Alright folks, today I actually put five party games head-to-head with my crew. You know, the usual suspects – my kinda boring coworkers and a couple of cousins who rarely get off their phones. We were stuck indoors thanks to that weird afternoon drizzle. I was determined to find stuff that wouldn’t need a ton of people or turning the living room upside down.
The Setup
First thing I did? Round ’em up. Had to promise snacks and maybe some light teasing to get everyone off their devices. Made sure the coffee table was cleared – essential flat surface territory. Grabbed a notepad to scribble down reactions, plus some random junk from around the house. Here’s what got tested:
The Contenders (and What Actually Happened)
Game 1: Mafia/Werewolf Lite
- Idea: Fast version. One “villager,” one “seer,” one “werewolf.”
- Did: Dealt out handwritten roles on scrap paper. Explained roles quickly.
- Result: Way too quiet! Only five people meant the werewolf (my cousin Dave) got sniffed out super fast in the first round. Everyone just stared at each other awkwardly. We abandoned ship after round two. Verdict? Needs way more players to build mystery. Flopped hard for us.
Game 2: Two Truths and a Lie
- Idea: Classic icebreaker. Tell three things, one false.
- Did: Made everyone go around the circle. Kicked it off myself: “I once met a famous actor; I can juggle; I hate chocolate.”
- Result: Surprisingly good! Easy to understand. Got folks talking and laughing. Dave’s lie (“I climbed Mount Everest”) was hilariously bad. Discovered my shy coworker Sarah has a pet parrot! Perfect mix of easy and revealing. Instant win.
Game 3: Charades
- Idea: Act out movie names without speaking.
- Did: Used an app to generate phrases. Divided into two tiny teams (2 vs 3!). One minute timer on my phone.
- Result: Mixed bag. Simple movies like “Titanic” (cue awkward sinking motion) worked great and got loud cheers. But someone got “Inception”… total chaos. Lots of wild gesturing and yelling “Deeper! Dreams!” Didn’t matter which team, we all just cracked up at the guesses. Points for energy!
Game 4: The Name Game (Categories)
- Idea: Pick a category, go around saying words starting with last letter of previous word.
- Did: Started easy: Animals. “Dog” -> “Giraffe” -> “Elephant”… Got to “Tapir”… then “Rhinoceros”… My cousin froze on “S”, panic ensued. Switched to countries.
- Result: Starts chill, gets tough FAST. Brain freeze is real! Good for maybe 10 minutes before people start groaning. Simple though, no prep needed. Solid filler game when the energy dips.
Game 5: Blind Drawing Pictionary
- Idea: Player A draws something with eyes closed, Player B guesses what A was trying to draw.
- Did: Gave Player A simple prompts like “Cat,” “Bicycle,” “House.” Blindfolded them with a spare scarf. Player B tries to interpret the squiggle.
- Result: Pure gold. The terrible drawings were legendary. My attempt at a “cat” looked like a blob with spikes. Guessing was hysterical – “Is that spaghetti?” “A dying spider?” Uncontrollable laughter every round. Zero artistic skill required, maximum laughs earned.
What Actually Stuck
Honestly? We cycled through these, stopping the duds early. The clear winners for my lazy, small group?
- Two Truths and a Lie: Dead simple, got everyone chatting. Low barrier, high fun.
- Charades: Good old-fashioned yelling and bad acting. Kept energy up.
- Blind Drawing: Hands down the biggest hit. Tears of laughter. Mandatory for next time.
We ditched Mafia quickly (sorry Dave!), and used the Name Game when conversation lagged. Snacks ran out before the games did. I call that a win. You gotta try the blind drawing thing next time you’re stuck inside.
