Party Games: Pencil and paper games

Acrostics

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
Choose a word of six or seven letters from a newspaper, and get the players to write the word down in a column on the left side of their paper, and then to write the same word in reverse, i.e., upwards, on the right-hand side. If the chosen word is MENTHOL, the sheet would look like this:

The players then have five minutes to write the longest words they can think of, beginning and ending with the letters marked by the columns. A point is scored for each letter. Here is how it works:

Advertisements

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Equipment: Magazines.

Rules:
Cut out a series of product advertisements from old magazines and colour supplements, and remove all brand names, logos and other means of identification. Numbering each advert, arrange them on a table or board, and allow players 10 minutes to write down the names of the various products being advertised. The player with most correct answers wins.

Type: AI

Players: Any number.

Rules:
This is another intellectual game, whereby each player selects a letter from the alphabet, and sets out to write a news item, a poem or a short story, in which every word begins with his chosen letter. This can be tough going, even for those with more than a GCSE in woodwork; so, it is advisable to allow 25 minutes’ playing time. By then, It is a fairly safe bet that everyone will have had enough. When the results are read out, a prize can go to the author of the longest or most imaginative piece.

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
Choose a category (such as Countries, Singers, Animals, Actors, Statesmen), and make anagrams of 10 words belonging to that category. Photocopy the list, and hand one to each player, who then has 10 minutes to unscramble as many of the anagrams as possible. Likely anagrams for animals are TAMMEROS, FLAFOUB, ROANKOGA, FEARFIG, PLEATHEN, EGGEDOHH, GREIT, HEPTARN, MALCE and APRODLE, which, when unscrambled, make Marmoset, Buffalo, Kangaroo, Giraffe, Elephant, Hedgehog, Tiger, Panther, Camel and Leopard.

Type: AI

Players: Any number.

Rules:
This game is for people, whose idea of a good read is a dictionary. Some English words boast letter combinations that are so unusual that it's difficult to envisage them occurring in any known word. An example is the WKW in awkward. So, give your dictionary buffs the thrill of a lifetime by drawing up a list of a dozen or so tricky three-letter combinations, and allow them 10 minutes to find English words into which the sequences fit. If anybody comes up with a word different from the one you’d thought of, award them an extra point. Here are some good examples: vacUUM, harDSHip, baZAAr, duMBFound, quaRTZ, autUMNal, laWYEr, haphAZArd, witHHOld and preSBYtery.

Type: AB

Players: Any even number.

Rules:
The familiar game of Battleships can be adapted into a party game between two teams. Large, square playing areas are marked out on two sheets of paper, one for each fleet. The squares are divided into 100 smaller squares, 10 across by 10 down. The squares across are labelled A to J, and the squares down 1 to 10.

Amid enormous secrecy, each team plots the positions of their fleet, which consists of a battleship, two cruisers, three destroyers and four submarines. The battleship occupies four squares, the cruisers each occupy three squares, the destroyers each occupy two squares, and the submarines occupy one square apiece. The squares forming a ship must be in a continuous straight line, vertically, horizontally or diagonally, and there must be at least one empty square between ships. When both teams have drawn their fleets, battle begins, and the players take turns to attempt to sink the enemy fleet.

Each player fires a shot at the enemy by calling out a square, for example, J7. The opposing team examines their chart. If J7 is not occupied by a ship, they call out ‘miss’, but if it is, they call out ‘hit’, and say which type of ship has been struck. For future guidance, the attacking team marks J7 on their chart with either a dot (in the case of a miss), or with a letter identifying the type of ship (in the case of a hit). In order to sink a ship, all of the squares that form it must be hit. The game continues with the teams firing alternately, until all the ships in one fleet have been sunk.

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
Everyone writes down the same word, ideally one of four, five or six letters, at the top of the paper. By changing just one letter at a time, players construct a cascade of words beneath the original word. For example, if the first word is ‘think’, this could be followed by ‘thick, trick, trice, price’ etc. The same word can not be used more than once. A time limit is set for the game, the winner being the player with most words in the given time.

Type: AB

Players: 2 or more.

Rules:
The players jot down a list of a dozen categories, such as Fish, Flower, Fruit, Vegetable, Animal, Bird, Country, Town, River, Boy’s Name, Girl’s Name and Famous Person. A letter of the alphabet is then chosen at random, and the players have five minutes in which to write a word for each category, beginning with that letter. For example, with a chosen letter of B, the list could be Barbel, Buddleia, Blackberry, Beetroot, Bison, Bittern, Bulgaria, Basingstoke, Bure, Brian, Beth and Beethoven. The players read out their lists in turn. Each word that is not on any other player’s list scores a point. The winner is the player with most points. Of course, if you really want to make the game a challenge, you could come up with categories such as Characters From Dickens, French Impressionist Artists or British Tennis Champions.

