# Games that require no equipment **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 20, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478 "2009-10-20T14:57:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thwartme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/1 "2009-10-20T14:57:24Z")
My friends and I have two games we regularly play on car trips, while standing in line at the movies, or whenever else we’re just hanging around with time to kill. The first is “MOVIES”. Someone names a movie, then the next person must name an actor/actress who was in the movie. The third person must name a different movie with that same performer. Then a different movie with THAT actor, then a new actor, etc… If you miss or get one wrong, you get a letter. If you spell the word “MOVIE”, you’re out. The second game is “MUSIC”. It’s played more or less the same as the first game, only it uses lyrics from songs. I give you a word, you must come up with a song that uses that word in the lyrics. Then you must pick a different word from the lyrics of your song, and the player after you must come up with a second song that uses that same word. And so on, and so on. If you miss or get one wrong, you get a letter. If you spell the word “MUSIC”, you’re out. For both games, that are a handful of rules about repetition, order of play, bluffing, etc. The virtue of both games is that you don’t need any kind of equipment to play them. No dice, no board, no paper & pencil, nothing. What games have you got that you can play anywhere? thwartme (P.S. If anyone is interested, I could post our specific rules for either of the above games. Similarly, if you already play a variation of either of them, please let me know your own unique twist. Thx.) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/2 "2009-10-20T15:06:08Z")
When I read the OP I was thinking about games like tag or hide and seek, which aren’t really useful in line. 🙂 There’s always I Spy, of course. And the one where you name countries that begin with the last letter of the last one, and everybody gets screwed on the A’s. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@Red\_Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/3 "2009-10-20T15:40:15Z")
When I was a kid we used to play the license plate game, where you have to make words from the letters in the license plates. Example EMB 9008 : **e** nto **mb** ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@Red\_Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/4 "2009-10-20T15:43:42Z")
Also we play the Name game around the fire. You have to say the name of a famous person who’s first name begins with first letter of the previous person’s last name and if you use a person whose first and last name begin with the same letter then it reverses. So If I said Michael Jordan the next person could say John Lennon, or Janet Jackson; if the latter then the order would reverse and it would be my turn again. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/5 "2009-10-20T15:47:42Z")
“Geography”. The first player starts with the name of a geographical location that begins with “A”, the second player takes the last letter of that location and gives the name of one that starts with the same letter, the next player takes the last letter of second one, etc. As with the two games in the OP, there are a handful of rules about repetition, order of play, bluffing, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/6 "2009-10-20T17:04:39Z")
We have different rules for MUSIC : 'round here, somebody picks a word, then someone else has to name a song with that word in the lyrics (and if possible, sing the bit where the word appears, esp. in the case of obscure songs), then another player has to come up with a different song with the same word, etc… until someone can’t find a song. When that happens, everyone else gets one point, and the losing player gets to choose the next word. We usually play in two teams (of two in a car, of half the diners at a restaurant), so that the songs can come in rapid fire. Also, the score is easier to keep that way. ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/7 "2009-10-20T17:39:29Z")
A couple used for long car journeys here in the UK. We used to be able to play car number plate blackjack - first number of the next car to pass you on the motorway with options to hold between vehicles. There were some rules for generating the picture cards dependent on the final letter but I cannot recall them from over 30 years ago. This was in the day UK plates went ABC 123A. Now they only use 5’s and 0’s so it’s a dead dog idea. “Pub legs” though is still possible so long as your journey has enough non-motorway periods. You take turns to draw the next pub you pass - you score the number of legs in the name or the sign if unclear. You each run an aggregate score - winner is highest score when you arrive at a destination. A potential cliff hanger if the destination is a pub/inn/hotel and it may be sign dependent. Recall somebody once tried to claim 70,000 as the estimated number of legs at the “Battle of Nasby” - he got 10 - for the one horse and rider and two foot soldiers depicted on the pub sign. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/8 "2009-10-20T19:24:49Z")
