Party games for New Year’s Eve

by Peter Neugebauer

There are many kinds of party games, all designed to entertain: some call for spontaneous creativity while others require players to goof around or really showcase their knowledge.

Party games differ from classic board games in two key ways. Firstly, they can be played in large groups of up to eight or more and may require teams to be formed. In some cases, the materials may only allow for five or six players, but that’s really an exception. Secondly, party games are generally short. After a brief explanation, everyone can immediately get playing. Sometimes, players can join in after the game has already started or leave during play without that bringing the fun to a halt. These are real benefits for lively party groups.

Classic quizzing

Let‘s bop. Hitster in all its forms has been a popular party game in recent years. Now Jumbo has added another idea on top with Hitster Bingo. A disco ball sparkles and spins to determine the category, e.g. “Decade”. What decade is the song from? A little card is drawn, the QR code is scanned and Spotify plays the song on a smartphone. Everyone has to note down what they hope is the right answer. If they’re correct, they get a cross on their bingo board. The first person to complete five squares in a row is crowned the champion. The reverse side of the board offers more difficult categories for real music aficionados. The game can be adapted to the level of the group. As an added bonus, the players get to bop along to the music and reminisce while playing.

Just keep guessing. Quiz game 30 Seconds from Denkriesen really shines with its minimalist design. The players form teams and take turns describing the words on the cards. They have 30 seconds on a sand timer to get their teammates to guess any or all of the five terms on their card in any order. The more correct guesses, the faster the team moves along the board. After that, another team has their turn with a different card. The guessing game is fast-paced thanks to the rapid-fire descriptions, explanations and answers. It works well when as many people as possible join in within the individual groups. There is sufficient material for 16, 20 or even 24 players. The names to be guessed cover all genres and appeal to multiple generations. That’s another thing that makes the game stand out.

Taking guessing to new levels. Hot on the heels of the popular quiz games of recent decades, such as Trivial Pursuit and Bezzerwizzer, the traditional question-and-answer format is given a modern twist in Kwiz from Asmodee. The categories are varied. Each group estimates how well it knows the respective subject, as there are ten different levels of difficulty. If they get the answer correct, they move a little or a lot depending on how brave they were. With a maximum possible jump of ten places, teams can catch up, surge ahead or repeatedly fail miserably. Selecting which level of difficulty to play takes on an exciting dynamic of its own. The game has plenty of question cards. The inside of the top cover of the box serves as the board. There’s no separate timer since we all have one on our phones these days. Neither are any play pieces included, so players can use anything handy – perhaps a lipstick, coin, etc. A bold but brilliant move?

Sort on a scale of 1 to 100. In ito from HeidelBär, everyone draws a number card and keeps the value secret. Then a random prompt from a large pool is read out, such as: who or what would I rescue if my house was on fire? Everyone gives an answer based on the value in their hands and places their card face down in the centre of the table with its own colour marking. The players now have to cooperate to put the concealed numbers into their correct numerical order. If the values differ greatly, then this is an easy undertaking. If they are close, however, there is great excitement when the numbers are revealed to be in the correct order. Taking the question posed above as an example, the answer “my mother” would certainly rank very highly. “My mobile phone”, meanwhile, might have a very different significance depending on the person giving the answer. This is sure to lead to further questions and discussions. And that’s the desired effect.

The drawing game for people who can’t draw. Krakel Orakel from frechverlag is a cooperative game. Everyone gets their own doodle board. This looks like a cutting pattern, with lines criss-crossing the whiteboard. Each player then gets a card with a secret word on it that they have to sketch on their board using the lines already shown there. All of the cards originally dealt are collected and shuffled in with the same number of cards containing terms that were not used. Then the cards are spread openly on the table. After the doodling comes the guessing. The fake terms have to be identified. It’s amazing how often the right lines can be found in the pattern, even though it is so simplified. Anyone who wants a higher level of difficulty can select from the abstract words, which are much more demanding.

Fingerplay. Mattel is in the game with If You Were. There are two ways to play, and things are sure to get a little heated. The first way to play is to ask questions with a single answer, e.g. if we were all fish, which of us would be the piranha? The players count down and then, at the same time, point at their chosen player. Or the group can opt to play multiple choice questions with five options, e.g. a sexy cartoon character may be asked for. Might it be Shrek, SpongeBob, Marge Simpson or someone else? Again, all show the number of fingers corresponding to their choice at the same time. In both cases, a point is awarded to the players that are in the majority with their choices. And there are bound to be discussions about why others picked a different answer. A game for getting to know one another (even better).