Type: FI

Players: Any number.

Rules:
We are blessed with some curious collective nouns, particularly in the world of ornithology. So, let’s hear it for a murmuration of starlings, a parliament of owls, and an ostentation of peacocks, not to mention an exaltation of larks.

A challenging game is for players to try to invent their own highly appropriate collective nouns. For instance, the collective noun for probate solicitors could be a clash of wills, or a gathering of sperm donors might be a packet of seeds. Give everyone 10 minutes to indulge in this pastime, while you’re replenishing the drinks, and then read out their creations. After such mental exertion, the least you can do is award a prize to the wittiest submission.

Type: F

Players: 2 - 10.

Rules:
A series of 36 dots are marked on a piece of plain paper in six rows of six. The objective is for each player, on his turn, to connect two or more dots with one straight line — either vertically, horizontally or diagonally. The first player begins anywhere on the grid, but, thereafter, any line must start from either end of the previous player's line, and must not, of course, retrace an existing line. Any player unable to draw another line is out of the game. The winner is the last person, who can draw a line.

Type: FE

Players: Any number.

Rules:
For this classic game, players are given a long sheet of paper, and told to write down certain information. After they have done so, they fold the paper over to hide what they have written, and pass the sheet to the player on their right, while simultaneously receiving a different folded sheet from the player on their left. Thus, players are adding new lines to the story, without knowing what has been written previously. There are 13 stages, at the end of which the results are read out... sometimes to the acute embarrassment of those present.

The stages are:
An adjective describing someone’s appearance or character.
The name of a girl or woman, real or fictitious, dead or alive.
The word ‘met’, followed by another adjective describing appearance or character.
The name of a man, real or fictitious, dead or alive.
The word ‘at’, and the place where they met.
The words ‘He wore’, followed by his mode of attire.
The words ‘She wore’, followed by hers.
The words ‘He said to her’, followed by whatever he said.
The words ‘She said to him’, followed by what she said.
What he did then.
What she did then.
The words ‘And the consequence was’, followed by whatever the consequence happened to be.
The words ‘And the world said’, followed by whatever it said.

The end result could be along the lines of:
Varicose-veined
Madonna
met
glamorous
Jack Duckworth
at
Heckmondwhite’s Pickle Factory.
He wore a Lycra Jump suit.
She wore a suit of armour.
He said to her, ‘Do you think you could handle this?’
She said to him, ‘My mother went down on the Titanic.’
Then he did an impression of Tommy Cooper.
Then she spontaneously combusted.
And the consequence was, they were both picked for the Olympic Synchronised swimming team.
And the world said, ‘He wants her only for her collection of gerbils.’

Type: AB

Players: 5 or more.

Rules:
Crossword buffs will enjoy this opportunity to create their own puzzle, even though the finished product may not be quite as complex as the one they are used to doing on the 8.22 to Waterloo. Before the game starts, each player has to draw a grid of squares — the same number across as down — on a sheet of paper. The size of the grid depends upon the number of players. For five players, seven squares across and seven down is ideal, but with more participants a bigger grid is necessary.

Each player in turn then calls out any letter of his or her choice, whereupon the other players must enter that letter somewhere in their own grids. Once that letter has been entered, it cannot be moved. The object of the game is to form words either across or down, the game finishing when all of the squares have been filled.

One point is scored for each letter in an acceptable word — abbreviations, proper nouns, one-letter words and foreign words do not count. A letter may not be shared by two or more words in the same line or column. For example, if a player’s line reads RAMPSTO, the maximum number of points he can score for that line is 5 for RAMPS. There are no extra points for RAM, AMP or AMPS. If a player has a word that fills an entire row or column, he receives a bonus point. The player with the highest total score is the winner.

For example:

Dear Daphne

Type: F

Players: Any number.

Equipment: Two hats or bowls.

Rules:
Players are given slips of paper, and asked to write out an imaginary question to an agony aunt named Daphne. This could cover anything from fears about your partner's infidelity with the local lollipop lady, to concerns about getting piles. The questions are put into a hat, mixed up, and withdrawn again. Each player then uses another slip of paper on which to write the agony aunt’s advice to the question he has drawn. Then the two slips are folded, placed in separate hats — one for the questions, and the other for the answers — and thoroughly mixed once more. Finally the players take turns to draw a slip from each hat, and read out the question and answer. With luck, the advice should be gloriously irrelevant to the problem.

Here is an example of the misunderstandings that can arise, when two vastly different problems become mixed up.

‘Dear Daphne, I have to make a maiden conference speech next week and am absolutely terrified at the prospect. Can you offer me any advice?’
‘Dear Writer, The first time is always nerve-racking. You may find it best to lie down with the lights off. And don’t forget to wear a condom.’

