Test your knowledge on this TV series, which features a cluster of Mensa-type characters. Challenges in the game are resolved with an extended rochambeau of “rock, paper, scissors, LIZARD, SPOCK.”

The classic Mensa word-association game consisting of movies, music, books, and whatever else the capricious and arbitrary host will allow. More details are found on Wikipedia’s Carnelli page.

A traditional parlor game for large or small groups, charades was once so popular as an after-dinner activity that it was known simply as “The Game.” Its recorded history dates back to 16th century France, and the name has become a catchphrase for many different pantomime games. Many boxed versions with suggestions and timers are available, and several TV shows have been made using the basic idea of the game.

In most versions, one player silently acts out a title (book, movie, show, etc.), phrase or person and their team must guess it.

Two teams compete by each having a “spymaster” give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the board. The other players on the team attempt to guess their team’s words while avoiding the words of the other team or the Assassin, whose selection results in immediate defeat.

Your team will get an ordinary word, and you’ve got to help them out by thinking of a song that has that word in the lyrics. Any song will do, even old commercial jingles or TV theme songs. Actually, you’ll have to sing at least eight words of the song, but no one cares how badly you sing or if you’re off-key, just sing it!

Based on the popular television program, the game features two competing teams, who compete to determine the answers to survey questions. The first contestant to buzz in gives an answer; if it is the most popular, their team immediately wins the face-off. Otherwise, the opponent responds and the team member providing the higher-ranked answer wins. Ties are broken in favor of the contestant who buzzes in first. Ed You hosts this challenging and entertaining contest.

Watch out… the leader might sometimes “accidentally” mispronounce the word to be spelled. Make sure not to rely completely on the administrator’s pronunciation, because it is not always going to be completely correct… but it does make things more challenging for us!

Alan will be the host, keyboard player, and judge.

How’s your long-term memory in the area of recognizing melodies?

Maximum number of players: No maximum
Type: Writing down song titles and self-scoring
End of game: After 1 hour
Materials: Pencils and paper

Rules:

• Each player gets 1 point per correct answer
• Songs are played on a keyboard for about 15 seconds
• Player takes about 15 seconds to write each answer
• The host provides the answer for self-scoring
• Any player may suggest an alternative title which the host will judge

After all songs are played, 5 minutes is given to find a secret message.
Solvers of the secret message get 10 extra points.
The secret message is revealed and players make a final tally of their scores.

A strategy card game where sticking it to your opponents is half the fun! Very easy to learn, 3 to 20 players can participate. Play it for a while, and when the cards don’t go your way, you’ll find yourself saying “Oh Hell!”

As the father of Howard “The Professor” Lederer and Annie Duke, “The Duchess of Poker,” Mensa world poker champion Richard Lederer is the most successful breeder of world-class poker players in history. Dr. Lederer will talk about the great American game of Texas Hold’em and instruct you in its fundamentals. Beginning and intermediate players are warmly welcomed.

Right off the top of your head, name a restaurant, fruit, toy, Halloween costume, and weapon. And make sure they all begin with the same letter. If “C” is the letter, you might answer Chinese, Cantaloupe, Cap Gun, Clown, and Catapult. But be unique. If your response is the same as an opponent’s, you score nothing! 144 different categories and 20 letters chosen randomly give lots of possibilities.

Some things are better left unsaid. How do you get your team to say “diamond” if you can’t say baseball, ring, carat, jewel, or engagement. Each time your team shouts out the secret word, you get a point, but be careful, your opponents will be looking over your shoulder making sure you don’t say any of the Taboo words.

Time’s Up! is a charades-based party game for teams of two or more players (and is best with teams of two). Before the game begins, each player looks at several cards featuring famous historical or fictional characters and chooses some of them. Each player’s cards are shuffled to form a deck, and this deck of famous names is used for each of the game’s three rounds.

In each round, team members take turns trying to get their teammates to guess as many names as possible in 30 seconds. In round 1, almost any kind of clue is allowed, and the cluegiver cannot pass on a card. In round 2, no more than one word can be used in each clue (but unlimited sounds and gestures are permitted); the cluegiver can pass on any card he likes, and the teammates can give only a single answer. In round 3, the cluegiver can use no words at all and can pass as often as he likes; again, teammates are allowed only a single guess. Give good physical clues in round 1, and they’ll pay dividends down the road when you need to keep your mouth shut and gesture like a maniac before time’s up!

By night, werewolves kill off villagers. By day, angry villagers kill off suspected werewolves. (But oops; sometimes they just kill off “innocent villagers.”) “Werewolf” requires observation, some deduction, and a lot of bold-faced lying. Who will prevail: the werewolves or the villagers? Since an average game takes 15-20 minutes, new players can join quickly. (This game is similar to, but better than, “Mafia.”)