FOP Leader Handbook

Game Theory

Games and initiatives are an integral part of the FOP experience. They can be fun ways to pass the time and help FOPpers feel closer as a group. However, there are several things you may wish to consider before starting a game or initiative:

• Purpose: What is the purpose of this activity? You should have a purpose in mind when you begin each activity. Games and initiatives are great ways to break down barriers, get to know others, have fun, stay hydrated, or address group issues. Depending on which purpose you have in mind, different games will be more appropriate.
• Group Dynamics: Consider what development stage your group is at (forming, storming, etc.) and what issues may be emerging in the group. If you’re forming, you may wish to do a get to know you game. If you are storming and group issues are developing, you may wish to do a teamwork initiative.
• Comfort: Try to gauge the comfort level of your group and individuals in your group when deciding on a game. Some groups are ready to be silly and do Name Train on the first day, while others may not be ready for that.
• Safety: Participants may have clothing and objects that could lead to injury during games and activities. Have participants remove objects such as earrings, rings, or pocket knives before beginning the activity. Also scan the surroundings of the area where the activity will take place. Sharp rocks, sticks, and roots can be hazards if people will be running or jumping.
• Debriefing/Processing: While not every activity needs to be processed, FOPpers can learn a lot from even very simple games if you present it to them well. Questions and discussions about the purpose of a game and how the group reacted to situations can help create a feeling of group identity and understanding (see Processing section).

Things to keep in mind:

• One-person-out games: The person selected can feel left out, so these require A LOT of sensitivity. Think about who can handle it and how to avoid leaving the person out (ending with a few people left, making sure the person volunteers themselves, etc.). Be particularly mindfully of the potential downsides early in the trip.
• Name games and ice breakers: Keep in mind FOPpers’ initial discomfort. Watch the “touchy-feely” games, especially at the beginning - trying to figure out the appropriate degree of emotional depth early in a trip can be stressful for FOPpers. Also, remember that something as simple as “what you did over the summer” can raise socio-economic issues, while using something like “celebrity crush” as a fun fact can put LGBTQA+ FOPpers in uncomfortable situations and isolate them from the group.
• Warm-up games: These are good for keeping a group warm or warming up muscles before hitting the trail; you may want to follow them up with stretching.

Know ALL the Games!!!

Name Games

These games are designed purely to get people to learn each other’s names. These are best used right when the group first meets (gets off the Widener Steps) and before you want to delve into more involved introduction or ice breaker games. Things to think about:

• Some people might not be comfortable with silliness (in this case, it’s fine to make alterations such as making the sounds optional in Animals, or starting out with something straightforward such as the introduction game Introductions).
• Remembering names can be tough for some people, so make sure everyone feels comfortable even if they forget some. This is a great opportunity to set the tone for the trip, so make it fun!
• Similarly, be sure not to set an expectation that everyone remembers everyone’s name once you’ve finished name games. Names can be really, really hard for some people!

Animals

Everyone stands in a circle. One person says their name and an animal that starts with the same letter (e.g. Susan the swan, Harvey the hyena) and then makes sounds and motions that animal might make. Moving around the circle, each person must repeat all of the names, animals, and sounds/motions already said before taking their own turn.

Bang!

One person is in the middle of a circle. That person calls out the name of a person in the group. The person ducks and the people on each side turn and “shoot” each other, but instead of saying bang, they have to say the other person’s name. The person who says the name last is out (but goes in to the middle to call another name first), or if the person doesn’t duck in time they are out.

Bumpity Bump Bump

The group stands in a circle, with one person in the center. That person spins around and then points to one person and says “Left [or right], bumpity bump bump.” The person being pointed to has to say the name of the person to their left (or right) before the end of the last bump or they are in the middle.

Warp Speed

Have the group stand in a circle. Toss a soft object to one person, saying their name. Have that person toss to and say the name of someone who has not yet received the object, until everyone has caught and tossed the object. Have the group repeat this same pattern several times, then ask them to do it faster (see how quickly they can do it). Add more objects for an extra challenge.