‘Dear Daphne, My girlfriend is pressuring me into having sex. I’m still a virgin, and am worried whether I'll be able to satisfy her. Can you help?’
‘Dear Writer, it is bound to be worrying the first time you perform in front of 300 people, but don’t forget that John Major used to do it four or five times every day. Take your time, give a slow, purposeful delivery, and I’m sure you’ll rise to the occasion. And, if you’re lucky, you’ll never have to do it again.’

Type: A

Players: 2 - 6.

Equipment: Blindfolds.

Rules:
Players are blindfolded, and asked to draw a picture of their house, adding such accessories as a car, a few flowers and trees, clouds in the sky and, perhaps, even a passing postman and dog. When the drawings are finished, the blindfolds are removed, and the fascinating results examined.

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Equipment: A bowl.

Rules:
Everybody writes the names of 10 famous people or characters on strips of paper. Fold the strips, so that you can’t read the names, put them into a bowl, and mix them up. The players are then divided into two teams. Alternating between the two groups, each player takes out a strip, and describes the famous person, without naming him or her. The other team has to guess the identity. When all the strips have been used, they are re-folded, and placed back in the bowl. In round two, the same process is repeated, but this time players can use only three words to describe the famous person. For the third round, players are allowed only one word of description, and, in the fourth and final round, the names must be acted with no speech permitted.

Type: FB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
Each player is given 15 minutes to think up appropriate last words for five famous living people, or, if it is not thought to be tempting fate, for five friends at the party. Maybe Bruce Forsyth’s final words would be, ‘It was nice to see you, to see you nice.’ Or Steve Davis might gasp, ‘I should never have missed that pink in 1983.’ Or Arnold Schwarzenegger might vow with his dying breath, ‘I'll be back.’ Give your imagination full rein.

Type: A

Players: 5 - 10.

Equipment: Sticky tape.

Rules:
The object of this game is for players to reveal which six items they would rescue from their home in the event of fire... and the reason why. Before the party, the host draws up a list of items, six per player, and writes each item on a separate slip of paper. These slips are then numbered 1 to 6, folded, sealed with sticky tape, to prevent anyone from seeing the contents, and scattered around the house.

At the start of the game, each player is given a form headed: ‘In the event of fire, I would rescue...’ Each form is numbered 1 to 6. On the left-hand side is space for the six objects, and on the right-hand side, after the word ‘because...’, is space for the six reasons. Players are then asked to fill in the six reasons... even though, at this stage, they don’t know which items they are referring to.

When the forms have been completed, the host shouts "Fire!" (not too loudly for fear of alarming the neighbours), and each player collects six of the sealed slips, one of each number. Opening the slips, players then match each object named with the corresponding numbered reason for rescuing it. Therefore, object 1 is placed in the space alongside reason 1, and so on. The end results can be quite illuminating. A typical form might read:

In the event of fire, I would rescue...
1. The grand piano, because I always have it in bed with me at night.
2. My false teeth, because they used to belong to my grandmother.
3. My rubber duck, because I think it’s worth a lot of money.
4. My toupee, because it’s the best thing I have for cleaning the windows.
5. A stapler, because I’ve really become attached to it.
6. My pet hamster, because I love a tasty snack before bedtime.

Pyromaniacs will probably derive great pleasure from this game.

Type: AB

Players: 5 - 10.

Rules:
This game involves pliayers trying to work out a rival’s chosen keyword by a process of elimination. Each player chooses a four-letter word, and writes it down, without letting any of the other competitors see it (this is to prevent players illegally changing their word mid-way through the game). Going in a clockwise direction, players take turns to try to discover the chosen word of the player on their left, by means of a succession of guess words.

If player one has selected MASH as his keyword, and player two volunteers CALF as his guess word, player one must respond with how many letters in the guess word correspond to those of the keyword. In this instance, the only letter featured in both words is an ‘A’, so the reply would be "one letter". Whilst player two is trying to ascertain player one’s keyword, player three is attempting to discover player two’s, and so on. If a player has chosen a keyword with a double or treble letter (such as TWIT or EPEE), his reply to the guess word must reveal how many letters have been scored out of the four, including duplicates. So, with a keyword of EPEE, and a guess word of HATE, the answer would be "three ;etters", because there are three ‘E’s in the keyword. The trick is to find out whether the 'three' refers to three diffrerent letters, two the same, or three the same. Thus, testing for duplicates is all-important.

Artful players often like to choose anagrams as their keywords. With MASH, player two might have discovered all of the letters, but he still has to get them in the right order, for the keyword could also be SHAM. The extra turn needed to solve that problem could allow another player to win.

Type: AI

Players: 2 or more.

