Rules for Game of Charades

Getting Started

• The traditional game of charades requires only a group of people, a timer, slips of paper, writing utensils and containers for each team to put their slips in, like bowls, paper bags or hats. To set up the game, divide the group into two teams and send each team to separate rooms where they make up phrases for their opponents to act out.

Game Play

• To start the game, the first person chosen to act chooses a slip from the opposing team&'s basket and attempts to convey whatever is on the slip to his teammates without words and within the agreed-upon time limit.

  Phrases can be movie titles, song titles, band names, common phrases or quotations, people, book titles, TV shows, events, locations or websites. Rules vary by group about how the phrases can be described, but most allow number of words using fingers and a descriptive and easily recognized motion. For example, a person acting out "The Bad News Bears" might begin with four fingers to indicate four words and hand gestures that mimic cranking an old-fashioned movie camera. Once a phrase has been used, it is discarded from the game.

Common Gestures

• Some easily recognized gestures have become standard to charades play. Most people will understand it&'s a person if you put your hands on hips or a book title if you press your hands together, then open them like a book. For the title of a play, pretend to open a theater curtain by pulling a rope; for a song title, pretend to sing using a microphone; and for the name of a TV show, draw an imaginary rectangle in the air.

  You can also pretend to be using a mouse for a web site, curl two fingers of each hand for quotation marks, point to your wrist to indicate time or a specific event, and pull your earlobe to indicate that the word you&'re acting out sounds like the answer. When someone guesses correctly, point at your nose with one hand and the person who guessed correctly with the other hand. The more physical you get, the more hysterical the game will be. No one will remember prim little movements, but flopping on the floor like a fish will get the big laughs and make the game much more fun.

Against the Rules

• While game play can be altered by agreement of players, there are some standard rules. Sounds of any kind are not allowed, except clapping when players agree. Lip movements and sign language are forbidden. Pointing to objects in the room is never allowed. If the answer is "The Red Balloon" and the player points to a red balloon, it&'s not much of a game.

Ending the Game

• The teams alternate play until every team member on each team has had the opportunity to play the actor at least once. Each successful guess counts as one point. At the end of the game, whichever team has the most points wins.