Multi-player Games

I’m a great believer in luck. The harder I work the more I have of it.
Thomas Jefferson

This game is for 2 players. If you can keep score in your head, you don’t need anything to play; otherwise you might want a piece of paper and something to write with. You win by outscoring your opponent, and you get points by asking for them, but there are a few restrictions.

• On each turn, each player asks for either 1 or 2 points.
• If both players ask for 1 point, both get a point
• If both players ask for 2 points, neither gets any points.
• If one player asks for 2 points and the opponent asks for 1 point, the player asking for 2 gets 2 points; the opponent gets nothing.

To ask for points, each player makes a fist, and both players tap their fists 3 times together on a real or imaginary table. On the 3rd tap, each player extends either 1 or 2 fingers.

Challenge the professor

If you have more than 2 players, divide them into teams and either play for a fixed length of time or a fixed number of turns. Even with just 2 players, you can use different strategies to try for a higher score than previous games.

This game is for 3 or more players, but works best with a larger group. There are numerous variants, all requiring "psychic sender" and "psychic receiver" collaborators who know the secret. The other players must try to figure out the system and if successful, become "senders" or "receivers" themselves. One simple variation doesn’t require any props. The "sender" says "Anyone who has the power, please leave the room". All "receivers" leave so they can’t see what happens next. The "sender" then points to someone still in the room. When the "receiver" returns, they point to the designated person. The "sender" and "receiver" can develop their own secret system, but one simple procedure uses the "first to speak" principle. After the "sender" says "Anyone who has the power..." the next person to speak is designated by the "sender". Since several people usually speak between the time the "receiver" leaves and returns, it isn’t so easy to figure out. If nobody speaks by the time the "receiver" is ready to leave, the "sender" or "receiver" may speak and therefore be designated.

Other variations use props for an added air of mysticism. With a "magic wand" and 9 magazines or other rectangular objects about the same size, the "receiver" leaves and someone in the group points to one of the magazines. The "receiver" returns and the "sender" taps the magazines randomly with the "magic wand". As the "sender" taps the designated magazine, the "receiver" says, "stop". The magazines are arranged in 3 columns of 3 rows each. The "sender" and "receiver" imagine that the cover of each magazine is divided into 9 regions, each region corresponding to one of the 9 magazines. The "sender" taps on the region corresponding to the designated magazine.

If the upper right magazine is designated, the "sender" taps in the upper right corner of each magazine.