The Great Book of Games: A Compendium of Fun

By Peter Keyne

“Life is more fun if you play games.” ― Roald Dahl, My Uncle Oswald

This compendium brings together a selection of the very best games. There are parlour games, travel games, trivia games, riddles, puzzles and more. Traditional family favourites feature alongside an array of newly created games.

The centrepieces of this collection are the six games:

Descriptionary, Just a Minute, Lost for Words, Ultimate Charades, Quick Draw, and Trivial Disputes.

In total, these six games alone include 1350 game cards (one e-reader page each). Most of the cards offer multiple gameplay options, so you can return to them again and again. These games require no set-up time, and can be instantly enjoyed with friends or family wherever you are.

At Elsinore Books we pride ourselves on creating beautiful e-books, and devote great attention to formatting, and ease of navigation. This book contains a cleanly-styled contents page that permits easy movement between games. Each game occupies its own chapter, so you can move between games by pressing a single button on your e-reader.

You can view a full listing of the games inside by clicking on the preview of this book and viewing the contents page. Some of the collection highlights are outlined below:

Speaking Games

Descriptionary: Players aim to describe as many words as possible in a 30-second time limit. 300 game cards are included. Each card has five words, one in each of the following categories: Places, Objects, Nature, Adjectives, and Random.

Just a Minute: The popular game where players have to speak on a given topic for one minute without hesitation, repetition or deviation. 250 games cards are included. On each card players will find three topics to choose from.

Lost For Words: Players face two challenges in this game: 1) To describe a given word without using any of the forbidden words listed beneath it 2) To describe a given word using no more than three words (and sometimes using only one word!) 300 game cards are included, and two challenges appear on every card.

Acting and Character Games

Ultimate Charades: Ultimate charades brings together elements of three games: classic charades, reverse charades, and adverbs. It’s a great game for families to enjoy together. You’ll find 200 cards here, each offering a choice of three options. Players will act out the titles of films, books, songs, and TV programmes, as well as proverbs, actions, famous people, and fictional characters.

Pen and Paper Games

Quick Draw: A sketch-off, where artists from each team race to depict words and phrases. There are 400 drawing challenges, spread across five categories: People and Animals, Things, Creative Works, Idioms, and Challenges.

Travel and Trivia Games

Trivial Disputes: A general knowledge listing quiz that can be played in teams or with everyone out for themselves. Among the things players must put in order: buildings by size, animals by weight, cars by top speed, films by box-office profits. There are 100 Cards, divided into ten games.

Riddles and Puzzles.

Five complete chapters from The Great Book of Riddles, also by Elsinore Books, are included in this compendium.

You’ll have 50 of the finest riddles, puzzles and brainteasers to make your way through.

There are classical logic puzzles, lateral thinking puzzles, mathematical brain teasers, word ladders, ditloids, and illustrated coins, cups, and toothpicks puzzles

Here is one of the riddles you’ll find inside:

The king’s two bodyguards developed an ingenious method for assuring the king’s safety. With the king standing between them, they would face in opposite directions; one looking to the west and the other to the east, but at the same time, and without the us

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elsinore Books
• Release date: Jul 9, 1905
• ISBN: 9781537853659

Book preview

Introduction

"Life is more fun if you play games." ― Roald Dahl, My Uncle Oswald

"We do not stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." ― Benjamin Franklin

First, we would like to thank you for purchasing this book. Our aim in writing it was to bring together a selection of the very best parlour games, travel games, trivia games and more. Alongside these, we have included some of our own creations.

We have been highly selective in our choices. There are more compendious volumes to be found, but in our experience, such collections can leave the great games lost among the mediocre.

The centrepieces of this collection are the six games:

Descriptionary, Just a Minute, Lost for Words, Ultimate Charades, Quick Draw, and Trivial Disputes.

In total, these six games alone include 1350 game cards (one e-reader page each). Most of the cards offer multiple gameplay options, so you can return to them again and again. These games require no set-up time, and can be instantly enjoyed with friends or family wherever you are.

This compendium is divided into five parts: Speaking Games, Acting and Character Games, Pen and Paper Games, Travel and Trivia Games, and Riddles and Puzzles. Naturally some of the games overlap categories. You’ll find plenty more speaking games for instance, in the Trivia and Travel Games section.

How to use this book

This book has been created especially for e-readers, and we have tried to make it as easily navigable as possible. Each game occupies its own chapter, so you can move between games by pressing a single button on your e-reader.

Some of the games contain as many as 300 game cards. You can scroll through the cards by turning the pages on your e-reader, or jump to a card by clicking the hyperlinks on the game instruction page. You may always return to the instructions by going back one chapter. You can then return to the card you were on by pressing the back key on your e-reader.

We hope the games in this collection will bring you much enjoyment ― we have had a lot of fun playing them ourselves.

