21 (a numbers game)

As a group, you’re basically counting up towards 21. However, the goal is to not be the person that hits 21+. Mainly a drinking game, but I guess you could add your choice of “punishment” for losing.

Rules

• The game starts at 1, and ends when a player reaches 21 or more, or someone makes a mistake.
• When it is a player’s turn, they have 3 choices: 1 number (e.g., one), 2 numbers (e.g., one two), 3 numbers (e.g., one, two, three)
• 1 number will pass the turn to the next player depending on the direction
• 2 numbers will reverse the direction
• 3 numbers will skip a person in the original direction
• The play starts with a person saying: I declare a game of 21, [number(s)] to my [left/right]
• You can’t double a double (e.g., if person 1 says one-two, person 2 can’t follow up with three-four)
• You can’t triple a triple (e.g., if person 1 says one-two-three, person 2 says four-five-six, then person 3 cannot say seven-eight-nine)
• The round ends when a player makes a mistake or a player is stuck saying twenty-one.
• A mistake includes: saying the wrong next number, saying numbers out of turn, not responding quickly enough (i.e., did not realize it was your turn)
• The loser needs to do the punishment, and will start the next round
• If the game reaches 21, then the player who lost gets to make a rule
• Rules might include changing the name of a number, e.g., instead of “four” you need to bark like a dog

Example Say we have four players, clockwise 1,2,3,4 (i.e., player 2 is to the left of player 1, and player 4 is to the right)

1: I declare a game of 21 to my left, one-two

4: three-four-five

2: six

1: seven-eight

2: nine

3: ten-eleven-twelve

1: thirteen-fourteen

4: fifteen-sixteen-seventeen

2: nineteen-twenty

3: twentyone (loser)

Player 3 would get to choose a rule, and would start the next round.

The game gets increasingly harder as new rules are introduced.