Hobbies And Interests
Mafia
Mafia is a complex mystery game best played with an older group of kids.
Begin by assigning roles. The leader, or "narrator," can do this by tapping heads while all the players have their eyes closed. Assign two mafia, one policeman and one doctor. Then begin play by going around the circle. Each player should introduce himself and state that he is not the mafia, giving a reason why if he wants (the reasons are usually silly). After everyone has introduced himself, the narrator announces that it&'s nighttime and says, "Townspeople, go to sleep." All the players must close their eyes.
While everyone&'s eyes are closed, the narrator says, "Mafia wake up and choose your victim." The two mafia players then look up, identify each other by looking at each other, and silently choose their victim by pointing. The two mafia must agree on who they want to "kill." When they have decided, the narrator says, "Mafia go to sleep."
Next the narrator says, "Doctor, wake up and save someone." The doctor silently opens his eyes and points at one person. This person is "saved" from the mafia, so if the doctor happened to choose the person whom the mafia planned to kill, then that person is not out of the game.
Next the narrator says, "Policeman, wake up and make your guess." The policeman silently opens his eyes and points at a person who he thinks might be the mafia. The narrator gives him a thumbs-up for yes or a thumbs-down for no, indicating whether that person is the mafia or not.
Finally, the narrator says, "Townspeople, wake up, except for [the player who was chosen by the mafia]." The player who was chosen by the mafia is out for the duration of the game. He can keep his eyes open throughout the rest of play, but he cannot speak or make any noises that would indicate the identity of the mafia to the other players.
All the players can then accuse other players of being the mafia. Everyone is allowed to make accusations, and everyone is allowed to lie. If someone is accused of being the mafia, another player must "second" the accusation. If the accusation is seconded, then the accused has a chance to defend himself. After he has finished explaining why he isn&'t the mafia, then the rest of the players vote on whether to "execute" him. A majority vote wins. Play continues until one player has been "executed." The "executed" player, like the "killed" players, is out for the rest of the round and can keep his eyes open but cannot talk. Once a player has been "executed," the narrator says, "Townspeople, go to sleep," and play continues as above. The game continues until either all the mafia have been executed or all the townspeople have been killed by the mafia.
Wink
Wink is similar to Mafia because it requires everyone to try to guess who the "killer" is, but its rules are simpler. To play Wink, choose one player (usually by tapping her head while everyone else&'s eyes are closed) to be the "killer." Players then sit in a circle. The killer "kills" other players by winking at them. If a player is winked at, she must silently count to 10 and then fall down. Other players try to guess who is winking. If a player thinks she knows who the "killer" is, she says, "I have a suspect!" and then states who she thinks it is. If she is wrong, she is out; if she is right, the round is over.
Psychiatrist
Psychiatrist is a mystery game in which the group of players creates a puzzle that one player must figure out. The "psychiatrist" leaves the room, and the rest of the players sit in a circle and choose what their "disease" will be. It could be something simple, such as having to tap their fingers on the floor every time they talk; or it could be complex, such as identity confusion so that each person thinks he is the person sitting to his right. After the group has agreed on their "problem," the psychiatrist comes back in. The psychiatrist then asks members of the group questions. He must use questions that can be answered with "yes" or "no," and he must address each question to a specific individual, not to the group as a whole. When the psychiatrist has figured out the "problem" shared by the group, then the round is over, and another player gets a turn as the psychiatrist.
Village Chief
Village Chief also requires one player to figure out the mystery set by the group. One person leaves the room, and the rest of the group sits in a circle and chooses one person to be the "village chief." The chief then begins a motion, such as waving her arms in the air, which the rest of the group imitates. Once the entire group is doing the motion, the group calls for the outside player to come back in. The outsider comes to stand in the center of the circle. The village chief periodically changes the motion, and the rest of the group follows her lead. The person in the middle of the circle tries to figure out who the village chief is.
Two Truths and a Lie
Two truths and a lie is a great game for a group of kids to get to know each other better. Each player takes a turn, one at a time. During a turn, the player must state three "facts" about himself. Two of the facts are true, and one is a lie. The rest of the players all guess which statement is a lie. For every player who guesses wrong, the player who made the statements gets a point. Every person who correctly guesses the lie also gets a point. The game continues until everyone has had a chance to tell two truths and a lie, and the player with the most points collected at the end wins.