Picture bustling ports alive with traders exchanging exotic goods, sharing flavorful local cuisines, and the thrill of navigating unpredictable seas—all from the comfort of your living room.

This immersive evening includes delicious snacks inspired by Mediterranean shores, refreshing drinks, and a DIY trading game that will make you feel like a seasoned merchant sailor.

Snacks: Taste the Mediterranean

No voyage is complete without provisions! These snacks will transport your taste buds straight to the Mediterranean coast:

Hummus Platter: Pair creamy hummus with cucumber slices, carrot sticks, and celery for a fresh, healthy dip.

Roasted Chickpeas: Crunchy and flavorful, seasoned with paprika or za’atar for a Mediterranean kick.

Apple Slices with Feta Cheese: A sweet-and-savory combination that’s simple yet delicious.

Greek Yogurt Delight: Top rich Greek yogurt with fresh berries, a drizzle of honey, or a sprinkle of granola for a refreshing treat.

Drinks: Refreshment Fit for Sailors

Keep your crew hydrated and happy with these drinks that embody Mediterranean charm:

Sparkling Water with Lemon or Mint: Light, zesty, and perfect for a long voyage.

Fruit Juices or Iced Herbal Tea: For those who prefer a hint of sweetness.

Set the Scene: Bring the Mediterranean to Life

Transform your space into a Mediterranean port city. Light candles to mimic lanterns, dim the lights, and scatter seashells or nautical decorations around the room.

For added ambiance, play “Sounds of the Mediterranean Sea” or “Mediterranean Waves” on YouTube to immerse yourself in the gentle rhythm of the waves and bustling port sounds.

The Mediterranean Trading Game

After indulging in snacks and drinks, dive into the spirit of adventure with this interactive game!

Objective:

Accumulate the most gold by trading goods between ports in the Mediterranean.

Setup:

1. Lay out 6 index cards representing ports in this order from west to east:

Barcelona

Marseille

Rome

Tunis

Athens

Alexandria

2. Each player starts with:

A small ship capable of carrying 2 goods.

5 gold coins (tracked using numbered cards: Ace = 1 gold, 10 = 10 gold, etc.).

2 goods loaded onto their ship (provided for free at their starting port).

3. Shuffle the Journey Card deck (including all face cards with specific effects) and place it in the center.

Gameplay

Turn Structure:

1. Declare Destination:

Before rolling, declare which port you intend to sail to.

Sailing to an adjacent port requires 1 roll.

Sailing two ports away requires 2 rolls, and so on.

2. Draw a Journey Card:

Draw a card before every roll and resolve its effects (see Journey Card Effects below).

3. Roll the Dice:

Roll to determine weather and safe sailing conditions:

1: Storm (lose a good).

6: Pirate attack (lose 1 good and 1 gold).

2, 3, 4, 5: Clear sailing (no losses).

4. Adjust Destination:

After each roll, you may choose to adjust your destination based on the number of rolls left or the effects of Journey Cards.

5. Complete Journey:

Once you reach your destination, sell goods based on travel distance:

1 port: Earn 2 gold per good.

2 ports: Earn 3 gold per good.

3 ports: Earn 4 gold per good.

4 ports: Earn 5 gold per good.

5 ports: Earn 6 gold per good.

Goods cost 1 gold each to purchase at any port.

6. End Turn:

Return used Journey Cards to the discard pile. Every third turn, shuffle the discard pile back into the deck.

Journey Card Effects

Jacks:

Jack of Spades: Favorable winds; on this roll only, numbers 1-6 are all clear sailing.

Jack of Hearts: Unfavorable winds; roll twice to determine weather and sailing conditions (Part 3 turn structure).

Jack of Clubs: Increased chance of pirate attack; 5 or 6 triggers a pirate attack this roll only.

Jack of Diamonds: Increased storm risk; 1 or 2 triggers a storm this roll only.

Queens:

Queen of Spades: Unfavorable winds across the entire turn; requires two rolls for every port on this journey.

Queen of Hearts: Favorable winds across the entire turn; clear sailing to any port for this journey only, no rolls or additional cards required.

Queen of Clubs: Pirate-infested waters; 4, 5, or 6 triggers a pirate attack this roll only.

Queen of Diamonds: Goods are half price at your destination (2 for the price of 1).

Kings:

King of Spades: Low Prices; sale price is decreased by 1 gold per good at your destination.

King of Hearts: High Prices; sale price is increased by 1 gold per good at your destination.

King of Clubs: Immediate pirate attack; lose 1 good and 1 gold.

King of Diamonds: Sudden storm; lose 1 good immediately.

Ships and Upgrades

Small Ship: Starts the game; carries 2 goods.

Medium Ship: Costs 10 gold; carries 4 goods.

Large Ship: Costs 20 gold; carries 6 goods.

Upgrade your ship anytime at your destination port after you sell your goods.

Winning the Game

The game ends after 10 turns. At the end of the 10th turn, players total their gold.

The player with the most gold wins.

In the event of a tie, play one more round; whoever makes the most gold in that round wins.

Quick-Reference Guide

Game Setup:

6 port cards: Barcelona, Marseille, Rome, Tunis, Athens, Alexandria.

Each player starts with 5 gold, 2 goods, and a small ship (capacity: 2 goods).

