Board Games in the USA

What is a sex board game?

It is a board game like any other, with a board, counters, dice or cards, but with erotic challenges, questions and dares instead of general knowledge questions. You play in turns and, in the best ones, the intensity builds as the game goes on: you start with questions or caresses and end up with bolder suggestions. There are games for couples and for groups, and the mechanics range from strip poker to the fantasy wheel, taking in role play, board kamasutra or truth or dare.

Erotic dice or a deck of sex cards can be pulled out in a spare moment. A board game, on the other hand, asks you to set aside the evening: a game of SECRETPLAY La Pirámide Secreta or the Tease & Please game for getting to know your lover takes 60 to 90 minutes and has several stages. Of all erotic games, it is the one that asks most of the person buying it, which is why it is worth choosing carefully: half of the erotic board games that get bought end up forgotten in a cupboard after the first game.

Types of erotic board games

Brand aside, almost all erotic board games fall into three mechanics. Knowing which one you want is the first step to getting it right.

• Narrative board: the board tells a story and you move through it; each square triggers a card or a challenge. Casino boudoir for couples, the Tease & Please game for getting to know your lover and FIERCE GAME The Fierce Night are examples. A real game lasts between 60 and 120 minutes.
• Challenge board: no board, or a secondary one, with the cards or the dares driving the game. It is faster and less linear: SECRETPLAY Verdad o Reto, Mission 69, SECRETPLAY SEXXXZZLE or the Juego de Atrevimiento by Diablo Picante. A game lasts 30 to 60 minutes.
• Party board: designed for groups of 3 to 6 people, more social than intimate. Diablo Shots, Tease & Please El juego de la verdad Party Edition or the Juego Cachondo by Diablo Picante are this type, for stag or hen parties and get-togethers rather than dates.

The games people come back to: who they suit and how long they last

These are some of the titles that get bought again most often, with their mechanic, the kind of evening they work best for and how long a game lasts.

• La Pirámide Secreta (SECRETPLAY): narrative, for a couple with a free afternoon; about 90 minutes.
• Mission 69 (SECRETPLAY): challenges, for the couple who want to play again; about 45 minutes.
• Tease & Please for getting to know your lover: narrative, for getting to know each other better; about 2 hours.
• Fantasy Affairs (Kheper Games): narrative, for role play and fantasies; about 75 minutes.
• Diablo Shots (Diablo Picante): party, for a stag or hen night; about 30 minutes.
• El Salto del Tigre (Diablo Picante): challenges, for an active couple; about 40 minutes.
• SEXXXZZLE (SECRETPLAY): challenges, for a couple with a sense of humour; about 45 minutes.

What makes a game come out again

Among the erotic board games in the catalogue, there is a clear pattern between the ones couples say they have played again and the ones that stayed on the shelf. It depends mostly on three things.

• Being able to stop: games that let you step out at any point without losing the game get played more. Those that force you to reach a final square create a “we have to finish” pressure that clashes with what happens on an intimate evening.
• Number of challenges: a deck of 30 challenges is used up in one game. One with 100 cards or more, such as SECRETPLAY Reto 30 Días, lasts several evenings without repeating.
• How it starts: games that open with very explicit cards in the first round intimidate couples who are not yet at ease. The good ones start with questions or caresses and build up gradually; the Tease & Please one for getting to know your lover builds well, and some of the Diablo Picante ones jump ahead too fast.

Common mistakes when choosing an erotic board game

Almost all these mistakes have the same origin: buying the game without first thinking about what kind of evening it will be used for.

• Thinking the most expensive is the best: the price mostly reflects the box and the materials, not how much fun it is. Diablo Shots, though cheaper, is more of a hit at a stag or hen party than an expensive narrative game.
• Bringing a group game to a date: party games are designed for 3 to 6 people and have a social dynamic; on an evening for two they break the mood.
• Not checking the language of the cards: at Kheper Games it changes from one game to the next. Intimacy and Mente Cuerpo y Alma are advertised in Spanish and English; for Fantasy Affairs, Lust, Sexo en el Mundo and Sexy Rendez Vous, what is listed as translated is the instructions, and 100 Ideas para Citas is in English only. Almost all the Secret Play ones include Spanish among their languages, and Diablo Picante states it for most of its games. If you have to stop and translate every card, the game falls flat.
• Not counting players: some games assume 2 people and others 4 to 6. Casino boudoir for couples is for two, and the Juego Cachondo by Diablo Picante needs a minimum of 4.

