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Love the idea, but 5 seems a bit much. Maybe I will throw a 1-2-3 party.

Oh pleeeze, no games, no pictures and no songs... what's wrong with intelligent conversation?

This feels a bit too forced...

Party games? No, thank you. Unless it's strip poker.

gah! if i were invited i'd definitely decline. organized "fun" makes me queasy. i'm with ladymantle.
or else i'd go with 1 dish for yum, 2 bottles for fun.
my friends are quite capable of entertaining themselves without resorting to summer camp activities.

I would never attend a party with a theme, games, or any requirements that I bring anything other than some wine or cheese. Yikes!!

Well, I personally love theme parties. And potlucks. Luckily my friends do too.

actually, i love this idea. most of my friends love potlucks/games/storytelling/photography/music, so this would be a natural way to bring us all together. i guess it just depends on your peeps. 1-2-3-4-5 does seem a bit much for one evening, i might also condense it into a 1-2-3 night as well.

Aw, I kinda liked the idea - would I always want to throw such an organized party - no? But I think this would be fun to try out!

I love themed parties but I hate games.

not opposed at all :) though i do think five is a little much.

i'm pretty indifferent to the idea of theme parties. if it's a good theme, awesome. if not, maybe next time.

what's a costume party (a la halloween) if not a theme party?

"Guess who this is" for number 4 only works well if your group is racially homogeneous. Take it from someone who would have liked to fully participate in this game at a gathering, but everyone knew which photo was mine with no guessing whatsoever.

I would feel really bad asking guests to bring that much stuff over.

It's not really amenable to people without cars, or people coming straight from work, either.

I might, however, ask each person to bring a different item from the list-- maybe leaving out the pictures. So, one person brings an appetizer/booze/cocktail ingredients, one person brings a game, one person brings a playlist...

And folks who say they "hate theme parties" tend to be the same kind of people who swear up and down they won't karaoke... and then are the first ones on stage.

Wow, I had no idea people hated games.

For a party size larger than a couple of friends, each guest can randomly pick a number and be responsible for that item or aspect of party planning... It's potluck taken to the next level!

This really sounds like a college orientation or sorority event, not a grown up party.

Pretty much anyone over 30 looked the same in 1999 as they do now. And once you have kids, board games really lose their appeal; I certainly don't want to pay a babysitter so I can play Clue (that's what I do every other night of the week).

So I think these tips really only work if you're in college or just out of school. Or if you live in Stepford.

I would totally throw this party!

In defense of the games:
"party games" irritate me, but real games are a lot of fun. In fact, my halloween party included games. We played Fluxx, which is a card game, Settlers of Catan, which is a board game kind of like Risk, and Apples to Apples, which is a word game and scales really well.

I used the games because Fluxx and Apples are really easy to teach, and Settlers is the favorite game of one of my guests who didn't know anyone but me. The games gave the varied groups of people a structured way to interact with each other and get to know one another without being awkward. Nobody *had* to play, but most people wanted to. By the end of the night, *all* of us were sitting on the floor in my living room playing Apples to Apples and laughing.

As for asking guests to bring something: I had to actively ask people to NOT bring things; everyone I know is chronically helpful. Most of them brought food or booze anyway, and one person did actually bring me music.

Sometimes, I think ATers take themselves too seriously. This sort of party can be really fun, if you're not trying to be "grown up" about it. :p

I avoid parties with these organized events like the plague. They are forced and creepy and never fun. I like theme parties, the dress-up kind (went to a robot party, ugly sweater, tight & bright) but even with those you can still have conversation and drink and dance and not be forced to play a silly game.

The games idea and the photo idea makes this all seemed forced - plus what is wrong with a nice intelligent mature conversation? If you don't know the people well enough to talk to them, why are they in your home? For the most part, themed parties tend to not go as well as one planned.

I do love the idea of a potluck - though unless you actually ask what your guests are bringing, you are pretty likely to wind up with multiples of the same thing (like two green bean casseroles, three of this type of pie, etc). So as a host, it might be a decent idea to ask what everyone is bringing so you could keep from this situation.

With technology today and things like Pandora radio online, the need to bring music has kinda came to an end...and who wants to wait around while you make copies of everything. I wouldn't even want a keepsake to take home. This idea only works if it is a farewell party.

The best game to play, party or not is Taboo. So frustrating when you're so good and your team members are so bad - but a lot of fun. Kings, the drinking game, is fun too, if you're not too drunk already

I think this is a great idea. I would leave out the games and stories and have people bring pictures, food and music. That sounds like a fun party to me. My friends are always fighting over the ipod play list anyways.

meh...I wouldn't do this. I do however, whole heartedly endorse the idea of centering parties around an activity of some sort. We throw a pumpkin carving party the Saturday before Halloween, a Tree-Trimming party in early December, an egg decorating party at Easter, etc. But it's not limited to that either. I've had pizza bar night, or create your own taco night, or roll your own spring rolls night. Some sort of activity where people need to interact and break out of the norm. Themes, activities, something unusual, makes a party more fun. AND PLEASE people, introduce guests to one another and when you do, include something interesting that might help start a conversation. Don't limit it to just names!

