I’m have a Christmas party where some different groups of friends will be meeting each other for the first time. I’d like some suggestions for drinking/party games to break the ice. It’ll be a big group so preferable games that don’t need to be sitting at a table. Suggestions?
My favorite drinking game is one that no one’s ever heard of. it’s called Fuck Pyramid. This is different than wiki’s Pyramid.
You deal out a pyramid of cards, face down, down to 4 rows (more if you want). These are the base cards for each round of the game, and one will be used per round. So there’s 4 cards in the bottom row, 3 in the next level, 2, then 1 top card. Each player gets 3 cards in the rounds that start with the bottom row of pyramid cards. Once those rounds are over, you start on the next level of the pyramid and give everyone 4 cards. 5 for the next, and 6 for the top level. Hopefully, by the last round, all the cards will be in circulation.
Now, to start a round, you flip the next card in the pyramid. So the first round will be the bottom left corner. The second round will start with the card adjacent to that, etc. As you do, you say “Fuck everyone.”
Now the fun starts. Any player, at any time, can play a card on top of that base card, so long as it matches the rank or suit of the card on top. As they do so, they announce “Fuck ____” where ____ is a player’s name. Let’s call him Jerry. Then any other player can play a matching card on top of that and announce a different player (or Jerry again). Play continues until everyone can’t or won’t play more cards on top.
You now have a stack of 15-20 cards that have been played. Pass these to the player that last played a card. Jerry then has to drink while that player counts the cards as slowly or quickly as they desire.
Example: Dealer flips over the 3c.
Jerry plays 3s “Fuck Mike”.
Amy, Mike’s girlfriend, comes to his defense and plays As “Fuck Jerry”
Todd, wanting to get into the mix, plays 9s “Fuck Jerry”
Jerry plays Js “Fuck Todd!” Amy is pleased that Jerry didn’t retaliate.
Todd plays Jd “Fuck Jerry”
Emily jumps in with 6d “Fuck Mike”
No one plays any more cards…“Fuck Mike 1…2…3”
Dealer passes cards to Emily, who counts off the 7 cards as Mike drinks.
Why this is fun: In five minutes, a group of strangers will have everyone’s name memorized. That’s the biggest reason. Secondly, in the above example, Jerry, noticing that Emily saved him, starts to bond with Emily. Amy and Mike partner up with Todd, who will hence forth help out the couple and expect some protection in return. But alliances don’t last long in party games. Who will betray whom, and when?
Lastly, there’s always some strange combination of cards that you wouldn’t expect. For example, everyone is out of cards except Mike with 3 and Todd with 1.
Mike plays the 3d “Fuck Todd”
No one plays for a second, and Mike knows no one has any diamonds.
Mike piles on with the 4d “Fuck Todd again”
Mike plays the last card, 5d “Fuck Todd again!” and sits back smugly
Todd shocks everyone, not with a diamond, but with the 5c “Fuuuuuck Miiiiiiiiiiiike!”
Crowd goes wild.
ETA: Naturally, you can always just say “screw”, but you’re all adults and you’re drinking…
Mafia makes a pretty decent party/drinking game, it can be as simple or as complex as the sobriety lasts.
Games that involve the whole group, you mean? IMO, that’s a recipe for disaster.
Apples to Apples always seems to be a blast while drinking. Easy to play, and most people seem to love it.
I like Wits & Wagers, but it does need a table
Brian
IME: Girls seem to love it.