Headlines
| No. of Players: | 2+ |
| Type of Game: | written or spoken |
| What you need: | pen & paper or nothing |
Goal
To write a newspaper headline with individual contributions from each player.
How to play
Each player writes an adjective word or phrase at the top of their sheet of paper. They then fold the paper over to hide what they wrote and pass the paper to the player on their right. This second player writes a noun, folds the paper, and passes it to the next player. This process continues until all the following information is collected:
| (1) | adjective word or phrase |
| (2) | a noun |
| (3) | an action verb |
| (4) | the object of the verb |
| (5) | where the action occurred |
Each player then reads the completed headline, making adjustments if necessary to make the headline flow properly. The results are often absurdly comical. Alternatively, this game can be spoken.
A similar game involves creating alternative headlines for actual historical events. For instance, a headline for the Salem Witch Trials might read:
LOCAL WITCHES FORGET SPELL TO EXTINGUISH FIRE, BURN TO DEATH
and one for Benjamin Franklin:
SHOCKING DISCOVERY BY PHILLY MAN FLYING KITE DURING STORM
Players can also make up headlines for fictitious events, like these two:
NASA'S NEW ROCKET IS OUT OF THIS WORLD
18-WHEELER CARRYING FRUIT CRASHES, CREATES JAM
A more complex version of this game that writes complete stories instead of headlines is Consequences.
Example
A group of five players write together the following five headlines:
OBESE HORSE FLIES PENCILS IN IDAHO
FANATICAL NOTEBOOK SLIPS MITTEN ON PLUTO
JUMBLED ROAD UNITES CHICKENS OVER TREETOPS
SPLENDID YAM GRABS TENT NEAR HIGHWAY 10
VENOMOUS JUICE ROTS PLANTS BETWEEN BUILDINGS
