JULY 2021 UPDATE: A literal decade later, this is still one of my favorite romance board games. It’s definitely dated – and it feels dated – but it also brings out all of the romantic, loving feelings every time I play it.
Since I love to play board games, it only makes sense that I’d love to try out adult board games too. Any board game that provides romance over just sexual actions makes a great night for me, so I was pretty excited when Better Sex wanted me to try out this adult board game. I definitely had to agree.
An Enchanting Evening is a board game that is meant to be more romantic than sexual. As stated on the instructions, the game’s object is “To spend a wonderful time together sharing the beauty and warmth that relationships offer.” To be honest, it does look like the game came from around the early 2000s. While it isn’t a bad thing, the quality and “not-modern” look of the game does show it. The game comes with a game board, an instruction manual, four sets of cards (100 total), two game pieces, a die, and ten different blank “wish” cards.
All of the pieces seem pretty well-made. The box itself is very sturdy as well. I’d trust it to sit up and hold the weight of other boxes on top of it. It all comes in a nicely organized tray with rubber bands that will make it extra easy to put away when you’re finished.
You start the game by writing one of your favorite fantasies/activities on one of the blank cards included with the game. Your partner does the same. The partners take turns rolling the dice and moving the spaces indicated around the board. Depending on what spot they land on, they choose a card of the matching type. Different card types are an oval, a rectangle, a diamond, and a timer-shape. The first player to reach the end “wins”. If you win, you and your partner get to act out whatever fantasy was written on the winning player’s card. Pretty basic, right?
This game is meant for only two players. In fact, only two game pieces are included. The game itself took about an hour to play through. The questions and the activities are honestly pretty basic, so if you wanted to include other game pieces, you could definitely play this game with a bunch of different friends.
So here’s the basic parts for you. The board itself has 38 different squares for the pieces to land on. There are two pieces – a green one and a white one. A six-sided dice is also included. However, unlike most dice, this one has three “1” sides and three “2” sides, so you won’t be covering much space at once time. The blank “An Enchanting Evening” cards are just blank on one side. A regular pen can easily write on these cards.
The cards really come in two different varieties with two different levels. One of the levels is just basic cards while the other level tends to a little more intimate. One variety of cards just includes intimate questions while the other variety includes affectionate gestures to do with your partner. The rectangle cards are basic and affectionate. The oval cards are a little more intimate and affectionate. The diamond cards are basic and are intimate questions. The time-keeper are advanced and are intimate questions.
Diamond card examples include “Sometimes friends, sometimes lovers – in what way is your partner supportive of you?”, “The Future includes hopes and dreams – what three things do you hope you partner will experience this year?”, “It always makes you proud when others admire certain qualities about your partner. What are they?” Time-keeper card examples include “An afterglow is soft and warm – what is pleasurable after making love?”, “Fond recollections – what was a particularly memorable romantic experience you’ve enjoyed with your partner?”, “Sometimes fantasies come to life. What fantasy of yours have you been able to enjoy with your partner?”
Rectangle card examples include “The ‘How much Feeling Can you Put Into a Kiss’ contest has just begun. You’re a contestant. Give your partner the winning kiss.”, “Imagine that your partner is cuddly and furry – softly stroke his/her back until you hear ‘purring’.”, “Talking without speaking – hold your partner’s hands and for a few minutes, look into his/her eyes.” Oval card examples include “Each one of us is unique – tenderly touch something that your partner only has one of.”, “The curtain goes up and the spotlight is on the two of you. Act out a two-minute scene from the historical ‘drama’ Let’s Play Doctor”, “If you enjoy surprises, kiss your partner where he/she doesn’t expect it.”
It was a fun game. It definitely does show its age in some places though. A lot of the cards aren’t very suggestive at all, and this really is more of a fun game to feel closer and more romantic with your partner – not to feel sexual or turned-on. And for getting closer? It totally works. It was fun to learn and reaffirm why we loved each other, and we curled up and played this game for awhile. And when we were done? We took out the question cards and laid around and just answered those. It was very enjoyable, and we loved it.
It isn’t heterosexual centric either. The card all include he/she and no mentions of specific gender-anatomy. If you want to play this with a same sex partner, you’d have no problem doing so. As I mentioned before, the cards aren’t personal enough to really cause a big problem if you wanted to play this with a close group of friends either. I wouldn’t say it’s good for a swinger group, but if you have another couple you are close to, this would be a fun game to share together.
If you need to figure out a fun idea for your partner or feel like you’re running out of sexual ideas, this is a good game to pick up too. Some of the cards ask your partner to tell you what they’d most love to be surprised by or what their idea of a great night is. Turning this into a great, sensual night with sexual music, good drinks and food, and then learning your partner’s tastes for future nights could be a definite plus.
Overall, I was definitely happy with this board game. Its age does show a little bit, but it’s still great for romantic feelings that will leave you remembering why you fell in love in the first place.
While you’re here, feel free to check out my BDSM advice and femdom advice articles too.