Rules:
For those who find Categories too easy, this variation presents a sterner test. A list of categories is chosen, and each player writes that list down the left-hand side of his sheet of paper. A keyword of five or more letters is then selected, and the letters of that word are spaced out across the top of the paper. Everybody must then write down one word beginning with each letter of the keyword for each category within a time limit of 10 minutes. With a keyword of STRAW, for example, the grid might look like this:

As with Categories, players score a point for each word not on anyone else's list.

Type: AB

Players: Any even number.

Rules:
Habitually played at school during boring maths lessons while the teacher's back is turned, Hangman makes a good team party game. The aim is simple — to try to guess the other team’s word in fewer than 11 attempts. The first team thinks of a word, and writes down a series of dashes, one for each letter. The second team then starts guessing the letters in the word, calling out one at a time. If the letter occurs in the word, it is written above the appropriate dash. If the same letter appears more than once in the word, every occurrence must be noted. Thus, if you call out an 'E', and the word is ESSENTIAL, two 'E's will be put in the correct spaces.

If the second team’s letter does not occur in the word, the first team draws part of the Hangman picture, depicting a hapless individual on the scaffold. There are 11 sections In all — base, upright, crosspiece, support, rope, head, body, left arm, right arm, left leg and right leg — and they must be drawn in that order. Should the first team complete the picture before the word is guessed, they win the game. To avoid repetition, all incorrect letter guesses are recorded beneath the dashes.

It is worth remembering that shorter words, like ORYX, ZEBU or LYNX, are more likely to result in the successful hanging of your opponent.

Type: FB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
Each player is given the name of a famous person, and told to think of an appropriate sentence in which each word begins with the letters of the celebrity’s surname, and in that order. Thus, a sentence based on ‘Tony Blair’ could read: ‘Boyish Looks Accrue Instant Rewards’. The game can also be played, using the names of friends, although this has been known to cause offence. For instance Colin may be a friend no longer, if described as ‘Clumsy Oaf Lives in Norwood’, while Shaun may not be too thrilled to hear himself labelled ‘Surly Hypocrite And Uncouth Neighbour’.

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Equipment: A tray, assorted small objects, a cloth.

Rules:
A favourite game of Baden Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts, Kim’s Game is the ultimate memory test. Place about 20 different small objects on a tray (things like a clothes peg, an elastic band, a corkscrew and a pair of scissors), and cover the tray with a cloth. Then gather the players around the tray, and remove the cloth for 30 seconds. After replacing the cloth, ask the players to write down as many objects as they can remember in five minutes. Players score a point for every item they remember, but lose a point, if they name an object that was not on the tray. The player with the most points is declared the victor.

Type: F

Players: Any number.

Rules:
This ever-popular pastime can be played in two ways as a party game. Either each player selects a town from an atlas, and composes the entire limerick, or it becomes a group effort. In the second instance, the first player writes the first two lines, and then folds the paper, concealing what he has written. The last word (the rhyming word) is then written in a visible place on the paper.

The second player writes the next two lines, before handing over to the third player, who composes the last line, ensuring that it rhymes with the word at the top of the sheet. A prize is awarded for the wittiest offering.

In the unlikely event that you are unsure about the style of limericks, here is an example that has the added advantage of promoting dental hygiene:

'There was a young lady from Neath,
Who had the most God-awful teeth.
Those that weren't blacked
Were decidedly cracked,
With truck-loads of plaque underneath.'

Clearly, anyone, who has the misfortune to pluck Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch from the atlas, is in for a tough time.

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
More work for the long-suffering host! Think up a series of a dozen or so linkwords — words that can be linked to a word before or after. An example is 'Sheep (Dog) Biscuit'. Here the linkword is 'Dog', because it can connect to the word either side — 'Sheepdog' and 'Dog biscuit'. Having compiled your list, copy it out on sheets of paper, and give the players five minutes to think of the answers. These should help to give you the general idea:

Mad Libs

Type: FE

Players: 4 - 8.

Rules:
Write a short story about the people at your party, or a nursery rhyme or fable, and then remove key nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs and people’s names. These are to be filled in by the players, who have absolutely no idea what the text is about.

Give each player a pencil and paper, and simply call out ‘adjective’, ‘noun’, ‘exclamation’, or whatever. At the end of the piece, collect the various answers, and read them out, inserting the players’ chosen words in the spaces in your text. The results can be somewhat illuminating. For example your story could be:

THE GIRL OF MY DREAMS... ‘The girl of my dreams has ADJECTIVE blonde hair and ADJECTIVE eyes, which remind me of PLURAL NOUN. Her skin is as smooth as a (an) ADJECTIVE NOUN, and is scented like PLURAL NOUN. Her legs are shaped like a NOUN, and she looks really sexy when she’s wearing her ADJECTIVE NOUN. In fact, I think she has a figure like NAME OF MAN IN ROOM. When I look into her PLURAL NOUN, I want to say, “I would really like to VERB you one day.” I would ADVERB give up all my PLURAL NOUN for one night with this ADJECTIVE girl. Her name is NAME OF GIRL IN ROOM.’