“Fine, Thanks, How Are You?”

The group sits in a circle, as in Duck, Duck, Goose, with one person standing outside. That person approaches one of the people in the circle, shakes their hand and says “Hi, my name is [blank]. How are you?” The questioned person repeats these words, inserting their own name, and the same introduction is repeated two more times back and forth. Then the two run in opposite directions around the outside of the circle until they meet on the other side of the circle. They then do another three-fold exchange, this time saying “Fine, thanks!” each time, then continue the dash around the circle. The first person to reach the vacated spot stays there and the other sits in the middle. The twist is that since both people are so polite, if anyone in the circle sticks out a hand as a runner passes by, they must stop and say “Hi my name is [blank]. How are you?” and wait for a reply (only once).

Name Tag

One person is chosen as the pursuer and one the pursued. Everyone else pairs up and holds hands with their partner. When the game begins, people run around. The pursuer tries to catch the pursued (like tag). The pursued can only be safe when they take the hand of one of the people in a pair and calls out the other person’s name in that pair. The person whose name was called then becomes the pursued and the game continues. If the pursuer tags the pursued, they then becomes the pursued and grabs someone’s hand.

Line Up According to Number

Usable as an introduction game. All you say to your group is “Line up according to the Number”. How do they line up? By what Number? That’s up to them…Short and sweet. You could also have them line up by birthday, first letter of middle name, etc. If you wanted to up the ante on this one, have them do it in silence.

Touch that Foot

Everyone sits in a circle around one person with their legs extending towards them. The middle person says someone’s name and then tries to touch their foot before they say someone else’s name. The middle person then tries to touch THAT person’s foot before the newly-called person calls someone else. If the middle person catches up and touches a foot in time, the person with the touched foot becomes the person in the middle.

Speedy Names

This game is similar to Touch that Foot, except it’s all vocal. The group comes up with a funky phrase at the beginning (e.g. “You must be WICKED smaht”, “FOP FOP FOP ‘till you DROP DROP DROP”, etc.). The person in the middle points to someone and starts saying the phrase, while the selected person in the circle says the name of the person to their right. Whoever loses the verbal race (the middle person wins if they finish the phrase before the other person says their neighbor’s name and vice versa) either remains or moves to the middle of the circle and begins again.

Introductions and Ice Breakers

These games are intended to help get the FOPpers in a group to get to know each other and get used to the idea of being silly and having fun together. These go beyond simply learning names and try to expose various other random facts about people. The considerations for name games also apply here.

Circles

Split the group in half and form two concentric circles, with the people in the inner circle facing out and those in the outer circle facing in, so that each person is facing a conversation partner. Set a time limit (one or two minutes) and call out a topic (e.g. why pineapples are good, what makes a scary movie scary, what they’re looking forward to at Harvard, etc.). When time runs out, the two circles rotate so that everyone has a new partner, a new topic is assigned, and the conversation begins again. BE SUPER DUPER CAREFULLY ABOUT NOT EXCLUDING FOPpers BASED ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, ETC. (e.g. The topic of what they did over their summer vacation can really highlight differences in level of privilege between FOPpers.)

Evolution

Have the group start in a circle. Everyone starts off as an egg, putting their arms over their head to look like one. When you say go, each egg will find another egg and play rocks-paper-scissors. The winner goes on to become a chicken, flapping their wings and looking for other chickens to play. The winner of a chicken-chicken game becomes a dinosaur, and the winner of a dinosaur-dinosaur game becomes Superman. If you lose a game of rocks-paper-scissors, you go “down” one level.

Identity Crisis

Make a list of things in a particular category, such as cartoon characters, kitchen appliances, animals, movie personalities, etc., so that there are enough for each participant to have a new identity as an item on your chosen list. Write their new identity on a piece of masking tape and place it on their back. The object is for each person to discover their new identity by asking 3 yes or no questions to each person they meet.

