TLDR; What are some good party games that encourage getting to know each other and are not centered around drinking?
A year ago I had a great party. I split all participants (maybe 16 people) into 4 teams and made a 3 game tournament which was very appreciated. This year I am hoping to replicate the good vibe we had, but I want new games.
I am now asking you; What are some good party games?
Criterias:
- Low or no amount of randomness (to keep things competitive)
- Reasonably easy to acquire the materials for
- Possible to do as a team
- Encourages interaction, either within the team, between teams or both
- Should not be centered around drinking
Mario Party
Wii Sports
Taboo
You don’t know Jack
Pictionary
Jackbox party pack
Edit: I would say Nightmare, but it isn’t made any more, but back when VHS was the thing, me and my friends would have a blast playing this, specially if girls where there.
Hammershlagen (misspelled)
Bags
Beer pong
Quarters
President’s and Assholes
Cribbage
Poker (pick your poison)
It’s been a long time and I’m not sure of it’s current state, but some friends and I used to have a blast play Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator (I think there’s a couple other games out there now that are similar)
You kind of need the right setup for it to work well, a big TV or projector you can hook up to a computer and everyone needs their own laptop, etc.
The basic idea is- picture the bridge of the enterprise (or your starship of choice) you’ve got a bunch of people with their own consoles responsible for different aspects of the ships operation, the helm, engineering, weapons, etc. That’s what you’re doing.
I think at some point they added support for support fighters and such to accompany the main starship so if you have more people they have something to do.
We also made up a couple extra positions, like a captain who didn’t really have his own console, he just got his own chair front and center and a fancy hat and gave out orders.
Pterodactyl is one of my favorite stupid games to play.
You just sit in a circle and see if you can make the person next to you to laugh while you say “pterodactyl” with your lips curled over your teeth so you look kinda like a pterodactyl.
Twister
Times up!
Needs at least 4 people, a pen and paper and a bowl/hat. And a stopwatch.
Tear the paper so you have about 25-35 pieces of similar size, then give these out to the players. Everyone writes down a famou name on each of their pieces of paper. Shuffle them up in the bowl. Divide into teams. Set stopwatch for 1 minute. Round 1: one member of the first team describes the name on the paper without using any of the words written on the paper. The team gets to keep the paper if it’s correctly guessed. After a minute, play passes to the next team with a reduced number of papers in the bowl. This continues until all babes have been guessed. Count the number of pieces of paper kept by each team and make a note. Return the papers to the bowl. Round 2: same as round one, but the describer can now only use one word. No miming, no eye signals, one. Word. Round 3: same as the previous rounds but the describer must stay absolutely silent and can only mime. The team that scored the most over 3 rounds wins.I’ve played this with strangers and with friends and family alike and it’s always fun.
Diy Monikers
I googled your comment and found the game Monikers which I’d never heard of. I honestly think the DIY version must be better, since there’s always someone who’s responsible for the name. That makes it so much better as a bonding experience! It’s also good across cultures because the people from culture a will know the answers from culture a and the same for culture b, c etc. and it then becomes a natural exchange
I agree there are benefits to the diy version. Most published party games are based off some home version that’s long existed already. And on that note, most pussy games can be recreated as home versions without buying the experience.
most pussy games can be recreated as home versions without buying the experience.
Tell that to my local sex worker, amirite.
(I’m guessing typo?)
Oh sweet baby jeebus. Auto correct strikes again.
The key is low effort social engagement
- Person do thing
- Two rooms and a boom
- charades
Some things are good with groups, but require a little more commitment:
- One night ultimate werewolf
- Avalon
- code names
Plus one for werewolves, a lot of fun and because of the debating element you get to see people getting creative, evasive, their ability to lie and what not
One night is really fun, this summer I successfully ran it with a group of 12. Non gamers, But I wouldn’t say it’s a party game, but in a pregame for sure with the right group.
The phone app really helps in getting a group quickly into the game.
Drink More Glurp!
Towerfall and Mario Kart are fantastic for couch gaming with friends
Randomness is often desirable in party games because otherwise it’s usually a small number of people who are competitive and the rest are bored/quit.
Spaceteam
Codenames
Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes! Learn how bad at communication you really are!
This was going to be mine. I love this game! It’s more fun when folks go in cold and learn as they go along. Really easy to take turns so everyone gets a chance.
There’s this old game I was taught to play at Christmas called wet biscuit.
Essentially everyone sits in a circle around a cup of water and people take turns adding coasters under it, until the glass eventually spills
For bigger groups: Wavelength, Telestrations, Just One, The Game
For smaller groups: Mysterium, codenames, jackbox party packThe one where you stick a piece of paper on your forehead you have to guess what is written by asking yes/no questions to someone sitting in front of you.