Namegame. Someone tosses out a category (Oscar winning actors, Beatles albums, or land mammals, for example) and you just go around naming stuff in the category. Repeats, wrong answers, or hesitation knock you out of the round. It’s more fun with a group of people who share some specialized knowledge so you can do specific categories. We play it at Magic tournaments with categories like “Creatures that cost 2R”. Yeah, we’re geeks. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/9 "2009-10-20T19:40:55Z")
I’ve got two. First: A kind of ‘lite’ version of _B for Botticelli_. One person thinks of a person (could be living, dead, fictional, non-fictional, famous, non-famous) that the other person/people knows. That person announces the first letter of the subject’s last name. The other person/people ask yes/no questions until they get it or give up. No limit on questions. The only rule is that you can’t pick someone so obscure that the guesser hasn’t heard of them. Second: I don’t know the name for it, but it’s a word game for two people. You take turns announcing letters. The person who loses is the person who spells an English word. The trick is that you cannot say a letter that would eliminate all possible words. If you believe that your opponent has done this, you say “challenge” and they tell you what word they’re thinking of. Games only last a couple of minutes, so you play a series of them. Examples: 1: “R…” 2: “…O…” 1: [can’t say “T,” “B,” “D,” etc., because those would make “rot,” “rob,” and “rod”, respectively. Can’t say “F” because no words start “R-O-F.” Finally…] “…L…” 2: [thinks for a while - can’t say “L” because that makes “roll.” Can’t say “E” because that makes “role.” Finally…] “…O!” 1: “Huh? What word starts with ‘R-O-L-O’? I challenge!” 2: “Rolodex!” 1: Bullshit! That’s a proper noun. 2: No way! It’s common usage! 1: [Hilarious and stimulating argument ensues] 3: “S…” 4: “…T…” 3: “…O…” 4: “…A…” 3: “Ha! You lose.” 4: “What? Why?” 3: “A ‘stoa’ is some kind of architectural feature from ancient Persia, I think.” 4: “That’s too obscure. Don’t be a dick.” 3: “Okay fine. We’re at ‘S-T-O-A.’ What’s your next letter.” 4: “No, I said the ‘A’. It’s your turn.” 3: “Crap. Okay. Um… ‘Stoat’ is a word, right?” 4: “Yeah, it’s like a kind of mouse or something.” 3: “I thought it was a weasel.” 4: “Whatever. You can’t say ‘T.’” 3: [Ponders] “Um…” 4: “Ha ha! Submit!” 3: “Goddamn it. You win. Okay. My turn to start.” 5: “E…” 6: “…Q…” 5: “…U…” 6: “…I…” 5: “…L…” 6: “…A…” 5: “Huh? What are you trying to spell? ‘Equi-LAB-rium’?” 6: “Nope.” 5: “Then you’re misspelling it.” 6: “If you want to challenge, then challenge.” 5: [wracks brain … finally …] “Challenge.” 6: “Equilateral.” 5: “Argh!!!” Obviously, this game can be played only when no one has access to a dictionary; otherwise it becomes too easy. It leads to lots of stimulating debate/conversation, and is an easy way to kill 20 minutes in the car. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/10 "2009-10-20T19:46:24Z")
Sugegsted by The great George Carlin: New Sentence. His example was “Toss a couple of those anchors over here, I’ve got room for a few more in my pockets.” The idea is simply to make up a sentence which no one has ever uttered before. Much hilarity with the right group. And of course, there’s always “The Minister’s Cat.” ---
**Author:** ![Aghris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecccb3/32.png) [@Aghris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aghris)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/11 "2009-10-20T21:39:36Z")
The following is really a drinking game, but I suppose you could play it without alcohol. It’s more fun (and more difficult) with though: I call it 7s. Played with 3 or more players. Each player must call out a number, in order, that has no 7 in it, or is not divisible by 7. Every time you get it wrong, you must do a shot. Then, the whole sequence starts over: Player 1: 1 Player 2: 2 Player 3: 3 Player 1: 4 Then: 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, etc. It gets more difficult at the higher numbers, and with more alcohol. A variation, and even more confusing, best played when there are more than 4 players: same as above, but when a number with an 8 in it, or which is divisible by 8, the order of players reverses. If the wrong person calls out a number he should do a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/12 "2009-10-20T21:45:33Z")
It’s usually played with equipment, of course, but no equipment is actually needed for chess. Some prisoners of war in Vietnam entertained themselves by playing mental chess against each other, calling out moves from cell to cell. Since most of them weren’t previously habitual chess-players, and since they had nothing better to do in their every waking moment than play chess, they actually came up with some novel strategies that caught the rest of the chess world by surprise when they were released. ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/13 "2009-10-21T08:35:01Z")
I would be a bit surprised at that Chronos. I’m a chess player (who would have guessed) - what you would call in the US a Catagory D player - and have tried playing double blindfold chess and unless somebody else is following the position with a board it is all too easy to reach dispute as to whether a move is legal or not as they have differentt positions in their heads and no record of the moves made. Blindfold chess is incredibly difficult for those below IM level, let alone for new strategy to be devised that might surprise the chess world - even the chess world back in the 70’s before computer chess engines. Got a cite? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/14 "2009-10-21T10:56:45Z")
I’m a rated player just below IM strength (ELO 2265) and I’ve been playing blindfold chess since I was 15. I teach chess at a Private School and any pupil approaching 2200 can play blindfold too. It’s quite tiring, but on long journeys it’s perfectly possible. I would certainly expect players of that strength to remember games perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/15 "2009-10-21T14:18:22Z")
Find the next letter of the alphabet in a sign. You have to use a new sign for the next letter. Find a new state license plate that hasn’t been seen this trip. ---
**Author:** ![notquitekarpov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@notquitekarpov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notquitekarpov)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/16 "2009-10-22T09:42:37Z")
Okay Glee - but I’m not a million miles out if you are near IM strenght. My main point was you have to be a strong player to do it at all. Do you see that “new strategies” might emerge from that form of the game that would “surprise the chess world”? I can’t imagine there would be that many ELO 220 chess playing POWs let alone in the same camp such that they can play each other. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/17 "2009-10-22T09:51:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Some prisoners of war in Vietnam entertained themselves by playing mental chess against each other, calling out moves from cell to cell. Since most of them weren’t previously habitual chess-players, and since they had nothing better to do in their every waking moment than play chess, they actually came up with some novel strategies that caught the rest of the chess world by surprise when they were released. > [@notquitekarpov](#): > > My main point was you have to be a strong player to do it at all. Do you see that “new strategies” might emerge from that form of the game that would “surprise the chess world”? > > I can’t imagine there would be that many ELO 220 chess playing POWs let alone in the same camp such that they can play each other. I haven’t heard of these POW players and would be interested to get a cite. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/18 "2009-10-22T16:31:05Z")
The annoying thing about sponging up factoids from everywhere is that afterwards, you can never remember where they come from. I’ll see if I can find a cite, but if **glee** has never heard of it, it’s quite possible that it’s not true after all. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/19 "2009-10-22T16:36:43Z")
“Penis!” Favorite game of middle-school students everywhere. You can even play it _in class_ if you’re brave and you start out quiet enough; I used to do that, and always won. ---
**Author:** ![Pulp\_Friction](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2acd7d/32.png) [@Pulp\_Friction](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pulp_Friction)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478/20 "2009-10-22T18:55:06Z")
This one is actually a lot of fun (though my description may not sound like it). It’s called I’m Going Camping. The person who starts says, “I’m going camping and I’m bringing \_\_\_\_\_\_” The next person says, “I’m going camping and I’m bringing (random object)”, after which the first person say either “you can come” or “you cannot come”. And so on. The object is for the group to try and figure out what the requirements are for coming along, based on the gameplay and what others may or may not come camping with. A Simplified Example: Person One: “I’m going camping and I’m bringing an apple.” Two: “…an orange.” One: “You cannot come.” Three: “…a grape.” One: “You cannot come.” Four: “…a blanket.” One: “You can come.” Five: “…a comb.” One: “You can come.” This is an obvious A-B-C progression, but you can make it as complicated as you like. You can bring only red things, or items that begin with the last letter in your surname, or items that start with the letter of the city in which you live. The possibilities are endless. The fun part comes when everyone in the group - except one person - gets the requirements. You can go round and round with the last player getting more and more frustrated. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-that-require-no-equipment/514478.md?page=2)