I believe that gathering guests for a party is like casting a play or cooking a recipe. It's not essential to invite the best or most people, but they must complement each other. Every attendee plays a significant role in making a get-together feel special.

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So next weekend, I'm hosting a game night, but my apartment can only host a small group. However, I have a strong feeling about who I want to be there. So, I'm putting feelers into the video gaming universe to see who will come through. Hopefully, the characters I invited can make it. Fingers crossed!

You Don't Know Jack - A Trivia Question Involving Kepler Elves

The Game Instructor

A game night can go south quickly if you don't have a clear orator teaching the rules. If the first three sentences sound too complicated, the whole room checks out. Then, it becomes "Can't we just play Uno?", "This sounds too complicated!" and "We're not playing your stupid game, Chris!" Believe me, there's a Cranium box rotting away in my basement for this very reason.

I need someone who makes board games feel accessible. Furthermore, they need to keep people's attention. So, of course, my mind goes to the ever-popular catalog of Jackbox games. These games have charismatic narrators that make games as complex as The Devils And The Details make perfect sense. And of all the charismatic game night narrators out there, Cookie Masterson (voiced by Tom Gottlieb) takes the cake!

With his snarky witticisms, silly puns, zany sense of humor, and upbeat attitude, Cookie can make anything sound interesting. Even if you don't understand the game, he'll make you feel included with his gentle ribbings. Therefore, while I'm hosting the guests, Cookie will definitely be the master of ceremonies!

And maybe, just maybe, he'll convince my friends and family that playing Cranium is a fun idea.

7 Morrigan

Morrigan flies through a cityscape while dodging projectiles in Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3.

The Life Of The Party

Any soirée needs someone that adds excitement, ups the ante, and gets the conversation going. And I can't put all that responsibility on Cookie. He has a game to run. However, employing the help of a creature that lives off physical and mental stimuli might do the trick. That's where Darkstalker's Morrigan Aensland comes in.

Now, before y'all chime in with your succubus-phobia, I'll clarify that Morrigan is not dangerous! Unlike traditional succubi, Morrigan feeds off sensation and dreams. I wouldn't say she's an energy vampire, but more like an excitement catalyst. She feels to live and lives to feel. Furthermore, her love for human pleasures is a huge reason she has stood up for our race in the past.

Now that I've assuaged your fears let's talk about what makes Morrigan the best hype woman. She's the whole package: intelligent, funny, confident, sensual, friendly, creative. She's essentially a Renaissance woman born just a few years after the Renaissance.

Gosh, I wanna be her friend so bad. I hope she RSVPs!

6 Phoenix Wright

Phoenix Wright points in the court room in the Ace Attorney Trilogy.

Defender Of Bogus Answers

So, a couple of years ago, I played Scattergories with some family. And I'm very competitive. So, the scattergory was Nicknames, and the die rolled on the letter B. Since alliterated answers score more points, I wrote down Burnout Billy, an easy two-pointer.

When I revealed my answer, my aunt was not pleased.

"Seriously!? No. That's not how this works," she said.

"But, it's a nickname," I replied

"Oh really, well, in that case, I guess I'll write down Big Boob Bertha. How would you feel about that?"

"I believe that would give you three points."

She did not respond to that well. And my mom, never a fan of confrontation, sided with my aunt. So that was the end of that, bye-bye two-point lead.

What I wouldn't give for a goofy defense lawyer and his psychic sidekick to defend my answer.

After all, board games are not about who wins or loses. It's about the laugh-out-loud arguments we had along the way.

5 Marshall Law

Marshall Law launches a swift kick in Mishima Dojo in Tekken 7.

The Cook

If you host a get-together without food, you're the worst person. I mean it. I'm not saying I'm above chipping in to buy a pizza or something, but make a plan! For instance, I'm broke right now, so I'm going to enlist the help of a talented chef friend/martial arts extraordinaire, Marshall Law. (Don't worry, I'll pay for the ingredients and assist in the kitchen. It's only fair.)

Related: Tekken 7: The Best Characters, Ranked

However, Marshall's cooking is not the only reason I want him to come for game night. His sense of humor is nuts! Did you know he cooked Paul Phoenix and Steve Fox a laxative pizza in Tekken 6!? Now that's someone I want playing Quiplash!

4 Monokuma And Usami

[Panel 1] Monokuma rages against a new class of students in Danganronpa V3. [Panel 2] Usami greets new students on a virtual field trip in Danganronpa 2.

The Rule Enforcer And Conflict Defuser

Party games need law and order. For instance, let's recall the Scattergories incident from earlier. I'll admit, my aunt probably made the right move calling out my BS in Scattergories. And we need those BS detectors in our lives. Otherwise, the world would fall into chaos.

Furthermore, we need mediators that can diffuse those heated board game arguments, like my mom during that moment. There has to be a level head in the room reminding us that it's just a game, and we're all here to spend quality time together.

Monokuma and Usami perfectly represent that dynamic of good cop/bad cop (or fairy rabbit cop/demonic teddy cop). For instance, Monokuma will murder you if you break one of his rules (which I can assure you, he will not forget). Still, we don't want murders at game night, so we need Usami to bring Monokuma down and say, "No, no. That's a wrong answer, but we shouldn't fight. Let's remember that we're here to have fun. Love, love! 🎵✨🥰"

See, they balance each other perfectly! Just make sure Monokuma doesn't hogtie Usami and force her to be his defunct little sister.

3 Lara Croft

Lara Croft Prepares To Fire

The One With All The Stories

Take one game character, multiplied by three distinct eras and dozens of games; the anecdotes could span multiple lifetimes. Of course, no party should be without the worldly Tomb Raider, Lara Croft, and her treasure trove of adventurous tales.

Good stories keep a party going. In fact, I've attended many a game night that either trail off into deep conversation or never even gets to the board game in the first place. But, honestly, those were some of my favorites. Of course, I don't mean to undermine all the hard work I did to get my friends to play my board games that otherwise gather dust. But, if no one is having fun, what's the point?

Suppose my friends and I spent the night huddled around the kitchen table, munching on chips, hearing Lara recount ancient supernatural encounters. In that case, I'd say it's well spent.

2 Deadpool

Deadpool whacks Spiderman with his life bar during a Hyper Combo in Marvel Vs Capcom 3.

The Pot Stirrer

Board games are fun when everyone follows the rules. However, they're even better when someone either breaks these rules or follows them so well they manipulate them against everyone else.

For instance, my brother is an expert Werewolf player. He carefully maneuvers my family against each other in ways you wouldn't think possible, like chess pieces. And suppose you dare suspect him of being the werewolf. In that case, he'll double down so hard you'll feel like Ingrid Bergman being cheated on by your husband with Angela Lansbury.

Suddenly, our tiny enclave of happy villagers becomes that angry mob from the Twilight Zone. There are heated arguments, staring contests, fits of nervous laughter, and pointed insults. Eventually, we pick each other out of the game, one by one.

Then we learn too late that my brother was indeed the werewolf all along. Of course, we all laugh! How could we not? We were so bamboozled we almost descended into shambles. And that's the thing, every game night needs a sprinkle of disarray.

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I'm definitely inviting the notorious merc with a mouth to my game night. Deadpool's gaming strategy is genius, yet it treads on absurdity. In turn, he's a player who will keep the energy high with suspense, betrayal, confusion, and unprecedented twists, all packaged in his off-kilter dark humor.

Plus, if his antics push you too far, like to the point of murder, his body will regenerate. So if you feel like stabbing him in the heart after he peeks at your Clue hand, go for it! We'll pretend it was Professor Plum, in the Parlor, with the knife. No hard feelings.

1 Mario

Mario & Luigi holding each other in a "buddy-buddy' fashion. Brotherly

The Game Night Vet

So who's left on the invite list?

We have great conversationalists, rule enforcers, conflict resolution specialists, a stellar chef, someone to stir the pot, and someone keeping the game lively and in line.

Oh, duh! Of course, I have to invite him. He'll pull a tantrum if I don't.

Yes, I'm talking about Mario, the seasoned game night vet. This one's been to every game night for the past fifteen years. He might even play obscure board games you never heard of. Furthermore, he somehow always wins, to the point that it feels like he's cheating. But we can never catch him in the act, so we always let it go.

Yeah, he's got that intellectual smugness and is very touchy about stars for some reason, but we love him for it. At this point, he's a game night staple, and when he's not here, it doesn't feel the same.

Next: Mario Party: Ranking Every Game From Worst To Best