This story may end up as:

The girl of my dreams has mouldy blonde hair and hideous eyes, which remind me of dried prunes. Her skin is as smooth as a geriatric camel, and is scented like Brussels sprouts. Her legs are shaped like a grand piano, and she looks really sexy when she’s wearing her grey gas-mask. In fact, I think she has a figure like Mr. Appleby, the butcher. When I look into her nail clippers, I want to say, “I would really like to garrote you one day.” I would miserably give up all my pork scratchings for one night with this lice-infested girl. Her name is Mrs. Olierenshaw.’

Alternatively you could try:

THE WEDDING... ‘The wedding took place yesterday of the ADJECTIVE NAME OF MALE CELEBRITY and the ADJECTIVE FEMALE CELEBRITY. The bride’s dress was made of NOUN, and had a ADJECTIVE neckline. On her head she wore a NOUN. She looked quite ADJECTIVE. When the groom slipped the NOUN on her PART OF BODY, there wasn’t a dry NOUN in the house. Later, at the reception, the bride’s mother, a ADJECTIVE woman, wiped away a NOUN, and said, “This is the most ADJECTIVE day of my life.” With that, the ADJECTIVE couple cut the NOUN with a NAME OF CUTTING IMPLEMENT. Among the presents they received were a NOUN, a NOUN and the world’s largest collection of PLURAL NOUN. “They will look lovely on our NOUN,” said the bride. After the reception they set off by MEANS OF TRANSPORT for a ADJECTIVE honeymoon in PLACE.’

This could produce:

‘The wedding took place yesterday of the turbo-charged Murray Walker and the repulsive Imelda Marcos. The bride’s dress was made of tin, and had a crude neckline. On her head she wore a potty. She looked quite ghastly. When the groom slipped the axe on her neck, there wasn’t a dry toilet seat in the house. Later, at the reception, the bride’s mother, a vindictive woman, wiped away a moth, and said, “This is the most excruciating day of my life.” With that, the argumentative couple cut the vicar with a scythe. Among the presents they received were a rusty frying-pan, a cotton bud and the world’s largest collection of moose droppings. “They will look lovely on our dinner plate,” said the bride. After the reception they set off by donkey for a nauseating honeymoon in Castleford.’

Type: A

Players: Any number.

Equipment: Assorted props.

Rules:
The rules of this game are simple. Players merely have to try to identify a series of everyday noises. The noises can be either pre-recorded on tape by the well-organised host, or made out of sight (for example, behind a chair). The players then write down their answers. The one with the most correct responses wins.

Suggestions include pulling a cork from a bottle, rubbing two pieces of sandpaper together, and running fingers along a comb. Of course, an adventurous host may opt to pre-record the mating call of the Lesser-Spotted Amazonian Warbler, in the hope of catching everyone out.

Type: A

Players: Any number.

Equipment: A tape recorder.

Rules:
Before the party, compile a tape featuring a few bars of a dozen songs, following on quickly one after another. Give each player a pencil and paper, and switch on the tape. Ask them to write down as many titles as they can recognise, the winner being the one with the most correct answers. Unless your party is composed of record producers and rock stars, it is only fair to make most of the tracks fairly distinctive, although it is always tempting to slip in a Moira Anderson album track, to sort out the men from the boys.

Type: AI

Players: Any number.

Equipment: A newspaper.

Rules:
Each player is given a page from a newspaper, and, working from the top of the first column, is asked to find a word beginning with 'A'. That player circles the first word located beginning with 'A', and makes a note of the word on a piece of paper. This process continues down the column right the way through the alphabet, except for the letters 'X' and 'Z'. At the end of five minutes’ search, the players are given another three minutes to make a reasonably sensible sentence from the words they have found. The words can be used in any order. Any player who did not find all 24 letters has to make do without the missing ones. Players then read out their offerings, the winner being the one who has used up the greatest number of words from his list in a proper sentence.

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
The players are given 10 minutes to think up as many five-letter words as they can, in which the first letter is a vowel, the second a consonant, the third a vowel, the fourth a consonant, and the last letter another vowel. An example of a word with this combination of letters is 'Okapi' — hence the name of the game. Other words that fit into the category include: 'Irate', 'Alive', 'Arena', 'Unite', 'Opera', 'Awake', 'Aroma', 'Elope', 'Evade', 'Image', 'Abide' and 'Urine'. The player with the longest list wins.

Type: F

Players: Teams of 4.