Thank you, and happy gaming,

Peter Keyne and Rudolph Amsel

Copyright © Elsinore Books 2015

The Elsinore Books Collection

The Great Book of Riddles

The Great Book of Games

The Great Quiz Book

The Giant Quiz Book

The Little Book of Riddles

Illustrations

The authors of this book would like to express their gratitude to Kevin Campbell for his fine design work, which has furnished this book with its illustrations and cover page.

More of his work can be found here:

https://www.behance.net/KevinCampbell

Contents

Introduction

The Elsinore Books Collection

Illustrations

Contents

Part 1: Speaking Games

Descriptionary

The Great Panjandrum

Just a Minute

Word Association

Teapot

Lost for Words

Twenty-One

Part 2: Acting and Character Games

Ultimate Charades

Werewolf

Dumb Crambo

Part 3: Pen and Paper Games

Quick Draw

Guggenheim

Acrostics

The Great Alphabet Race

Uncrash

Sprouts

Bulls and Cows

Doublets

Part 4: Travel and Trivia Games

Trivial Disputes

Virtual Trivia Challenge

Alpha

Mono

Questions

Backenforth

Good News, Bad News

Last Letters

Antonyms and Synonyms

I Packed My Suitcase

Part 5: Riddles and Puzzles

Round 1: Old Chestnuts Warmed Up

Round 2: Pure Logic

Round 3: Coins, Cups and Toothpicks

Round 4: A Different Way of Seeing

Round 5: The Tale’s the Thing: Lateral Thinking Puzzles

Ditloids Collection

Thank You for Reading

The Elsinore Books Collection

Illustrations

Part 1: Speaking Games

Descriptionary

Number of players: Two or more

You will need: A timer, a pen and paper to keep score

Aim: To describe as many words as possible in a 30-second time limit

Links to Cards: 1-24, 25-49, 50-74, 75-99, 100-124, 125-149, 150-174, 175-199, 200-224, 225-249, 250-274, 275-300

How to Play:

This is a fast-paced game of descriptions and guesswork. There are two ways to play: either cooperatively against the clock, or in teams against each other (and the clock).

Playing cooperatively against the clock

One player volunteers to be the describer for the first round. All other players will attempt to guess what words are being described. The describer turns to a new card on the e-reader and is given time to read it. A 30-second countdown then begins.

Each card has five words – one in each of the following categories: Places and Monuments, Objects, The Natural World, Adjectives, and Random.

The describer may begin with any of the words, but cannot progress to a new card until players have guessed all of the words exactly as they are written.

The team aims to correctly guess as many words as possible before the time runs out. A note is made of the team’s score for the round, and it is then a new player’s turn to describe.

Card Specials

Words marked with a star are typically more difficult and are worth double points.

Some cards require players to describe famous people and fictional characters.

On some cards a clue is provided that may be read aloud by the describer before the countdown begins.

Point scoring

A game lasts 10 rounds.

After the final round, teams may wish to vote for their MVP (Most Valuable Player) and honour them with gifts or effusive praise, but more importantly, they should calculate their final score and compare it with the table below.

1-7 points: Woeful. Complete strangers would cooperate better

8-14 points: A lot of room for improvement

15-21 points: Showing some signs of promise

22-28 points: Good. A strong base to build upon

29-35 points: Very good. One step away from greatness

36-42 points: Excellent. Worthy of a standing ovation

43+ points: Sensational. Beyond anyone’s wildest expectations

You’re ready to play! Turn to the first card to begin.

Playing in Teams

Players divide into teams, and one team is chosen to begin the game. One player from the team volunteers to be the describer for the first round. All other team members will attempt to guess what words are being described. The describer turns to a new card on the e-reader and is given time to read it. A 30-second countdown then begins.

*Teams may agree to play with a 60-second countdown if preferred.

Each card has five words – one in each of the following categories: Places and Monuments, Objects, The Natural World, Adjectives, and Random.

The describer may begin with any of the words, but cannot progress to a new card until players have guessed all of the words exactly as they are written.

The team aims to correctly guess as many words as possible before the time runs out. A note is made of the team’s score for the round, and it is then the next team’s turn to describe.

Card Specials

Words marked with a star are typically more difficult and count for two correctly guessed words. This bonus is open to all teams, except the team that is currently in first place.

Some cards require players to describe famous people and fictional characters.

On some cards a clue is provided that may be read aloud by the describer before the countdown begins.

Point scoring

After each round points are awarded to the best performing teams:

1 point is awarded to any teams that correctly guessed 1 word or more.

1 more point is awarded to any teams that correctly guessed 4 words or more.

1 final point is awarded to the team/s that guessed the most words.

Example:

Team A guesses 5 words; Team B guesses 4 words; Team C guesses 2 words; and Team D guesses 1 word.

