Top 7 Board Games to Play While High | Culture

Do autumn's changing colors and dropping temperatures already have you dreading the impending winter? With COVID-19 cases climbing again in many corners of the US, it appears that the cold weather won't be the only thing keeping people inside during the coming months. So what can you do to stay busy, have fun, and keep your brain active during the coldest months of the year? Well, you can stock up on weed for starters. And if you're like us, after you've cleaned out your local dispensary, you can gather friends or family to spark up and break out the board games.

Whether it's hours-long intense strategy games, exciting tabletop adventures, or word-associated games that quickly beget shouting and bickering, board games are a great way to spend an evening and are made even better with the help of weed. And if you're missing half of your Monopoly money or can't bear another game of Shoots and Ladders, not to worry, the world of tabletop fun is in the middle of an exciting renaissance, with more stoner-friendly games on the market than ever before.

The Board Game Industry Evolution

If you haven't played board games in the last few years, the term probably conjures images of Sorry, Candyland, and other childhood favorites. These days, pushed by the evolved storytelling of video games and an embrace of out-of-the-box design, there are a huge number of board games to choose from with varying levels of complexity, humor, and competition.

Tabletop game experts largely point to hyper-focused strategy games like Risk and Settlers of Catan as the sparks that pushed board games to new heights but in the last five years or so, niche games have gone mainstream. Now, more than just geopolitical or fantasy-driven games of conquering, board games encourage players to get in touch with nature, spirituality, storytelling, and sometimes, yes, unabashed screaming matches. And while the explosion of new table game titles led to the creation of a few marijuana board games, we decided to put those to the side and instead focused on the best games to play while high, whether they contain cannabis subject matter or not.

The 7 Best Games To Play When High

Trekking the National Parks

If your preferred smoke session setting is atop a mountain, the shores of a lake, or somewhere else in the great outdoors, Trekking the National Parks is the perfect game for you. The game moves two to five players through the US one National Park at a time, collecting stones, setting up campsites, and competing for park cards with gorgeous photos and facts about the landscape. Trekking combines whimsical education and competition to make one of the best games to play while high. Pair Trekking the National Parks with a sativa like Willie Nelson to replicate your last socially distanced hike.

Cathedral

If you plan to spend your winter at home with one roommate or significant other, Cathedral is a great two-person game that is made infinitely better with the help of a bong rip (or two). Using 3D wooden models of medieval buildings, players go back and forth placing light and dark pieces onto a town square, trying their best to carve out more territory and place more pieces than their competitor. It goes fast and may seem simple but after a few rounds strategy comes into play and the real-time real estate war can get pretty heated. Try smoking a couple of bowls of a euphoric hybrid like Wedding Cake to really get you in the zone.

Tokaido

Tokaido is one of the best stoner games out because, much like cannabis use itself, the two to five player board focuses on the experience and lasting memories of a player's journey. Based on the real-life seaside trail that connects Kyoto and Tokyo, Tokaido is a beautifully designed linear board that sets players on an individual journey with stops at shops, inns, restaurants, and scenic viewpoints that, by strategy, luck, or both combine to create advantages and pitfalls. The game encourages a leisurely, zen-like pace and does not finish until the last player has moved to the end of the board. For the best Tokaido experience possible, roll up a gram or two of some heavy sativa Sour Tangie before starting your journey.

Pandemic

This one might hit too close to home for some of you, but with a pandemic actually raging right now and leadership hard to come by, it can be empowering to take matters into your own hands, even if it's just for a couple of hours from your kitchen table. Instead of competing against your friends, Pandemic teams you and your buddies up as disease-fighting experts on the hunt for a cure. Using teamwork, strategy, and smarts, your squad will either come out on the other end or take an L together. If you're up for the challenge, Pandemic can take the edge off a tough situation with no end in sight. To make sure the mood doesn't get too serious, roll up some personal joints of indica-leaning Zkittlez to keep a smile on everyone's face - just make sure to social distance!

Photosynthesis

If you've noticed a trend in our tabletop game selections, it is probably the number of visually appealing games. We're firm believers that the best games to play while high are the games that keep as many of our senses active at once, with pieces and stories that pop off the box with bright colors. When it comes to aesthetic style, photosynthesis might be our favorite game of the bunch. Each player is responsible for a species of tree, and as a large sun piece moves around the board, players are rewarded with new plots of land and tree growth based on how the sun's rays hit. At the end of the game, the player with the most fully grown and chopped down trees is the winner. The colorful 3D tree pieces make the game visually stunning and the horticultural nature of the map pairs perfectly with a long smoke session. For a stellar pairing, try a big blunt of OG Kush while you play and go back to your roots.

Wavelength

Do you have that one friend - or friends - who swears that weed gives them extrasensory powers? Wavelength is the perfect game to put them to the test. Split up into two teams, a rotating "psychic" picks a card with two opposite ideas and gives a clue that falls somewhere in the middle. For example, a psychic might pull a card that says "comedy" and "drama." After spinning a wheel, the psychic must get their team to pick a specific place on the spectrum. If they need to land right in the middle, the psychic might give the clue "Fargo." It is then up to both teams to figure out where the clue falls on the spectrum between the card's two options. The closer a team gets to the psychic's answer, the more points they get. Pair Wavelength with an upbeat sativa like Sour Diesel to keep your team's synapses firing at the same speed.

GanjaLand

If you loved Candyland as a child, this one's for you: GanjaLand is the weed-themed board game from What Do You Meme x Lightly Toasted where players explore a magical land of fun, adventure, friendship and of course, marijuana. To start, make sure you grab at least one friend and pull a card. Each card is part of a different category, ranging from marijuana trivia to fun facts and challenges. In addition, GanjaLand's board has beautiful illustrations in "Where's Weedo" fashion, where players pull a card and have a certain amount of time to find that character. Best of all, you can even pull a "Ganja Time" card that not only allows the game to take a quick smoke break, but also might get you a few spaces closer to the winning spot at Cannabis Castle! Pair GanjaLand with Pineapple Expressfor not only an energetic game, but also the ability to answer some game questions along the way.

Do you and your friends have a favorite game to play while you get baked? Let us know in the comments below!