Rules:
This is a game for the artistically inclined, or those with a colourful imagination. At the top of the paper, the first artist draws the head of a person down to the neck. The paper is then folded back in such a way, that only the beginning of tne neck is visible to the next team member. The second artist then draws the torso down as far as the navel. The paper is folded once more, and handed to the next player, again with only the edges of the previous drawing visible. The third artist draws from the navel to the knees, before folding the paper, and handing it to the last member of the team, who completes the figure by adding the legs and feet. When the finished drawing is opened out, it may reveal something like a bespectacled granny, with a chest like Giant Haystacks, legs like Bugs Bunny, and wearing cycling shorts and flippers. A prize should be awrarded to the most bizarre creation.

Type: FB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
In this age of political correctness comes the eternal quest for yet more convoluted phrases, to replace seemingly innocuous everyday words. Now that ‘short’ is ‘vertically challenged’, and poor is ‘economically disadvantaged’, it can be fun trying to think up ridiculous PC alternatives for other adjectives. So, see who can write down the best translation for the following: bow-legged, stupid, ignorant, jug-eared, repulsive, lazy, pig-headed, two-faced, homicidal, drunk, randy and foul-mouthed. If all of these apply to one of your guests, assure him or her that your choice of words was purely coincidental.

Type: AI

Players: Any number.

Rules:
This alternative to Word Beginnings does not involve clues, but instead requires players to name as many words as they can, with a given prefix in 20 minutes.

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
Flick through the books on your shelves, to compile a list of 20 people who were born with a different name to that with which they eventually found fame. Hand a copy of the list to each player, and give them 10 minutes to come up with as many correct identifications as possible. The following are worthy stand-bys, in case you get stuck:
Archibald Leach (Cary Grant)
Frances Ethel Gumm (Judy Garland)
Diana Fluck (Diana Dors)
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (Lewis Carroll)
Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II)
Stuart Goddard (Adam Ant)
Mary Anne Evans (George Eliot)
Ruby Stevens (Barbara Stanwyck)
Sandra Goodrich (Sandie Shaw)
Jean François Marie Arouet (Voltaire)
Lewis Winogradsky (Lord Grade)
George Panos (George Michael)
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (Lenin)
Marion Morrison (John Wayne)
Michael Barrett (Shakin’ Stevens)
Israel Balin (Irving Berlin)
Issur Danielovitch Demsky (Kirk Douglas)
Paul Raven (Gary Glitter)
Helen Porter Mitchell (Dame Nellie Melba)
James Lablanche Stewart (Stewart (Granger)
William Henry Pratt (Boris Karloff)
Maurice Cole (Kenny Everett)
Michael Douglas (Michael Keaton)

Type: F

Players: Any number.

Equipment: Blindfolds, plastic cups, assorted liquids.

Rules:
This game is probably more enjoyable played when the guests have warmed up a bit — in other words, had a few drinks — because it tests their sense of taste. A series of plastic cups are filled with different drinkable liquids — including washing-up liquid may seem like a fun idea at the time, but might not make you terribly popular.

The players are blindfolded, and take turns to sniff and sip the liquids, writing down their guesses as to the contents, as they move along the line. You want to select as great a variety of liquids as possible, while slipping in a couple of closely-related wines (say a Chardonnay and a Sauvignon Blanc), to test the connoisseurs. An ideal line-up might comprise: Bovril, Marmite, Ovaltine, grapefruit juice, pineapple juice, cocoa, drinking chocolate, Bisto gravy, tap water, bottled spring water, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The winner is either the one with the most correct answers, or the last to throw up.

Type: A

Players: 6 - 10.

Rules:
Divide the players into two teams. On the command ‘Go!’, one member of each team trots over to the host, who gives them both the same scene to draw. They scuttle back to their groups, and set to work drawing, without uttering a single word, while the other team members have to guess what the illustration is supposed to be. The game can be played over a number of rounds, with the host supplying a different subject, and the teams a different artist for each round. The team that achieves the more correct solutions is declared the winner.

The more unusual the subject is for illustration, the more enjoyable the game will be. Suggestions include Pope John Paul II shopping at Tesco, Batman taking a bath, and Queen Victoria appearing on Blind Date.

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
Players are given a sheet of paper and a pencil, and instructed to scribble a line of any shape they wish. The line, however, should not be too long, as this can prove restrictive. Having completed the scribble, each passes the paper to the player on his left, at the same time receiving a sheet from the player on his right. When all the papers have been passed, each player draws a picture, of which the original scribble must be an integral part. A prize goes to the artist who produces the funniest drawing.

Type: F

Players: 5 - 10.

Rules:
The players are seated around a table, and told to draw a self-portrait. Just as they are about to begin, however, the host points out that it must be done with the hand they do not normally write with. So, a right-handed person will have to draw left-handed. Unless a number of guests are ambidextrous, the end results will look like an exhibition of abstract art. A prize should be awarded for the most gallant attempt. The least inspiring artist could be told to paint himself in oils... and you can show him where you keep the Castrol.