In this situation, Team A scores 3 points; Team B scores 2 points Team C scores 1 point; and Team D scores 1 point.

The team that wins the round always goes first in the next round.

The first team to reach a total of 15 points is the winner.

You’re ready to play! Turn to the first card to begin.

Links to Cards: 1-24, 25-49, 50-74, 75-99, 100-124, 125-149, 150-174, 175-199, 200-224, 225-249, 250-274, 275-300

1.

The Ganges

Toothpick

Labrador

Delicious

Parade

2.

Arctic Circle

Photocopier

Rosemary

Sceptical

Tomahawk

3.

Panama Canal

DVD player

Tide

Confusing

4.

London Bridge

Pier

Talons

Miserable

Pokémon

5.

Professor Snape

Serena Williams

Abraham Lincoln

Aristotle

Leonardo da Vinci

6.

Forbidden City

Hairnet

Sleet

Disappointing

Arcade

7.

Kashmir

Chessboard

Astonished

Aztec

8.

Acropolis

Cube

Beech tree

Trivial

Topaz

9.

Kent

Washing machine

Unhappy

Unicorn

10.

All of the answers begin with the same letter

Marble

Magnesium

Mismatched

Mantra

11.

Central America

Twig

Prey

Clumsy

Manufacture

12.

Cape Canaveral

Blancmange

Violet

Pickle

13.

The Mediterranean

Eraser

Prairie

Pleasant

Wisdom

14.

Suez Canal

Calculator

Erosion

Torn

Genre

15.

Benelux

Chariot

Tadpole

Ferocious

Boxer

16.

Tintin

George Eliot

James Bond

Nicole Kidman

17.

Trans-Siberian Railway

Treasure chest

Pangaea

Friendly

Mentor

18.

Pakistan

Pendant

Aurora Borealis

Fluent

Memento

19.

Lake Victoria

Keyring

Enzyme

Limitless

Hobbit

20.

All of the answers rhyme

Sevastopol

Foal

Whole

Console

21.

Taj Mahal

Coin

Monsoon

Precious

Nomad

22.

Kuala Lumpur

Dumb-waiter

King cobra

Stylish

Orbit

23.

Central Park

Blood group

Flamboyant

Strength

24.

River Plate

Suitcase

Taiga

Painful

Dungeon

25.

Jon Snow

Martin Luther King

Hilary Clinton

Coco Chanel

26.

Baltic Sea

Barbecue

Acorn

Fruitful

Pyromaniac

27.

Sahara Desert

Paintbrush

Shrub

Missing

Crop circle

28.

Canary Islands

Zeppelin

Species

Controversial

Independence Day

29.

Cuba

Barometer

Great apes

Thoughtful

Kindle

30.

Each answer is only one syllable long

Po

Axe

Dull

Shun

31.

Serengeti

Cradle

Gnu

Faulty

USB

32.

Cornwall

Vest

Hibernation

Steady

Force

33.

Atlas Mountains

Motorbike

Migration

Imprisoned

Politician

34.

The Vatican

Lance

Purple

Volleyball

35.

The Murray

Sieve

Vine

Jolly

Brawl

36.

Thor

Alexander Fleming

Angela Merkel

Michelangelo

Katniss Everdeen

37.

Hudson Bay

Chain

Blackbird

Lonely

Stegosaurus

38.

Barcelona

Monitor

Invertebrate

Spooky

Apocalypse

39.

Jerusalem

Lamp shade

Salamander

Wrinkled

Vacation

40.

All of the answers begin with the same letter

European Union

Egg cup

Eclipse

Enigma

41.

Tuscany

Sandpaper

Supernova

Miniature

Currency

42.

Marrakesh

Banner

Hoof

Creased

Escape

43.

Lasso

Tendon

Nocturnal

Potassium

44.

Rocky Mountains

Rubber duck

Fur

Golden

Charity

45.

Madonna

William Blake

Phileas Fogg

Beatrix Potter

46.

Patagonia

Shovel

Seal

Impressive

Twister

47.

Siberia

Nail clippers

Venom

Hospitable

Mandarin

48.

Mount Rushmore

Coaster

Carnivore

Hungry

Chicken pox

49.

Machu Picchu

Cog

Aquatic

Last

Espresso

50.

All of the answers end with the same letter

Tibet

Knot

Habitat

Hot

51.

Middle East

Yacht

Nest

Filthy

Submit

52.

Falklands

Truck

Elk

Wary

Putting

53.

Washington

Rubber band

Mutation

Ruined

54.

Mount Etna

Catapult

Gills

Bleak

Curiosity

55.

Michelle Obama

Daniel Day Lewis

Sigmund Freud

Guinevere

Lewis Hamilton

56.

Oceania

Zip

Parasite

Insured

Virus

57.

The Kremlin

Scabbard