back at the taco party in may, i introduced a game i semi-created. i had seen this game in a catalog, and it sounded like fun, but it cost too much. it was called "things: humour in a box", but i decided to make my own version, and shortened the name to just "things".
this is how it rolls: the host (for lack of a better name) reads off the category for the round. for example, "things... that are blue". everyone writes down something that fits that category on a piece of paper. the sky. a bluebird. jeans. blues clues. whatever. get creative, get wacky. you want to submit a crazy answer, so no one can recognize that you wrote it. once everyone submits an answer (traditionally, by folding the paper in half twice and putting it into the fedora), all the answers are scrambled and pulled out and read one at a time. as they're read, they're put on a chalkboard for all to see (or dry erase board, or we've even used a clipboard several times).
then, going around the room, one player picks one of the items on the list of things made, and tries to guess who submitted that particular answer. ("hannah, have you considered the color green?") if wrong, play moves to the next person. if right, the guesser scores a point, the guessee is eliminated from the round, and the guesser goes again. play until one person and one answer left, that person gets a two point bonus. also, the host can submit an answer himself, and correctly matching that answer scores the guesser two points. (the host does not guess who said what, since he/she's already seen who wrote what answer when they submitted them. therefore, it's worth two points to risk your turn guessing on someone who can't eliminate anybody.)
games usually last about 3-5 rounds, depending on how many are playing and how much time you spend. (10 people seems to be the ideal number of players, and 12-13 seems to be the limit before the game just gets boring.) high score wins. in case of a tie, one more category is played, and the tie-ers write down one answer. both answers are put on the chalkboard, and a blind vote is taken by the other players for the better answer.
okay, who actually read all that? odds are, if you're reading this page, you've already played the game once or twice, with the exception of any music campers and geocachers. i didn't even mention the duplicate answer rule. so this list is probably a greatest-hits-recap for most people. but for those who are first hearing of this wonderful party game, here's a starter list of categories for you to use. i've used all of these categories in previous games, and gotten some interesting results.
25 categories for the game of things1. things... emeril will never kick up a notch (the first category ever played)
2. things... i didn't learn by watching sesame street
3. things... martha stewart should add to her martha stewart collection
4. things... you wouldn't give up for a million dollars
5. things... you'd like to ask the devil
6. things... you'd like to ask god
7. things... they didn't use for the "12 days of christmas" song
8. things... that should be banned from bowling alleys
9. things... you'd like to see a magician pull out of his hat
10. things... that they should make phone numbers out of (ex. 1-800-LAWYERS)
11. things... a seismograph might accidentally record as an earthquake
12. things... that are white and fluffy, but not rabbits
13. things... (person in room) is thinking right now
14. things... that won't cure the common cold
15. things... you shouldn't juggle
16. things... blah blah bla-blah blah
17. things... ashland, kentucky is famous for
18. things... you shouldn't use as a centerpiece for your thanksgiving dinner
19. things... you could say to a beaty football player, and they'd take it as a compliment
20. things... you've seen on commercials during the super bowl that you never want to see again
21. things... that go well with a bikini wax
22. things... that should be made into crayola colors
23. things... you'd like to see carved into pumpkins (a category i used a couple of days after i published the list)
24. things... you shouldn't do during a standardized test
25. things... you shouldn't do with a watermelon
questions? comments? insults? lists or ideas for lists? my name is earl? send them all to
twentyfivethings@hotmail.com!
