds plausible.
The host then reads out the all the written answers, and whoever votes for the real answer scores a point, while whoever’s fake answer receives a vote also scores a point. For every five points, you lose one of your stars, and whoever is first reduced from five stars to one star wins.
The 3rd game we played was Catan. In this game players try to be the dominant force on the island of Catan by building settlements, cities, and roads. On each turn dice are rolled to determine what resources the island produces.
Players build by spending resources (sheep, wheat, wood, brick and ore) that are depicted by these resource cards, each land type, with the exception of the unproductive desert, produces a specific resource: hills produce brick, forests produce wood, mountains produce ore, fields produce wheat, and pastures produce sheep.
Points are accumulated by building settlements and cities, having the longest road and the largest army (from some of the development cards), and gathering certain development cards that simply award victory points. When a player has gathered 10 points (some of which may be held in secret), he announces his total and claims the win.
The staff at Draughts Hackney were very welcoming and helped to create a fun atmosphere during the board game event. Delicious bites were brought around to everyone whilst professional game players were available to help explain the rules at each table. A wide selection of games were provided, ranging from strategy based games to memory orientated ones.
Overall I would highly Draughts to any family seeking to have a light – hearted enjoyable evening.