Type: F

Players: Any number.

Rules:
Players have to write down the longest sentence they can in three minutes, using words of only three letters or fewer. All words must be spelled correctly. It sounds easy, but it’s not. An even tougher assignment is to compose a sentence solely of three-letter words.

Type: AI

Players: Any number.

Rules:
This is the ideal game, if you are holding a Pythagoras theme party, or just want peace and quiet for an hour or two. Each player writes down 13 numbers, from 0 to 9, with no number featuring more than three times, and then passes the list to the player on his right. By combining some of the numbers, a new set of numbers, a new set of numbers is formed, none of which must exceed three digits. Thus, if player one chose the numbers 6, 9, 8, 1, 3, 3, 4, 5, 7, 2, 9, 2, 0, player two may elect to regroup them into 79, 6, 8, 133, 4, 5, 7, 2, 20. Taking one starting number (such as 133), player two must use all of the remaining numbers once only, and, by means of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, arrive at 666. Multiplication by 0 is not permitted, but the use of brackets is. The winner is the first person to complete the equation, or, alternatively, the one who has not lost the will to live by the end of the time limit.

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
If your guests are sportingly inclined, get them to pair off two jumbled lists of football club nicknames. On a sheet of paper, put a list of 15 clubs in the left-hand column, and a list of 15 nicknames in the right-hand column. The players have to match the nickname with the club. Try these for size: Darlington (The Quakers), Montrose (The Gable Endies), Rotherham United (The Merry Millers), Millwall (The Lions), West Bromwich Albion (The Baggies), Queen of the South (The Doonhamers), Bury (The Shakers), Bolton Wanderers (The Trotters), Arsenal (The Gunners), Arbroath (The Red Lichties), Exeter City (The Grecians, Southend United (The Shrimpers), Clyde (The Bully Wee), Chesterfield (The Spireites) and Luton Town (The Hatters).

Type: F

Players: Any number.

Equipment: Graph paper.

Rules:
This classic pencil and paper game can be adapted into a team contest for a party, particularly when everyone is too tired and emotional to play anything physically and mentally demanding. The game is played on graph paper, and the two teams should have differently coloured pencils. On their turn, the players simply mark one side of a square. Whoever draws the line that encloses a single square wins it, and should fill it in with the team colour. That team must then make the next move. The border of the paper is deemed to be one long line. At the end of the game, which can develop into a mean tactical battle, the victorious team is the one that has completed the most squares. As a variation from single squares, the game can be played with any shape that is able to be enclosed with one move.

Type: F

Players: 2 - 10.

Equipment: Graph paper.

Rules:
Each player takes a turn to draw a square or rectangle on the graph paper. The shape can be any size, but the borders must not be either those of an existing shape or the edges of the graph paper. Although the rectangles or squares may not share the same border, they are permitted to overlap, or be completely enclosed. The object of the exercise is to squeeze your opponents out of space, so that they have no room to draw a new shape. Any player unable to construct a shape is eliminated. When all possibilities — and players — have been exhausted, the last to build a shape successfully is declared the winner.

Type: AI

Players: Any number.

Rules:
A letter is chosen at random, and the players are given 10 minutes to build a stairway of words, each beginning with that letter. The stairway begins with a two-letter word, then a three-letter word, four-letter word, five-letter word, and so on. No plurals are allowed. The winner is the player who comes up with the longest word, provided that no steps have been skipped en route. For example, if you are unable to think of a 12-letter word, your list ends there, even if you can think of a 13-letter word.

A stairway for the letter D might read:
D
DO
DAB
DENT
DANCE
DOLLAR
DOUBLET
DREADFUL
DRAMATIST
DISTRAUGHT
DRAUGHTSMAN
DISCREDITING
DEVELOPMENTAL
DISINCLINATION
DOLICHOCEPHALIC

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
Each player calls out a random letter of the alphabet, and writes it down, until there are a dozen in all. The players then have 15 minutes to compose a telegram, each word beginning with the chosen letters, and in that order of being called. So, if the letters shouted out were S.S.E.H.I.P.C.E.A.P.A.Z., the telegram could be SEVEN SWEATY ELEPHANTS HAVE INVADED PITCH. CROWD EXTREMELY AGITATED. PLEASE ADVISE. ZEBEDEE. The winner is the player adjudged to have come up with the cleverest offering. An alternative method of play is to select a word from a newspaper or magazine, and to build a telegram, each word beginning with the letters of the chosen word, and in that order. Thus RESTORED could end up as RANDY EARL STARTS TO OGLE RETIRED ENTOMOLOGIST’S DAUGHTER.

Type: AI

Players: Any number.

Equipment: A hat or a bowl.

