Party Games

Gather family and friends together, crack open the party sausages and have a go at some of our party games.

Chinese Whispers

Object To see how a phrase changes as it passes round a number of speakers.

Procedure The players sit in a circle, and the first player thinks of a phrase or sentence (a message, the title of a film or book, etc.) and whispers it into the ear of the next player. This second player whispers it to the third player and so on, round the circle. When it returns to the first player, that player announces what the phrase has become and how it started: the two versions are often wildly different.
Also called Chinese Gossip; Russian Gossip; Russian Scandal. Also called Broken Telegraph in Canada.

Buzz

Object To substitute words for particular numbers in counting.

Procedure The players sit in a circle. The first player calls out 'One,' the next player 'Two', and so on - counting round the circle. When any player reached five, or a multiple of five (such as 10 or 15), that player has to say 'Buzz' instead of the number. If a number includes a five but is not a multiple of five, the player has to replace that part of it with 'Buzz' - for example, 54 would be 'Buzz-four'. Any player is out of the game who says the wrong thing or hesitates too much. The game can also be played with some other number that five being replaced by 'Buzz'. And it can be made more difficult by simultaneously substituting another word for another number, so that (for example) the number seven would have to be said as 'Fizz' or 'Bizz'.
Also called Fizz, Fizz-Buzz, Buzz-Bizz, Buzz-Fizz

Charades

Object To guess a word that occurs in, or is represented by, scenes acted by players.

ProcedureThe people present divide into two teams. One team goes out of the room and decides on a word to be acted out in syllables: the word must divide into syllables which are words in themselves - or sound like words. The team then acts a scene in which the first syllable is among the words spoken. The following syllables are 'acted' similarly, and then the whole word. If preferred, the scenes can be mimed not spoken. If the other team guesses the word, it chooses the next word. If the other team fails to guess the word, the first team chooses another word to act out.

Consequences

Object To create a story with separate contributions from each player.

Procedure Each player is given a sheet of paper, and starts by writing at the top an adjective describing a male person. The player folds over the paper to hide the adjective, and hands the paper to the next player, who writes a man's or boy's name. The papers are passed on from one player to another, each player writing in order the following:

• an adjective or adjectival phrase describing a man or boy
• a man or boy's name
• an adjective or adjectival phrase describing a woman or girl
• a woman or girl's name
• where they met
• what he said to her
• what she replied
• what the consequences were
• what the world said about it.

Dictionary Game

Object To guess the meaning of chosen words.

Procedure One player chooses a fairly obscure word from a dictionary, and spells it out to the other players. All the players then write definitions of that word, preferably making then sound like genuine dictionary definitions. The first player reads out all the definitions, including among them the true definition. Each player then nominates which definition they think is correct. A point is awarded to everyone who chooses the correct definition and also to anyone whose false definition was accepted as true by another player.
Also called Call my Bluff; Dictionary; Dictionary Definitions Game; Fictionary Dictionary.

Hypochondriac

Object To remember an ever-growing alphabetical list.

Procedure The game is similar to I Went to the Market, building up a list of words to be remembered by the players. The first player says: 'I went to the hospital because I had ...' and names a disease or illness starting with the letter A, such as acne or anaemia. The second player has to repeat this and add an illness beginning with B, so this player might say: 'I went to the hospital because I had acne and botulism.' And so on, round the players, with any player dropping out who cannot remember the whole list.

Just a Minute

Object To continue speaking for one minute on a chosen subject.

Procedure One player is chosen as the umpire, and sets the other player subjects, which they have to speak about for one minute - without hesitation, repetition, or deviation from the subject. A speaker who breaks any of these rules can be challenged by another player and, if the umpire upholds the challenge, that player continues on the same subject for the rest of the minute. The winner of each round is the player who is speaking as the minute expires. Alternatively, points can be scored for successful challenges and for being the speaker who completes a minute's talk.

Foreheads

Object To guess a word which is written on a label stuck to one's forehead.

ProcedureEach player writes a four-letter word on a sticky label, and sticks it to the forehead of the player on his or her right. Every player can see all the words except the one on his or her own forehead. Each player then in turn, says a four-letter word made up of letters which are on other people's foreheads. The chosen word can include the same letter more than once. Players gradually build up an idea of the words on their own forehead by noting which letters are mentioned that do not occur in any of the words on other people's foreheads. Players can use their 'go' to guess their own word. If the guess is correct, that player wins; if the guess is incorrect, that player stays in the game but is unable to make any more guesses.

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For more on word games, read Tony Augarde's Oxford Guide to Word Games.