If you have been visiting this blog recently, I am sure you will have noticed the many games I have been writing about. Over the last four months I have featured over thirty games. All of these are available to play with just the use of minimal equipment. So, grab a pack of cards, some dice, some chips and have fun!
Continuing with my project to create a list of great games you can play for free, this post features my own creation. I got the inspiration for this game from the BBC game show ‘ Would I Lie To You?‘.
Number of players: 4 – 20
Playing time: 25 minutes
You will need:
Players split into two groups of roughly equal numbers. Prior to the start of the game, each player writes down, on a piece of paper, a true fact about themselves. The fact should be something unusual or surprising. Most importantly, it must be something about yourself that none of the other players know. For example, “I collect pencil sharpenings”. Both groups should collect together into a pile, all the player’s pieces of paper.
Play alternates between both groups. Each round, the group whose turn it is (the factors) randomly selects one of the pieces of paper from their pile. Each player from that group then reads out the fact written down. After listening to each person state the fact as their own, the other group (the questors) may then ask them questions. Each player from the questor group gets to ask one question to one person from the factors. Questions can either attempt to deduce whether someone is lying, or try to mislead the other questors. When asked a question, the person to whom it was addressed must respond. After all questions have been asked, each questor must vote (by writing down on a piece of paper) for the factor which they think wrote down the fact. The person who wrote down the fact then reveals themselves. Points are scored as follows:
The game ends when all facts have been read out. The player with the highest score is the winner.
- If the number of players is small, extend the length of the game by having all players write down two facts instead of one.
Continuing with my project to create a list of great games you can play for free, this post features a variation on the fabulous board game Dixit. In Dixit, or Pixit, players try to describe illustrations on cards to the other players using only a title or phrase. The catch… you don’t want all players guess which card you are describing.
Number of players: 4 – 6
Playing time: 30 minutes
You will need:
At the start of the game, each player takes ten blank cards. On each card, players should draw an illustration. Illustrations can be as realistic or as abstract as the player wants. Feel free to instead use cards that were created in a previous game. When all cards have been finished, deal out six to each player and place the remainder in a face-down deck.
In each round, one player takes the role of the storyteller. The storyteller selects one of their six cards and announces to the other players, a title or phrase to describe that card. Without anyone else seeing, the storyteller places the card they have chosen face-down in the centre of the table.
All other players selects the card from their hand that they feel best matches the description given by the storyteller. These cards are also placed face-down in the centre of the table. The storyteller takes all cards placed in the center or the table (including the one from their hand) shuffles them and lays them out face-up in a line. All players (except the storyteller) chooses the card that they think was placed by the storyteller. This should be done in secret, perhaps by writing down the position of the card in the line. Once all players have chosen a card, the storyteller reveals which was their own card and everyone scores as follows:
Once points for the round have been allocated, each player draws a new card from the deck to bring their hand size back up to six. A new player then becomes the storyteller for the next round. When there are no cards left in the deck, the next round played is the last. The player who has the most points at the end of the game is the winner.
- To ensure that all players become the storyteller for one round, have players instead create nine blank card at the beginning in a four player game and eleven blank cards in a six player game.
- As a variation, give each player the opportunity to create one new card during the game, following the announcement of the description by the storyteller.
Continuing with my project to create a list of great games you can play for free, this post features an adaptation of the classic party game Absolute Balderdash. In this game, players attempt to guess the real definition of a word, whilst attempting to convince the other players that their made up definition is the correct one.
Number of players: 3 – 8
Playing time: 30 minutes
You will need:
Players take in turns to be the dictioner. In each round, the dictioner selects and reads out a word from the dictionary. The word chosen should be obscure so that none of the other players are likely to know its true meaning. All of the players (apart from the dictioner) writes up a made up definition for the word onto a piece of paper. The dictioner also writes, in their own words, the real defination onto a peice of paper.
The dictioner collects together and reads out all the definitions, including the correct definition. They should be careful not to give away who wrote down which definition. Note, if one of the other player’s definitions matches or closely resembles the true definition, the dictioner should, instead of reading it out, remove it from the game. Going clockwise from the dictioner, each player (apart from the dictioner) chooses which of the definitions they think is correct. This is indicated by writing each player’s name onto the definition they have chosen. Once all players have chosen a definition, the dictioner reveals which one is correct. Scoring is as follows:
The game continues for a pre-defined number of rounds. All players should become the dasher an equal number of times. The player with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.
