We think a good Autumn bonfire should be as much fun as a Summer campfire. Here are a few simple games to make sitting around a fire for an evening a proper event
With warmer clothes, warmer drinks and something to prevent soggy bottoms, November bonfires or fire pits can be just as much fun as summertime ones. But with chillier conditions and hands tied up with gloves and cupping hot drinks, you need games that don’t require cards or too many props. Who wants to be hunting around for a three of spades or a dice in leaf mould in the dark, after all? We’ve collated a few of our favourite games for around the fire that can be played with no kit at all. And if it gets a bit too chilly, they work just as well cosied up by the fire indoors too. We won’t tell anyone. <winks>
1. Spot the lie
Each player has to make three statements, one of which is a lie and two of which are true. If the lie isn’t spotted they get to go again. If they are caught out, play moves to the next person.
2. Fortunately/Unfortunately
This one’s good fun for kids too and can get quite raucous. The first person starts with any statement they like to begin a story. So it might be: ‘I went to the library to borrow the latest John Grisham…’ They then add an ‘unfortunately’ statement, for example. ‘Unfortunately, Prince Charles had come in just moments before and borrowed it himself.’ Play passes to the next person who adds a fortunately statement, such as: ‘Fortunately, I caught him up in the car park and asked if he’d mind lending it to me when he’d finished.’ Play continues with each player starting with a fortunately and then an unfortunately statement alternatively. Make them as ridiculous as you can. Play until you can’t stand any more!
3. Winking Assassin
You need a few players for this but it’s ideal for dark evenings. One player each turn is ‘The Godfather’. Everyone must close their eyes while the Godfather walks around the circle behind the players and taps one player on the back. That person is the assassin. The Godfather sits down and normal conversation continues. The assassin must surreptitiously wink at the other players one by one. If you’re winked at you ‘die’ (in dramatic, blood-curdling fashion, please). If you see the assassin winking at someone else you may accuse them, or you can make a guess any time. If you’re wrong, though you are also ‘dead’. The person who correctly identifies the assassin without being winked at is the next Godfather.
4. The Alphabet Game
One player shouts out a letter of the alphabet and at the same time another player shouts the name of a category. So it might be ‘B’ and ‘countries of the world’. You can either go round the group with each player naming a country that begins with B or just all shout out as many as you can at once, which is louder and more fun. Get creative with your categories. They could be chocolate bars, politicians or things you might find in your kitchen drawer.
5. Twenty One
This is an old drinking game (but it works just as well with hot chocolate). You do need a few people for it. Five or six is ideal. You go round the group ‘counting’ from one to 21. Each player can choose to say either one, two or three numbers, as long as they are in sequence. If they say just one number play continues in the same direction. If they say two, the direction of play reverses. If they say three the next person skips their go. If you mess it up you take a swig of your drink and start again from one. If it gets to 21 the person that says ‘21’ gets to add a new rule for the next round, eg on every odd number you have to clap, or on every number divisible by five play reverses and skips a player.
6. I went to market and I bought…
An oldie but a goodie and also one that works well with kids. Player one starts by saying ‘I went to market and I bought…’ and naming an item: ‘12 eggs’, for example. Play continues round the circle with each player repeating the list so far and adding their own: ‘I went to market and I bought 12 eggs, and a pint of milk’. Keep going until someone messes up the list. Make your shopping items as complex as possible to make it harder. ‘12 Cotswold Legbar blue eggs’, perhaps.
7. Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon
One for film buffs. Link any actor to Kevin Bacon in as few leaps as possible. So for example, Elvis Presley: Presley was in Change of Habit with Edward Asner, Edward Asner was in JFK with Kevin Bacon. So Elvis Presley has a Bacon Number of two. (Edward Asner has a Bacon Number of one). See if you can think of quicker links back to Bacon than the other players.
8. Hum that Tune
Just like Name That Tune but you can only hum. Pick a song or TV theme you think you can hum well (hint: go for songs light on percussion and heavy on strings) and hum it until someone guesses what it was. Play passes to the person who guesses first.
9. World Map
This is nice and easy and geography buffs will love it. One player says the name of a country. The next player has to think of a country whose name starts with the last letter of the previous country so play might go: England, Denmark, Kazakhstan… You can also play with counties, names. Bands, whatever you like.
10. Noises off
Pick a ‘theme’ - it can be anything really: ‘in the forest’, ‘horror movies’, ‘Christmas’. Everyone then takes turns to make a noise ‘from’ that theme. So if you’d chosen Christmas you might make the noise of a Christmas pudding being lit, a robin singing, Santa coming down the chimney, Brussels sprouts being chopped etc. You can only use your mouth, hands and feet to make the noises and ‘actions’ aren’t allowed. This is NOT charades. Charades is for wimps.
In our November issue, we are celebrating all that is magical about fire. Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe
