Adult Party Games
So what happens when the mingling has come to a standstill, the appetizers have been sufficiently destroyed, and each guest has consumed their 1/10 gallon of punch? Why, games, of course. No, party games aren’t just some retro notion from the '50s, nor are they only for baby showers. A good one can really bring your guests out of their shell and get a party off the ground.
Exquisite Corpse
Rumor has it that this hilarious game was invented by the surrealists of the '20s. This is how it works: party guests sit in a circle, either on the ground or around a table. Everyone is outfitted with a pen and an unlined sheet of paper. It begins with every participant writing a random sentence at the very top of the paper. The paper is then passed to the right, where the next person has to draw a little picture underneath, to illustrate the sentence. The paper is then folded, so the original sentence is hidden, and again passed to the right. The next person then has to write a sentence describing the little picture they see. They fold down the little picture and pass their sentence on to the next person. The passing continues until the paper has been filled with alternating sentences and pictures. Then the papers are unfolded and the de-evolution of the original sentence read aloud.
- Why it’s great: Players need no particular skills—in fact, the worse they are at drawing, the more hilarious the outcome.
- Good for: Up to 20 players.
Two Truths and a Lie
This is another good game to get your mum party guests to come out of their shell. Again, have guests sit in a circle on the floor or around a table. As the host, you should begin and break the ice—explain that you’ll be telling three things about yourself, two that are true, and one that’s a fib. For example: I’ve been parasailing in Honduras, broken my right little toe, and once sat next to Susan Sarandon on a cross-country flight. The guests discuss as a group which is made up, and must vote to determine their answer.
- Hint: A good strategy is to tell seemingly outrageous truths, and to make your lie relatively tame in comparison.
- Good for: Any number of people, though more than 15 can get unruly.
Kitchen Drawer
If you’re looking for a game that’s a tad bit more raucous, this can be a good option. Choose a guest’s name out of a hat to select who will go first. This guest will be blindfolded and given a kitchen implement, like a wooden spoon, spatula, etc. (just not a pointy one!). Then, another guest’s name is pulled, but their identity is not revealed to the blindfolded guest. Stand these two guests face to face, about two feet apart. Now the blindfolded guest has to learn the other’s identity—only through feeling them with their kitchen implement!
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Good for: Any size group.