Parlor Games: Difference between revisions

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* '''Simon Says''', a children's game where someone gives orders (usually silly things like "clap your hands" or "jump up and down"). Everyone playing has to follow the commands as long as they're preceded by "Simon says". So if "Simon says clap your hands" you have to clap, but just "clap your hands", you don't. You're out if you either follow the command without the "Simon says" or don't follow it when they do say it. One variation has Simon do an action in addition to saying one, but you must do what "Simon says". Usually, Simon will do and say the same thing, but it could lead to situations where "Simon says clap your hands" but he physically jumps up and down as a trick; the proper action is to clap your hands. Last of the group still in usually gets to be the next one to call out the orders. This game can be challenging enough that it can still be used legitimately in fiction.

* '''Spin the Bottle''' and '''Two Minutes in the Closet''' (or whatever variation) are the classic young-coed-teen-party games. In the first one, sit in a circle, take turns spinning a bottle and kiss the first member of the opposite sex it points to. In the second, pull names/number out of a hat to form couples and go into the closet for two minutes and... amuse yourselves in some fashion. This is often a way to trap/nudge a character into his/her [[First Kiss]], to set up/exacerbate romantic jealousies or to contrast different levels of sexual activity among a bunch of kids of the same age. There will be much awkwardness, blushing and wiping of sweaty palms.

* '''Mafia''' divides the players into two teams. One team is initially much smaller than the other, but the composition of the teams is unknown to the members of the larger team. The game alternates between turns during which the larger team keep their eyes shut, allowing the smaller team to communicate in secrecy, and turns during which all players claim they belong to the larger team. The elimination of a player is debated every turn. Paper sheets or cards are often used to create the teams at the beginning and to "[[Dramatic Unmask|unmask]]" any player who was just eliminated. A [[Game Master|referee]] is normally required. Furthermore, a single player of the larger team has a hidden turn of his own, during which he learns the true allegiance of another player. Additional roles and teams can be introduced, potentially leading to at least one [[Double Reverse Quadruple Agent]]. In fictional works, [[Ten Little Murder Victims]] will sometimes play this kind of game right before it becomes the plot.

 

== Literature ==

* ''[[Jane Eyre]]'' features what is most possibly the most elaborate game of Charades ever. They make ''sets''.

* Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present observe Twenty Questions being played at Fred's Christmas party in Dickens' ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''. The "animal" in question turns out to be "Uncle Scrooge".

* At one point in ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', Spike and Harmony play Twenty Questions. It's a breadbox.

* Kate and Sawyer play I Never in a Season 1 episode of [[Lost]]

* In the ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "The Unicorn and the Wasp," the Doctor has been poisoned with cyanide, but can cleanse his system with only a few ingredients. Unfortunately, his mouth is full when he needs to tell Donna what he needs and a hilarious game of charades ensues:

'''The Doctor:''' How is "Harvey Wallbanger" one word?! }}

* Michael on ''[[The Office]]'' plays Charades in "Dinner Party," but he can't resist cheating. "Rhymes with Parnold Schporzenegger."

* The ''[[Three's Company]]'' episode "Jack Bares All (aka Oh Nurse), Part 2" has Mr. Furley introducing a game where each player makes up a question one word at a time. They don't like it, so they play a game in which everybody has to imitate another partygoer. Hilarity Ensues.

* Nephew Fred and his party play Twenty Questions in the 1951 version of [[A Christmas Carol|Scrooge]].

* In ''[[Young Frankenstein]]'', Frankenstein is strangled by the monster, and tries use charades to tell Igor and Inga to administer a "sedative". Their guesses include "said-a-give" and "said a dirty word".

* ''[[Demolition Man]]'': [[Big Bad]] Simon Phoenix references Simon Says as a sort of [[Catch Phrase]]:

'''Phoenix''': Simon says die! }}

* Mozart and his wife play Musical Chairs at a party in the film version of ''[[Amadeus]]''.

* ''[[FoxTrot]]'' had a comic where Roger and Andy played pictionary. Andy drew what was very obviously a boat, but Roger struggled to figure out what it was, suggesting such things as "a Christmas tree in a cereal bowl". When she wrote "boat" at the bottom of the page, he thought it was some kind of "pictionary shorthand".

* In [http://wapsisquare.com/comic/charades/ this] strip of ''[[Wapsi Square]]'', Katherine wants information from Monica who is barely capable of speech before [[Must Have Caffeine|her morning coffee.]] This results in a game of charades.

* Given a ''very'' spooky slant in ''[[Dark Fall: The Journal|Dark Fall: Lost Souls]]''. The fact you're playing them with a [[Creepy Child]] ghost doesn't help...