Number of players: 5+
Time: 2mins+ per game (depending on players)
Ages: 7+
Items needed: Paper and pencils (optional)
Language: Any
Location: Indoor
Charades – guess a word based on clues given. This is a very common game, but we have a few variations that will make this game exciting (if itself was already not!).
There should be at least 3 to 5 banned words which are commonly associated with the main word to be gussed. For example Areoplane. Banned words could be, fly, sky, plane, airport, wings. Gamemaster should prepare the game in advance.
Group variations:
1. For small groups, a player gives clues while one other player makes the guesses. Players rotate roles in sequence until all has played. Player with most correct guesses win.
2. For medium groups, players are divided into two teams. Carry on playing the game with the arrangment described above in no.1
3. For medium groups, players are divided into two teams, A and B. One player from team A gives clues while all players from Team A guesses. Repeat this arrangement for Team B. At the end of all rounds, team with the most correct guesses wins.
4. For larger groups, players are divided into two teams, A and B. Starting with Team A, a player is nominated to give clues while whole of Team B guesses. As this variation is for larger groups (15+), to save time. It requires integrity from all players to give proper clues.
Game variations:
1. Passing the clue
All players sit in a line (or sequence). The clue is given by the gamemaster to the first player and it is passed down to the last player who then guesses what the word is. As the clues are passed down, information may be lost and we get a laugh at how different the final answer as compared to the original clue/word given.
This variation is better played when participants are asked to draw the word. Or, when participants are asked to pass a long non-sensical sentence (eg. Little John climbed out of the bathtub into the rabbit’s hole when asked to eat a pancake)
Other variations:
1. Guessing of themes. Eg. Movies, Animals, Bible Characters, Countries, Fruits.
2. Guessing of idioms. This may be fun in other languages as well.
3. Clues given by drawings/ speech/ actions only.
This site can be used for generating words: https://www.thegamegal.com/word-generator/