Mind reading? Surely not. Perdix Spiele calls Medium a psychic card game. A large group of players gather around a table and work in pairs. One member of the pair plays a card from their hand with a term, e.g. “airport”, and that becomes the theme. The second plays a card from their hand, perhaps “owl”, from which it may be possible to make an association. Both count from three down to one and then say at the same time the word that they immediately feel links both. For example, they might well land on “flying” in this instance. The pair have up to three attempts and are awarded tokens for correct associations. Sometimes both players may be at a loss for a linking word, but when they find one it’s a great moment for them and sure to impress those watching. Emotions are more important than the final point tallies. So, the game really has nothing to do with tapping into telepathic energies.

It’s all about your point of view. Haba is doing a lot of new things with Point ofView. Up to four individual players or teams of two can take part. Each is assigned a cardinal point and given the relevant folding map. These maps show a vibrant island scene following a plane crash, but each from a different perspective. And that’s precisely where the game’s task lies. The West player has a different view of the scene than the South player, and so on. They have to work through a stack of puzzle cards that can be read aloud to the players via an app. In most cases, these can only be solved by everyone putting their heads together. For example, some inscriptions on the front of buildings can only be deciphered from around the corner. Communication and collaboration are everything, making this both an exciting and challenging game. Everyone can feel especially satisfied when they manage to puzzle out difficult questions requiring input from all four points of view. A number of card packs with entirely different questions immerse players in the hidden object scenes of this “Lost Places” game. A true adventure, experienced four ways.

Table fun

Beat the timer. Two players or groups face off against each other. In Danger Danger from Exploding Kittens, distributed by Asmodee, the sides take turns to lay number cards on their own cards or those of their opponents. They can’t just lay any cards on top of each other, however, as the cards must be played in numerical sequence. The aim is to end up the team with the most case symbols. If a team succeeds in putting a good distance between themselves and the opposing team, they should end their round by “going out”. After just 60 seconds, the time is up. If their opponents don’t manage to build up their number of cases before the (hidden) timer goes off, then the team wins. This means they have to play their cards well but also have a good feeling for how much time has elapsed. And that’s what makes the game exciting and fresh. It’s not easy to guess accurately how much time is left as a minute ticks away. Especially in a big group. The game is designed as a series, so the two groups have to face multiple challenges.

Chanting with feline friends. In Miezekatze (English: Beatz’n’Catz) from Edition Spielwiese, distributed by Huch!, all players together follow a task card with simple instructions, e.g. get a fist bump from the two players sitting each side of them. Then it’s on to their next task, such as beating their (own) chests with their fists. However, they first have to repeat the initial task. This continues until there are seven or eight little actions that the group has to work through systematically. That’s when mistakes happen. None of this is earth-shattering. Which is why players also have to chant while playing this memory game. During every action, all the players have to say “Beatz’n’Catz, Beatz’n’Catz”. With gentle swaying movements, everyone completes the mini-tasks while chanting away. Each sequence is concluded with a final act of the group’s choice. Perhaps a Mexican wave? It's all crazy but also funny. Over and over again, adults sway to the Beatz’n’Catz rhythm. All of this grooving is sure to leave everyone feeling great.

Turning OMG into OMP. The pigeons are loose. Oh My Pigeons from Ravensburger is a fun game that doesn’t involve a great deal of tactics but does serve up a good helping of schadenfreude. Everyone starts with their own bench, with three little pigeon pieces perched on the seat or back. The aim is to collect nine birds. A simple card mechanism causes movement among the flock of pigeons. They flap about restlessly to the left or right, or come from the pool in the middle of the table to the railings. Sometimes even the benches get switched. And the surprise play is the pigeon dropping, which may really cause feathers to fly, or perhaps not. This is a game of back and forth, and players who think they’re winning may get overtaken. It’s all about fun, a bit of skill and a whole lot of injustice. Thankfully, the game is quick and easy to play, allowing for round after round of coo-rrific fun.

Well silly. I Am Done from Pegasus really involves some crazy card playing. The only thing players need to decide is whether to draw a card from the stack or play one in their hand. Ultimately, they have to arrange the card images they hold to form “I” “Am” “Done” and (perhaps) win. However, a played card usually goes on the discard pile and has to be dealt with accordingly. The most unlikely obligations arise in the process, without wishing to give any spoilers away. There’s simply no end to the entertainment here. Once all of the card effects are known after a few rounds, the initial enthusiasm may fade somewhat. But 72, 71 or 70 cards (deliberately left vague) guarantee plenty of smiles and even belly laughs, without any tactical depth to the gameplay.

About the author

Peter Neugebauer is still a “big kid” through and through. In early childhood, his parents introduced him to board games. And games were obligatory and always welcome at Christmas and on his birthday.He didn’t stop playing, not even during his years of study or working life. Early on, he reviewed new products, initially in trade journals, then also in daily newspapers and, for almost 40 years, in industry magazines. He can’t live without playing.