My Favorite Party Games

[Gerald]

As a salute to Titus' "My Favorite" series of articles, I humbly add to the installment a list of my favorite party games.

To those who haven't read Titus' great lists, they basically talk about a few of the author's favorite titles of the genre.  The article(s) gives a brief description of each game and concisely discusses why the author likes them. 

I will be following this tradition, and I hope this lives up to what Titus started and that you, my beloved readers, will enjoy it.

A Definition of Party Games:
To me, party games are games where social interaction is emphasized over strategy and tactics; and the success of a game is measured more by how much you laugh than how well you do.  These games should have you in stitches.

A good party game should also be a breeze to teach/explain as a lengthy explanation can quickly dampen even the most festive of moods.  It should also have rules/variants that allow a good-sized number of players or groups... after all, no one wants to party by his or herself.

My Favorites:



Dixit
Dixit is a party game for 3-6 players where you use abstract drawings to try and express yourself to a limited number in your group.  Basically, you interpret a drawing (card) in your hand, place it face down and everybody else will choose a drawng (card) from their hand that they feel best depicts what you just said, laying it face down as well.  The cards are simultaneously revealed and everyone but the main clue-giver tries to guess what the original drawing was.  If everyone guesses correctly, everyone BUT the main clue-giver scores points.  If only SOME of the people guess correctly, they along with the main clue-giver scores points.

I like this game because its relatively simple and the replayability factor is VERY high due to the fact most people will interpret the abstract drawings in many different ways. Hilarity almost always ensues when people try to read how you would interpret a drawing and/or make a mistake and guess someone else's card leaving you bewildered as to how they can all misinterpret you.  The game has a timeless feel and is sure to be a party game classic for years to come.



Aargh!Tect
Aargh!Tect is a game for 4-8 players where you play as cavemen trying to build certain structures.  One player is the "architect" and communicates to his builders via grunts and select moves.  The architect then proceeds to show his approval/disapproval by hitting you with an inflatable spiked club (its soft and relatively safe as long as you don't wallop your friends with all your considerable might).  The first team to build a certain number of structures wins.

The game has INFLATABLE SPIKED CLUBS!  What's not to freakin' love?!

But seriously... the game is very fun and every group I have played it with has enjoyed it.  Its very simple and its always hilarious to see your friends jumping and dancing and grunting all in trying to communicate to you what needs to be done.  And, it has INFLATABLE SPIKED CLUBS!



Once Upon A Time
This is a game in which the players create a story together, using cards that show typical elements from fairy tales.  One player is the storyteller, and creates a story using the ingredients on her cards.  She tries to guide the plot towards her own ending.  The other players try to use cards to interrupt her and become the new storyteller.  The winner is the first player to play out all her cards and end with her Happy Ever After card.

I like this game because its all about the story... and the stories that players come up with can make you laugh till you cry because of its absurdity.  Granted, the game is very group dependent.  But if you can find the right group, this game is a hoot to play.



Train of Thought
Train of Thought by Tasty Minstrel Games is a party word game for 4-7 players.  Players take turns trying to get opponents to guess a particular word, giving only a three word clue - and one of those words must be from a prior answer!  For each clue given, each player may gander one guess.  If none of the guesses are correct, the clue-giver creates another clue, using one of the guesses and up to two other words.

When (or if) the word is correctly guessed, the guessing player and the clue-giver each get a point, and the clue-giver draws a new card and continues making/giving clues.  Get as many words as you can in two minutes!

What makes Train of Thought for me is how it forces you to apply a certain kind of logic.  Not exactly brain-burning logic, but I like how it gives a certain meatiness to the genre while at the same time not breaking the mold on how party games should make people laugh and provides high social interaction.  An excellent party game.



Telestrations
Each player starts with a notepad and a marker.  At the top of the notepad, each player writes a sentence/phrase/word.  Then they pass the papers to their left.  The next player "draws" the sentence/phrase/word a la Pictionary, then flips the page so only the drawing is visible and passes it to their left.  The next player looks at the drawing and writes a sentence/phrase/word that they think the drawing represents.  This continues until all players have their original notepad returned to them.  At the end, all players open their notepads, and much hilarity ensues as "I am the Walrus, koo-koo-ca-choo" becomes "Hitler and I danced the night away in a disco" or the word "Elves" becomes "Superhero".

This game is so much fun to play that most people that I play it with simply "forget" to score and just play it for the heck of it.  The laughs and guffaws that're sure to follow each round make this a party game staple. 

Honorable Mentions:

Time's Up
Time's Up and all its incarnations and variants is one of the most beloved party games.  Its fun, easy to teach, has tons of replayability and can handle up to a truckload of players.  The only reason that its not on my list is because I sometimes feel that the game can get too long for what it is.  Also, the game can sometimes become imbalanced if played with either players who have difficulty expressing themselves (which I myself am sometimes guilty of) or played with players who're too good or too knowledgeable (compared to the rest of the group).  Nonetheless, its a great party game that deserves to at least be experienced.

Cyrano
Cyrano is a poem writing party game.  Basically, the game gives you a theme and the rhyming sounds you need to use for each poem.  Its really a great game that promotes one's creativity as well as one's laughter.  The reason its not on my list is because the game is very group dependent, and one person who dislikes creative writing can ruin the experience for the whole group.  But, if you ever find yourself with a group that's open-minded and willing to try a party game that's different from the norm, look no further because Cyrano will leave you in stitches.

Conclusion:
There you go... my list of favorite party games.  This list is bound to change in time as newer games come along, but for now, these are the party games that I look to when I'm in the mood to play party games.

So, what are YOUR favorite party games?

[Titus]

Great list, Gerald! Aargh!Tect, Train of Thought, and Telestratons look like fun. I'd like to try them out one of these days.

Here's my list of favorites:

Time's Up: Title Recall - The most played game in my collection.
Werewolf - Best with just the basic game and 10 players.
Jungle Speed - Pretty physical; can cause finger injuries.
Wheedle - Knizia's version of Pit, a classic trading game.
Say Anything - Highly replayable but works best with people you know well.

I just bought but haven't played Word on the Street, which I've read good things about. I hope to try it out soon.

I also really like this party game that viscoos introduced me to recently whose name escapes me right now. The players are given cards, two of which are paired. The objective of the game is to figure out who the partners are, based on clue words that each player gives.

[Gerald]

I also really like this party game that viscoos introduced me to recently whose name escapes me right now. The players are given cards, two of which are paired. The objective of the game is to figure out who the partners are, based on clue words that each player gives.

I believe its called Linq.