Continuing with my project to create a list of great games you can play for free, this post features a nice alternative to more traditional quiz based games. In this game, it is the players themselves that decide the questions that are asked. The clever thing about Poorman’s Trivia is that whilst you score more points when fewer people can answer your question, you score negative points when no one can answer your question. Therefore, there is a fine balance between making the question hard enough that not everyone knows the answer and not making it so hard that no one knows the answer.
Number of players: 4 – 20
Playing time: 30 minutes
You will need:
At the start of the game, all players think of three general knowledge questions. Players write down their questions at the top of their sheet of paper.
Players then take in turns to ask one of their questions. All players should write down what they think the answer is next to the number of the question on their sheet of paper. The person who asked the question should also write down the correct answer. Once each player has asked each of their three questions and everyone is happy with their answers, the scoring phase of the game can begin.
Each player takes in turns to read out the answer to their questions. The score that each player then receives is then calculated based upon the number of players who got the correct answer. Since it is quite complicated to work this out, it is a good idea to refer to the printable score sheet. For example, in a four player game, if all three of the players answering the question get it correct, all players (including the person who asked the question) receive 1 point. If two of the players answering the question get it correct, they (and the person who asked the question) receive 2 points. If no one gets the correct answer, the person who asked the question receives -8 points.
The winner of the game is the person who has the highest combined score for all questions.
- The game can be made shorter or longer by decreasing or increasing the number of questions each player asks respectively.
- To help stimulate players to think of good questions, fixed categories can be introduced. For example, each player might have to ask one question about sport, one question about geography and one question about film.
- Questions should remain within the spirit of the game. For example, a question whose answer could only be known by one other person (e.g.”what toothpaste do I use?”) is not allowed.
Continuing with my project to create a list of great games you can play for free, this post features a nice lively party game. I remember playing this game a number of times in the past; however, when I recently searched for a copy online, I couldn’t find it anywhere. This post features my adaptation that can be played with just some pencils and paper.
Number of players: 4 – 20
Playing time: 45 minutes
You will need:
Players split into pairs. If there are an odd number of players, have one team of three people.
The game consists of a set number of rounds. Six rounds would be a good number.
In each round, one player from each pair (player A) will gather together. Making sure that the other people cannot hear, these players come up with a list of six words. These six words can be anything… people, places, things… Let your imagination run wild! Do however, try to choose words that all players will understand/have heard of. Once the words have been decided, Player As make a note of them on their sheet of paper. Individually and on a separate piece of paper, all Player As then come up with a six more words, each of which corresponds to one of the original six words. There should be some sort of connection between each set of words. For example, if one of the original six words was ‘Paris’, a good corresponding word may be ‘France’.
Pairs get back together. At this point, Player Bs should be shown the list of the original six words. Player As should hide their list of six connecting words from Player Bs. Upon starting a timer, all Player Bs should try to guess the six corresponding words based upon the list of six words that is visible to them. Player As should not provide any visual or verbal clues. They may however say when one of the six corresponding words has been guessed.
The round is over when either one pair succeeds in guessing all six corresponding words, or when three minutes have elapsed. Each pair scores one point for each of the corresponding words that they guessed.
For the next round, the roles of Player As and Player Bs are reversed.
After six rounds, the pair with the highest score is the winner.
- Instead of deciding upon the original list of six words at the start of each round. Lists of words can be prepared beforehand.
- To add a bit more variety into games, make players play with a different partner each round.
Continuing with my project to create a list of great games you can play for free, this post features an oh so simple party game called ‘Eat poop you cat’.
Number of players: 3 – 11
Playing time: 20 minutes
You will need:
Players sit in a circle (or at least something resembling a circle) and are each given a sheet of blank paper. Each player then writes a sentence or a phrase at the top of the page, before passing it to the next person. The next person then ‘draws’ that sentence underneath and folds the top of the page over such that only the drawing is visible. The paper then passes onto the next person who writes down what they think the drawing is showing. They then fold the paper over to cover the drawing and pass the paper onto the next person. Play continues like this (sentence > drawing > sentence > drawing ect…) until each person receives the sheet of paper they had originally. Everyone unfolds their paper to reveal how “cat licking itself” turned into … (I’m not sure that I want to imagine).