God, Apartment Therapy commenters are almost as snarky as Gawker commenters. At least there it seems natural.
I think this idea is adorable — I probably wouldn't do it myself, but it reminds me of the parties my grandmother used to tell me about.

Sometimes "forced" fun can lead to something entirely different. Everyone likes themes! Invite your close friends and learn a lot of new things about each other.

This sounds like the kind of thing my aunt forces on us all at family-get-togethers. I personally would rather just bring some food and visit with people.

Geez, it sounds fun to me. But I would have the guests pick 1, 2, 3, 4 OR 5.

mntwmyn - Yes, I like the idea of centering a party around an activity of some kind. Have done the pumpkin carving thing, create your own sundaes, create your own pizzas etc. I just feel the above 1-2-3-4-5 party is a bit too contrived feeling for me personally.

wow, we're called snarky because we figure we can make our own fun?

12345 reminds me of summer camp director (many years ago) that would have us do jumping jacks and a rousing chorus of something fun to "get us going" in the morning. i hated it then, i'd hate it now. it doesn't make me snarky...well, i AM snarky, but this has nothing to do with it.

All five does seem like a lot for one evening. Personally, I'd skip the games (I've never been a fan of party games or board games).

I love the idea of the bringing a story however, especially if you set a theme. The Moth has some great ideas on their site on how to host a "story slam" at home (and even submit your slam to their story pool): http://www.themoth.org/mothup

Wow, you guys are party poopers.

They aren't saying every party you throw should be like this, but a little change in your social life can be fun. Mature conversation is always exceptable, but it gets boring sometimes.

Who the hell doesn't like games? Man, some of y'all shouldn't be invited with an attitude like that.

Hehe, I love how snarky everybody is on here. It's like Grumpy Old Men, except Grumpy Young Yupsters. (And I include myself.)

I think it is a cute idea. In my case, it would make me want to have a party when otherwise there might not be a justifiable "occasion."

And yes, I am a person who is capable of fun, intelligent conversation without "crutches" like these--and so are my friends. I still think it's a good way to get out of the routine of wine and food and music and nothing else.

I like the idea but I would definitely change it a lot and condense it... it would be nice for bringing a large group of people together who don't know each other though. Less awkward.

I guess some people are nostalgic for summer camp. I'm not.

I'd never throw or go to a 12345 party--seems too structured to be fun. A party is about relaxing and enjoying yourself and shouldn't require homework. Also, "mature conversation" (what does that mean, anyway?) doesn't have to be boring. Just make sure you invite non-boring people and have a good supply of booze on hand.

You know, I don't think I'm "uptight" or "stuffy" to be horrified by this type of party. It's the party that's uptight. It's like that scene in Mean Girls where the Plastics tell Cady, "On Fridays we wear pink."

Who wants to be a captive audience at a party where it's socially awkward to leave before all the planned activities are over? Guests aren't sorority pledges.

Hipsters think they're just too cool to do this. But I would!!!

While I tend to dislike the ridiculous games they force you to play at baby and bridal showers, I would enjoy a party like this. I'm terrible at small talk, and I'd rather have something to ~do~ at a party instead of standing around clutching my drink and desparately trying to think of something to say. I consider myself witty and capable of intelligent conversation when amongst a few close friends, but in large groups of people I don't know (and who usually all know one another), I freeze up.

I don't see how a party like this has to be a planned or timed evening like everyone is complaining about. I've been to parties where there's games and potlucks AND just hanging out getting to know each other. Nothing was timed, nothing was forced, but there was a period of the night where the host thought, "OK, time for a game." And when we felt like ending it, we did. People came and went all night, and I don't think anyone felt bad about leaving before the game.

Also, as a few people have pointed out, games are a GREAT icebreaker to make things less awkward for the people at the party who might not know more than one or two others. Group games like Catchphrase work well. Setting a time to tell stories would also be a great way to do this.

I'm not one for forced fun, honestly. (I'm the type of person who tends to hate holidays because I hate how cheesy and forced they are) but I seriously think a party like this would be a blast!

Being a therapist who does a lot of "game" type activities in group therapy, I have first-hand knowledge that games and "themes" can be a great way to get people to loosen up and open up (ya really don't need the drink, honest). I agree if it is a big party with a fair number of people who don't know each other, this might work better. A small gathering of close friends I would rather sit and talk. As for my family, I think something like this would lighten them up for sure, they are so tense/intense they could use task. Anything to keep it from becoming a bitch-fest...