Turn Structure:

1. Declare destination port.

2. Draw a Journey Card and resolve its effects.

3. Roll the dice to determine sailing conditions:

1: Storm (lose 1 good).

6: Pirate attack (lose 1 good and 1 gold).

2, 3, 4, 5: Clear sailing.

4. Adjust destination if needed.

5. Sell goods at destination:

1 port = 2 gold per good; 5 ports = 6 gold per good.

6. End turn.

Journey Card Effects:

Jacks, Queens, and Kings trigger various effects on sailing or trade.

Reference the detailed rules for specifics.

Ship Upgrades:

Medium Ship (10 gold): Capacity 4 goods.

Large Ship (20 gold): Capacity 6 goods.

Winning:

After 10 turns, the player with the most gold wins!

Bon Voyage!

With snacks, drinks, and your very own Mediterranean Trading Game, your living room transforms into a bustling port.

Gather your crew, raise the sails, and may your ship always find favorable winds. Bon voyage, captain!

Now’s your chance to call the shots with Movie Maker! This DIY movie night combines delicious snacks, a creative dice/card game, and plenty of laughs for an evening worthy of an Oscar.

Whether you’re hosting friends or flying solo, this event is your ticket to a blockbuster night at home.

The Snacks: A Theater-Style Feast

First things first — no movie night is complete without the perfect snacks. Create your own theater-inspired concession stand with these crowd-pleasers:

Popcorn Bar: Start with plain popcorn and top it with butter, Parmesan cheese, cinnamon sugar, or even chocolate or caramel drizzle.

Candy Boxes: Think Milk Duds, Raisinets, and Twizzlers.

Savory Picks: Mini hot dogs (pigs in a blanket), nachos with cheese and jalapeños, and small pizza slices.

Drinks: Keep it classic with soda and flavored water or get fancy with movie-inspired cocktails or mocktails (e.g., “Shirley Temple” or “Hollywood Spritz”).

Now that you’ve got the snacks, it’s time for the main event: the game!

The Game: Movie Maker

Objective:

Create the most entertaining movie by rolling dice to assemble your cast, genre, plot, and budget. Be the first to complete your movie to win!

What You’ll Need:

Five six-sided dice or a dice rolling app on your phone

A deck of standard playing cards (including Jokers)

A notebook or “movie slate” for tracking progress

Setup:

Each player gets a blank “movie slate” divided into four categories:

Genre

Budget

Plot Twist

Star

How to Play:

1. Roll the Dice to Determine Movie Elements

Each player rolls 4 dice, assigning one die to each of the four categories:

Example a player rolls the four dice and gets a 2, a 3, a 5 and a 1.

Using the following chart he has decided to use the 2 as a Shoestring Budget, the 3 for an Action Movie, the 5 for lead actor His Weird Uncle Slappy, and the 1 makes the plot twist that Aliens Invade.

So he is about to direct an action movie on a shoestring budget starring his weird Uncle Slappy where the plot twist is when aliens invade.

Genre:

Roll

1-2 = Comedy

3-4 = Action

5-6 = Sci-Fi

Lead Actor:

Roll

1-2 = A-list

3-4 = B-list

5-6 = Weird Uncle Slappy

Plot Twist:

Roll

1-2 = Aliens Invade

3-4 = Hero Actually Villain

5-6 = Race Against Time

Budget:

Roll

1-2 = Shoestring

3-4 = Modest

5-6 = Blockbuster

2. Playing the Card Game

Deal each player 4 cards. Players can never hold more than 4 cards at a time. Discard extras immediately.

Players can lay cards face-up in their “movie slate” as they collect them.

To complete a movie, a player needs one card from each category (Genre, Budget, Plot Twist, Star).

What the cards represent in each category:

Genre:

Cards

2s = Comedy

3s = Action

4s = Sci-Fi

Budget:

Cards

5s = Shoestring Budget

6s = Modest Budget

7s = Blockbuster

Plot Twist:

Cards

8s = Aliens Invade

9s = Hero Actually Villain

10s = Race Against Time

Star:

Cards 

Kings = A-list Star

Queens = B-list Star

Jacks = Weird Uncle

So to complete his movie he would have to lay face up any 3 (action movie), any 5 (shoestring budget) , any 8 (aliens invade) and any Jack (his weird Uncle Slappy)

On their turn, players draw one card from the draw pile and attempt to create their movie. At the end of their turn, they must discard one card to ensure their hand never exceeds four cards. If a player’s hand has fewer than four cards, they are not required to discard.

3. Special cards:

Aces: Wild cards (can be used in any of the four categories).

Jokers: Used to steal a face-up card from another player.

4. Winning the Game

The first player to complete their movie (with all four categories filled) wins.

Optional: Players can pitch their movie to others for bonus fun!

Solo Play Version

Roll the dice to determine your movie elements.

Deal 5 cards face-up to form the “Bad Guy’s Hand.”

Play as usual, but discarded cards are added to the Bad Guy’s Hand.

Bad Guy’s Hand can’t exceed 5 cards, discard strategically to ensure bad guy doesn’t have all four categories.

If the Bad Guy completes a movie before you, you lose.

Optional Stuff Anything Goes!

Feel free to mix things up and make it more fun! Instead of categorizing them as A-list or B-list actors, imagine Jeff Bezos starring in a romantic comedy or Elon Musk attempting Shakespeare. The more absurd, the better!