Rules:
Each player writes three words on separate pieces of paper. These are then folded, and put into a hat or a bowl. The slips are shuffled, and each player withdraws three. The aim is to compose a four-line rhyme, incorporating all three words in any order. Obviously, this is not too demanding, if the words are something like ‘pretty’, ‘girl’ and ‘blue’, but it is quite a different matter with ‘dodecahedron’, ‘liquescent’ and ‘prestidigitator.

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Rules:
This game is a variation of Cascade, but here the players begin by writing down the same two words, one at the top of the paper, and the other at the bottom. Both words chosen must have the same number of letters. The aim is to change the first word into the second word by altering just one letter at a time, each time forming a new word. As a simple example, ‘hot’ could be changed to ‘cab’ via ‘hob’ and ‘cob’. The winner is the player who completes the transformation in the fewest words.

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Equipment: A tray, assorted small objects, a cloth.

Rules:
This is an even more cunning variation of Kim’s Game. The host’s assistant (it could be one of his children or a neighbour) removes the cloth, to enable the players to examine the tray of objects for 30 seconds. But the catch comes just as the assistant leaves the room with the tray. The players are told that, instead of writing down a list of the items on the tray, they must try to remember as many things as they can about the assistant, such as clothing, hair colour, jewellery, etc.

Type: AI

Players: Any number.

Rules:
This is a soccer quiz in which a list of former English and Scottish League club names is written down. Players have to write what the club is called today. Here are some examples: L & Y Railway FC (Manchester United), Dial Square FC (Arsenal), St. Mary’s YMCA (Southampton), St. Jude’s Institute (Queens Park Rangers), Thames Ironworks (West Ham United), Pine Villa (Oldham Athletic), Black Arabs (Bristol Rovers), Singers FC (Coventry City), Heaton Norris Rovers (Stockport County), New Brompton (Gillingham), Shaddowgate United (Carlisle United), Brumby Hall (Scunthorpe United), Sunderland and District Teachers AFC (Sunderland), Bainsford Britannia (East Stirlingshire), Excelsior FC (Airdrieonians) and Ferranti Thistle (Meadowbank Thistle).

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Equipment: A tray, assorted small objects, a cloth.

Rules:
In this variation of Kim’s Game, the players gather round, to study the 20 or so items on the tray for a period of 30 seconds. The cloth is then replaced, and the host surreptitiously removes one article. The cloth is then removed again, and the players must write down which item has vanished. The routine is repeated over 10 rounds, with one object being removed each time. After each round, the articles should be moved around a little, to stop the players becoming too familiar with their whereabouts. Also, a devious host may opt to remove the same item for two successive rounds. At the end of the 10 rounds, the player with the most correct answers is the winner.

Type: AB

Players: Any number.

Equipment: An atlas.

Rules:
Using an atlas, trace the outlines of 12 countries on to paper, and cut them out. Number each outline, and ask the players to write down the names of the respective countries. Depending on the intelligence level of your guests, places like Australia or Wales may be too easy, but landlocked countries, such as Bulgaria or Switzerland, offer a far greater challenge.

Type: AI

Players: Any number.

Rules:
From time to time, everyone wishes that they had thought of a witty riposte or a bon mot, especially at parties. Perhaps you and your guests can draw inspiration from the words of others, as you play this game, based on quotations. Search through a book of quotations (there are plenty in the library, if you don’t have any at home). Pick out 20 of the best, jumble up the speakers’ names, and give players five minutes to attribute the quotes to the correct people. This list of verbal gems may prove helpful:

Word Beginnings

Type: AI

Players: Any number.

Rules:
The host prepares a list of 20 clues, the answers to all of which are words with the same prefix. If the prefix is 'imp', you could have, ‘The 'imp' that is unlikely’ (improbable), or ‘The 'imp' that you can’t get through’ (impenetrable), and so on. Other suitable prefixes are ‘int’, ‘dis’, ‘pan’, ‘sub’, ‘mis’, ‘pre’ and ‘con’. But the word must have a proper prefix. Thus, ‘disgrace’ is perfectly acceptable, but ‘dishwater’ is not, even though it begins with ‘dis’. The player with the largest number of correct answers in a 15-minute time limit is the winner. Access to dictionaries is strictly forbidden.

Type: AB

Players: 2 or more.

Rules:
Players are given the same word, preferably something long, like ‘INTELLIGENT’ or ‘HYPOTHETICAL’, and have 10 minutes in which to write down as many words as they can, using the letters of the starter word. Words must be at least four letters long, and foreign words, plurals, abbreviations and proper nouns are not allowed. A letter can be used in a word only as many times as it appears in the starter word. The winner is the player with the largest number of acceptable words. In case of disputes, it is advisable to keep a dictionary handy.

From 'The Ultimate Party Games Book'.
© 1997 Carlton Books.