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Here are a few fun group games that I've learned while I've been in band (and church youth group). Most require a lot of people, and only a few require certain props. Hope you enjoy these games as much as I did!
This game can be played anywhere, but its more fun when you can move around freely. The more people the better for this game, but the least you could have and still have fun is about 4 to 5 people. Choose one person (or two or three for larger groups) to be the psychiatrist. This person must not know about the game. Have this person leave the room, or sit somewhere where they can't hear the group talk. Explain to the group what their "problem" is. The problem is that everyone in the circle believes that they are the person to their right. Call the "psychiatrist" back and tell them that the group has a problem and it's their job to discover it by asking people questions. Remember to tell the "psychiatrist" that they can't ask for names (otherwise it ruins the whole game). The people in the circle must answer the questions as truthfully as they can. If they don't know an answer, they must guess. If the answer is wrong, the person to their right says psychiatrist, and everyone gets up and switches places. This game can last an hour or longer depending on how good the "psychiatrist" is. You can give hints as to what the problem is to help the "psychiatrist" along. You can also change the "problem" if you want to play again. I've played it where everyone in the circle is angry with the psychiatrist, or when everyone in the circle is a certain person that everyone knows.
A very fun game that can be played anywhere. This game also requires a large group with at least 10 people. You need one small slip of paper for every person playing. On each of the pieces of paper you will write one of 5 different letters.
One piece -- G -this person will be "god" they are not actually playing, but will have a leadership role. They may want to have a notebook handy unless they have excellent memory.
One piece (up to three depending on the number of people) -- M -this person is a Mafia member,
they will be the ones "killing" off other people.
One piece (or up to three, but the same number as Mafia members) -- D -this person is a detective
they will be the ones guessing who the Mafia is.
One piece (up to three, same as above) -- GA -this person is a guardian angel, they will be the
ones saving people from possible "death".
Everyone else will receive an I -these people are innocent.
After everyone in the group draws a piece of paper (without showing anyone), "god" will instruct everyone to go to sleep (close their eyes). "God" will then ask for the Mafia to wake up. Everyone with an M on their paper will open their eyes and point (no speaking!) to the one person they have "killed". "God" will then write this down. "God" will then tell the Mafia to go to sleep. Then "god" will ask for the guardian angel(s) to wake up. They will point to one person they want to save, and then go back to sleep ("god" will write this down as well). Then the detectives will be asked to wake up. They will pick one person who they believe is the Mafia ("god" will write this down) and then they go to sleep. "God" then asks everyone to wake up. He/she will read off whom was killed, saved, and accused. If someone was killed and saved, they are still in the game. If they were killed, they are out of the game (even if they are accused). People who were accused then must receive a trial. They get to plead their case to the rest of the group (remember, dead people can't vote) and they will vote guilty or not guilty. If they are guilty, they are considered "killed" and out of the game. If they are found not guilty, the game will continue. But remember you may accidentally sentence your guardian angel or a detective or an innocent. The game continues until all the Mafia are found guilty or until the Mafia "kill" off all the detectives.
This game requires at least three people, but you can have as many as you like play. This game can be played anywhere. Everyone needs a writing utensil and a piece of paper. Instruct everyone to pick a decent four-letter word that doesn't contain double letters (such as reed). Have them write it down on their paper, but don't tell anyone what word you picked! One at a time, one person will tell the person to their left (or right, whichever way you want to go) a four-letter word. For example, I'll ask "cats". That person will then say how many of those letters appear in their word. So if their word was "ship", they'll say 1 letter. Then that person will say a four-letter word to the person to their left, and this will continue around the circle. The object of the game is to guess the person to your left's word first. Its advisable to write down all the words you've asked so that you can strategize what word you'll ask next. You'll be surprised on just how many four-letter words there are.
Here's another word game that can be played in a small group of at least two or more people. This game requires a lot of creativity, and can even be amusing. One person will pick a four-letter word. The person to their left must now come up with a sentence using the letters in that word. For example, if I picked the word "boat" the person to my left must come up with a four word sentence (must be grammatically correct, but doesn't have to make sense). The first word must start with "b", the next an "o" etc. An example answer may be "barges operate at twilight". If the group accepts the sentence as grammatically correct, that person then gives the person to their left a four-letter word. After you've gone around the circle, make it a five-letter word, then a six-letter word and so on. Generally the more letters the easier it is. This game can make those long bus rides very short.
If you're in a group that knows a lot about movies, then here is a game for you. This can be played with three or more people, but the more the better (and more competitive). One person will pick a movie and then give a one-word clue (an example could be "sink" for the movie Titanic). Each person gets a chance to guess the movie. If no one guesses it, another one-word clue will be given until someone guesses right. The more obscure the words are, the more challenging the game is. Each person can take a turn at giving clues. You can award points, or play for fun.
This is another game where the more people there are the better with at least 7 people playing. This game is meant to be played in a circle (making it very difficult on a bus) where everyone holds hands. Everyone closes his or her eyes and a person not playing picks one person to be the "murderer". That person then squeezes (carefully) the hand of the person to their left, or right, a certain number of times (to be a sly "murderer" vary the number greatly, like squeeze once one time, then 10 times the next time), this squeeze is passed around the circle subtracting one squeeze each time. When a person feels their hand squeezed once, they are considered "killed" and will verbally say "I'm dead" and pull out of the circle. At this time the people in the circle can make an accusation (only one accusation per time). If it's wrong the game continues, if they are right the game is over and a new person will be chosen. The game continues until the "murderer" is caught or until the "murderer" is the last one.
A great game that I learned at a church retreat. This one requires props and is played either on the floor or a table. The more people the better for this game but it can be played with at least five people. You need one deck of cards and the same number of spoons as there are players, minus one. Place the spoons in the center of the circle so that everyone can reach them. Elect one person to be the dealer and have them pass out four cards to everyone and then place the rest of the cards face down in front of the dealer. Now one by one, the dealer will draw one card, and pass one of their cards to the person on their right (so you will always have four cards), continue around the circle and the last person will just pile the rejected cards on the table. The object is to get four cards of the same number (for example, four sixes). When this happens, grab a spoon. Try to do this as casually as you can so that you can trick the others into not noticing that you have grabbed a spoon. As soon as one person has grabbed a spoon, everyone else needs to grab one as well. The one person without a spoon is out of the game (kind of like musical chairs). Remove one spoon, reshuffle the cards and play on. This game is a lot of fun; especially if one person doesn't notice that everyone already has a spoon, and is still dealing out the cards as if the game was still in play. Just remember; use spoons or other non-sharp objects, otherwise it could be painful when trying to snatch up a spoon before someone else grabs it.
