# Games you can play in a confined area with no accessories? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 31, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-you-can-play-in-a-confined-area-with-no-accessories/607949 "2011-12-31T15:27:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nehemiah\_Samedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7993a0/32.png) [@Nehemiah\_Samedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nehemiah_Samedi)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-you-can-play-in-a-confined-area-with-no-accessories/607949/1 "2011-12-31T15:27:05Z")
In about four days, I will probably be going to jail for 2-4 days. Nothing serious, but a serious inconvenience for sure. The main issue that I have with the whole situation is that jail is so goddamn BORING! I can’t have a book, or paper and pencil. Nothing other than the clothing issued to me pretty much, so I have to invent my own ways of entertaining myself. I was thinking about playing some sort of storytelling game, such as The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchhausen, but you gotta get lucky and find some other people there who are receptive to that sort of game. Does anybody have any other suggestions for games I can can play with my fellow jailpeople for a while to keep things fun? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/46a35a/32.png) [@UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UFC_Is_Sux)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-you-can-play-in-a-confined-area-with-no-accessories/607949/2 "2011-12-31T15:44:42Z")
There’s always pocket pool. And I think you’re going to find that your cellmates probably won’t be very amenable to any “Let’s put on a show!!!” outreach from you. They’re going to have their own problems and issues, and might not take kindly to your entertainment suggestions. I don’t mean to sound like Debbie Downer here, but jail just isn’t a fun place. If it were me, I would keep to myself. And you might want to check with your jailers about paper and pencil - many correctional facilities hand those out free for the asking (some US states have a law that requires them to so you can do legal matters). ---
**Author:** ![Nehemiah\_Samedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7993a0/32.png) [@Nehemiah\_Samedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nehemiah_Samedi)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-you-can-play-in-a-confined-area-with-no-accessories/607949/3 "2011-12-31T19:37:48Z")
You’re probably right about most people not wanting to do anything like play roleplaying games, but last time I went I met a few people who were pretty cool. Unfortunately pens / pencils are prohibited because they are afraid of somebody getting stabbed with one. ---
**Author:** ![UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/46a35a/32.png) [@UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UFC_Is_Sux)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-you-can-play-in-a-confined-area-with-no-accessories/607949/4 "2011-12-31T19:50:34Z")
> [@Nehemiah\_Samedi](#): > > You’re probably right about most people not wanting to do anything like play roleplaying games, but last time I went I met a few people who were pretty cool. Unfortunately pens / pencils are prohibited because they are afraid of somebody getting stabbed with one. In the county jail where I used to work, they handed out soft ink pens that looked like the refill insert for a standard pen. Soft clear rubber, quite impossible to stab anybody with. (Of course the inmates quickly discovered that they made great tattoo ink when heated with a “stinger” (field-expedient beverage heater), which they proceeded to do with great enthusiasm.) Seriously, before you go do your time, check the law in your state or territory. Many jurisdictions do require that inmates have access to paper, envelopes and writing utensils, even if its only while under the direct supervision of a jailer. Many jurisdictions require that inmates have access to a law library as well (ours was rudimentary but had a copy of all the Penal Codes for my state and several copies of Black’s Law Dictionary). ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-you-can-play-in-a-confined-area-with-no-accessories/607949/5 "2012-01-12T15:00:25Z")
Well, how was it? ---
**Author:** ![Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/13edae/32.png) [@Interconnected\_Series\_of\_Tubes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interconnected_Series_of_Tubes)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-you-can-play-in-a-confined-area-with-no-accessories/607949/6 "2012-01-12T22:03:35Z")
Besides boring. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-you-can-play-in-a-confined-area-with-no-accessories/607949/7 "2012-01-12T22:16:32Z")
Uh oh…looks like the other prisoners didn’t like game night. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-you-can-play-in-a-confined-area-with-no-accessories/607949/8 "2012-01-13T21:48:03Z")
For future reference: Nim, which we always called the “garbage game” since it can basically played with pieces of anything. We used 16 traditionally but whatever quantity is handy works. > **[Nim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nim)** > > Nim is a mathematical game of strategy in which two players take turns removing (or "nimming") objects from distinct heaps or piles. On each turn, a player must remove at least one object, and may remove any number of objects provided they all come from the same heap or pile. Depending on the version being played, the goal of the game is either to avoid taking the last object or to take the last object. > Variants of nim have been played since ancient times. The game is said to have originated in ... ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-you-can-play-in-a-confined-area-with-no-accessories/607949/9 "2012-01-13T22:43:30Z")
[Unee tugaluulax](http://www.wikimanqala.org/wiki/Unee_tugaluulax) All you need to play is 36 dungballs, which you should be able to fashion for yourself in jail. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-you-can-play-in-a-confined-area-with-no-accessories/607949/10 "2012-01-13T23:33:50Z")
I suppose seven minutes in heaven is out of the question? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/games-you-can-play-in-a-confined-area-with-no-accessories/607949/11 "2012-01-15T19:25:05Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Uh oh…looks like the other prisoners didn’t like game night. Bravo.