What the research says

In three studies with couples, Muise et al., 2019, J Pers Soc Psychol found that doing new activities together, which broaden each person’s experience, was associated with more sexual desire and, through that desire, with more satisfaction in the relationship. The study did not measure erotic board games specifically and it describes an association: it does not prove that a game will achieve this, although trying something new together is exactly what a game proposes.

Care

Keep the cards and counters in their box, away from damp, so they do not bend or get stained. If the game includes something for the body, such as the edible paint in one of the Diablo Picante games, check the ingredients on the product page before using it, especially if you have any allergies.

How to choose

• Number of players: the product page and the box say whether it is for 2 or for groups of 3 to 6; a group game does not work on a date for two.
• Language: check what language the cards are in, not just the instructions.
• Length: if the product page gives the game time, a game of 30 to 60 minutes is better to start with than one that takes all night.
• Number of cards or challenges: the more cards it comes with, the more games it holds up to without repeating.
• Mechanic: story board, loose challenges or group game, depending on whether you have the whole evening or just a little while.
• What is included: dice, hourglass, wheel or edible paint; the product page says what comes in the box.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good first erotic board game?

SECRETPLAY Verdad o Reto or SECRETPLAY Mission 69. They have a simple mechanic, with no role play or complicated story, and they work as a couple without planning a themed evening. For anyone who has not tried anything like it, they are the least risky bet.

Which erotic board game should I give as an anniversary gift?

A narrative one. The Tease & Please one for getting to know your lover or Kheper Games Fantasy Affairs come in a well-presented box and suggest a dedicated evening, which suits an anniversary well.

How many players does an erotic board game take?

It depends on the game. Roughly half are designed for 2 people, a quarter for groups of 3 to 6, and a minority take 2 to 6 with rules that adapt. The box always says: check before you buy.

Are they suitable for same-sex couples?

Some are, not all. The open-narrative ones, such as the Tease & Please one for getting to know your lover or SECRETPLAY Mission 69, suit any couple because the dares do not assume a gender. Among those that set specific positions or roles, only one is sold expressly for gay couples, the Gay Kit from SECRETPLAY Chronomasutra. Others are set up for him and her: Sexo en el Mundo, by Kheper Games, comes with 18 cards for him and 18 for her, and the Tres en Raya Kamasutra by Diablo Picante plays with three male counters and three female ones. Mente Cuerpo y Alma, by Kheper Games, states that its questions are gender-neutral and that it suits any couple.

How long does a game really last?

Less than the box says, almost always. They usually state 60 to 90 minutes, but hardly any couple plays to the end: the game gets interrupted when the challenges lead to something else, and that is the idea. Take that length as a maximum, not a target.

Is it better to have one big game or several small ones?

It depends on how often you play. If you will bring it out two or three times a year, a complete game is better value; if you want to switch things up often, several small games give you different games.

Do they work as a threesome board game or for groups?

Only the ones presented as party games. Diablo Shots, the Juego Cachondo by Diablo Picante, Tease & Please El juego de la verdad Party Edition and Casino boudoir in its group version take 3 to 6 people. The classic narrative ones are designed for two and, if you force them to three or more, the mechanic breaks down.

What if the game has drinking forfeits with shots?

It works at a stag or hen party or a get-together, less well on an intimate date; Diablo Shots is the one that mixes erotic play and drinking the most. Alcohol and sex call for clear limits: a game does not cancel consent, so read the rules before playing in a group.

Do erotic board games expire?

No, not physically. But couples who play a game more than five times say the cards become predictable, which is why those with 100 cards or more, such as Reto 30 Días or Adventurous Sex by Kheper Games, last longer than those with 30 to 50 cards. If you play often, go straight for one with plenty of cards.

Can they be combined with loose dice or cards?

Yes. Drawing a card from the board game and rolling a die from another set multiplies the combinations without buying another complete game, which is why many couples have 2 or 3 small games instead of one big one. Erotic dice and cards mix well.

How does a sex board game differ from cards or dice?

In time and structure. A board game has a board, turns and a game that fills the evening; cards and dice can be pulled out in a spare moment and need no preparation. You have all three options in sex games.

What do we do if we do not fancy a challenge?

Skip it. Anyone can say no to a card or stop the game, and a good game lets you do so without spoiling it. If you play in a group, agree beforehand what is off the table.

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