I have to admit, I'm not the biggest fan of party games. I usually am the one who wants to sit out and watch (I know, I know, party-pooper). However, there is one, "The Secret Name Game" — also sometimes known as the "Family Game" — that I actually enjoy. In fact, it was one of the first things my husband and I did together after first meeting! (i.e, it definitely works as an ice-breaker).
Here are the details: each player writes the name of a well-known person, celebrity, or character down on a slip of paper. The person needs to be known by the entire group, so it could be a public figure, famous person, or even someone you all know. One person is chosen to read all of the names out loud — one time. That means you have to be listening closely!
Next, players (one by one) try to guess who wrote one name. If you are correct, the person whose name you guessed correctly is now on your "team", and you are awarded another guess. If you are wrong, the person next to you gets a try, and so on and so on around the table. If you guess someone's name who has accumulated another team, you get the entire team. Eventually, it will get to two or three big teams and it becomes more and more difficult to remember the initial names. If the name you wrote remains secret (i.e. no one guesses you wrote it) until you are the last person, you win!
Have you played this game? What's your favorite party game?
(Image: Andie Powers)
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I prefer 'Apples to Apples', or 'Cards Against Humanity' for party games. They can be played with large numbers of people, and there is very little in the way of rules, strategy, or strong competitive streak to play.
Balderdash & Celebrity are some of the best! Even when grandma says we should start gambling by putting $1 per name....yes, I walked out last Christmas with $56 from knowing way too much about pop culture.
Pictionary
I also like Cards Against Humanity, like jeffred. It's a bit wicked/offensive but it really lets you know what kind of people your friends are!
After a couple drinks, none of the modern games beat good ol' charades for crazy fun.
I'm happy to play anything except "Apples to Apples".
We play a game similar to the one here but with a different twist. And it is SO fun and FUNNY! Everyone writes 5 famous names on 5 pieces of paper, folds and deposits in jar. Choose your 2 teams. Each person on each team has 30 seconds to pull out names one by one and use words and actions so your team can guess the name. Kind of like charades but you can also use your words in round one. (Keep track of how many you get correct if you want to have a winning team.) Then someone on the other team takes a turn...back and forth until the jar of names is empty. Second round...same game but you get just one word and any actions you want for your teammates to try and guess the names on the paper (at this point you've been through the jar once so it is a little easier). Third round...actions only, no words, too funny.
One new year's eve (with kids), each person had the name of a harry potter character pinned to their back. You could only ask yes/no questions to figure out who you were. The kids LOVED it, and the adults had some fun, too.
I love the ideas suggested in this post!
My in-laws often play a fun card game called Five Crowns. It uses a special deck with 5 suits, and gameplay is similar to Uno.
Spoons!
I like Apples to Apples, The Last Word and Catchphrase. I'll have to look up a couple of these, always looking for new games!
Balderdash, Cards Against Humanity, and Loaded Questions!
The best party game, hands down, is Writey-Drawey. Unlimited players each get a long piece of paper. Everyone writes one sentence at the top of the page and passes it left. That person reads the sentence, and then folds it down so it can't be read. They attempt to draw a picture of the sentence and pass it left. That person looks at the drawing, folds it down to hide it, and writes a sentence describing what they saw. Continue until everyone gets their original paper back. Unfold and share the hilarity. Here's a tumblr with some examples: http://writeydrawey.tumblr.com/
My favorite party game is the one seomanthe described, except I've always called it "Telephone Pictionary." I think you can also buy an example of it called "Scribblish," but why buy it when all you need is paper and pens? It's absolutely hilarious and can bring out some ridiculous stuff after some drinks.
With friends, I like either Celebrities or the game whereby people have a famous person's name written on their foreheads (or pinned just under their chins, out of view) and have to guess the names by asking yes/no questions.
When we get together with my husband's family, we often play Mexican Train Dominoes (I'm really hoping that the name isn't some sort of ethnic slur--that's what it says on the package, and I haven't found an explanation of racist etymology yet, but if there is one, I'll be glad to use an alternate name for the game.) It works well for mixed generations--we often play with everyone from preschoolers to elderly relatives--and it's the kind of game that's engaging enough to be fun, but not so taxing as to make it hard to chat or drink tea while you play. Plus, my son likes to make the train whistle sound when someone wins.
For more cutthroat, focused, adult-oriented gaming, however, we've really gotten into Phase 10 (that is, until one of us--often me--gets frustrated and sulky.)
what splitty said, celebrity rules!
we play a game we call 'the super fun awesome game' which is sort of like charades but more fast paced and easier to play
-divide into teams of 3-6
-everyone writes down three nouns on three sheets of paper
-put them all in a bowl
First round
- use words to get your team to guess the word
-get as many words as you can in one minute
-each team takes a turn until all words are drawn from the bowl
Second round
-put all the words back in the bowl
-draw out a word and use charades to get your team to guess the clue
Third round
- same as previous two but now you can use only ONE word to get your team to guess
team with the highest number of words guessed wins.
We love this game because it goes fast, young and old can play and it uses memory, acting and vocabulary so everyone can help out their team,
Writey Drawey looks so funny and fun! We will be playing that this year. Thanks for the suggestion.
Catchphrase! The accelerating timer gets everyone's adrenaline going and it can be played either with scoring or without.
Apples to Apples is always a safe bet- everyone's already played it, keeping score is pointless, and there's no risk of it getting competitive (no hurt feelings! wee!).
My family and extended family play "The Famous People Game" which is very similar in playing method to peach-pie.
Other games I really enjoy are Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity
Never forget Trivial Pursuit, Cranium, or Set.
I find it hilarious that Splitty refers to Phase 10 as an adult-oriented game because my friends and I were obsessed with it for about 5 summers in a row when I was about 10-15. I still love that game, and have been interested in bringing it out in a more adult group.
I also thought "Telephone Pictionary!!" when I saw the heading. It is easier to do with scraps of paper and pens, although I've seen the store bought game similar to this also.
I have played the famous people game too, but it caused way too much tension when there were generation gaps between the two teams. So mix it up if you do that!
My favorite (free!) game is one we call Telephone Pictionary. Everybody gets a stack of index cards, and everybody has to draw a picture (the more bizarre the better). Everybody passes their picture and the next person has to write down on another card a description of the picture using only five words. The description card gets passed, and the next person reads ONLY the description and has to draw a new picture and so on, alternating between drawing and describing until you get your picture back. It's HILARIOUS! One game ended up with a transvestite Hitler responding to the Bat signal. Toooo funny!
@ Seomanthe - Oh, I just laughed so hard!! I did not know that was a game. I can't wait to play it!
What you are calling "Writey-Drawey" is a game invented by Parisian Surrealist writers and artists in the early years of the 20th century. See details for some interesting variations. Marcel Duchamp, Andre Breton, Joan Miro, Man Ray, Henry Miller,
Go to http://bit.ly/REle1S to learn more.
My favorite is Who Knew? by Cranium. You really get to know people.