Introductions

Divide into pairs and allow people to talk to each other for five minutes or so. After that, reconvene and have the pairs introduce each other to the rest of the group. Have them find out such information as where the person is from, what they like to do, what kind of ice cream they like, if they have any cool scars or tattoos, etc.

M&M’s/Toilet Paper

The leader passes either M&M’s or toilet paper around the group and tells everyone to take as much as they want. Then, going around the circle, each person must tell as many facts about themself as M&M’s or pieces of toilet paper they took.

Name-o’-the-day

(Can be done as an intro or for a laugh on the trail.) Each person creates a name of the day by combining the name of first pet/stuffed animal owned and mother’s maiden name/street lived on. (Other variations possible.)

Pictionary Introduction

Give everyone a blank sheet of paper. Then, without using numbers or letters everyone draws things which will introduce them to each other (e.g. where they live, pets they own, children in the family, hobbies, interest, places they have traveled, their jobs, their home etc.). After 10 minutes the leaders gather up all the papers from the group. Pass out papers making sure that no one gets their own back. Everyone introduces the person based on what they have drawn. When the person is done introducing the other person, ask whose paper it is, and then let them fill the rest of the group in on anything that was missed on their pictures. Have the person tell their name then start their introduction.

Pictionary Telephone

Give everyone a blank piece of paper and marker. Have everyone write a phrase or sentence at the top and pass the paper to their neighbor. This person will then draw a picture to represent the phrase, fold the paper so that their drawing is the only thing visible, and pass the paper on. The next person will write a phrase to represent the drawing and fold the paper to hide everything but the phrase. Keep alternating between phrases and drawings until the entire paper is full. Then unfold and enjoy!

Prom Queen

You will need name tags in this game. At the beginning of this game, everyone writes their name on their name tag and thinks of three interesting facts about themselves. The game begins with people mingling and introducing themselves to each other. During this introduction, the people tell the three interesting facts about themselves to each other. At the end of the introduction, the two people switch name tags and now become the other person so that the next time they introduce themselves, they will use that other person’s name and interesting facts. The game ends when the group reconvenes and each person reveals who they have become and compares it to what the original person had said.

Puzzle

Take a large piece of paper (the bigger the better) and draw on it a scene or ‘theme’ or ‘quote’ that best encapsulates the meaning or purpose or activity of the course. Use thick pens or paint if possible; the more visible the better. Once the drawing is complete, cut the drawing into the same number of pieces (they don’t have to be any particular shape) as there are people. At the start of the trip, hand out a piece of the puzzle to each person in random order. Ask the group to put together the puzzle, then talk about it or even add to it. This could be a good segue into making their own group contract.

Tiny Teach

Split the group into partnerships. Explain that each person has about 2 minutes to teach the other person something, anything, that they could then teach to the rest of the group. It could be a secret handshake, a recipe, a dance move, but something that you can teach in such a way that the person being taught could then teach the rest of the group. After 2-3 minutes, then the other person does the teaching. Then bring the group back together and ask for volunteers to teach what they learned from their partner. It is amazing what people know.

“To All My Neighbors”

This game is a way to get to know little facts about each person. Its structure is based on that of Musical Chairs: the group sits in a circle with one place fewer than there are people. The left-over person stands in the middle and calls out “To all my neighbors who [blank]”, filling in a characteristic (such as “have blue eyes”, “like lima beans”, “know how to scuba dive”, etc.) which is true for themself. Everyone for whom the characteristic applies must stand up and run to another place in the circle. Whoever doesn’t get a spot to sit becomes the caller in the middle.

World Map

The leader stands in the “middle of the universe” and poses a series of questions. People have to situate themselves in the room relative to the center, then each person shares where they are on the given question. Questions can be things such as: Where were you born? Where did you grow up? Where are your parents from? Where would you most like to go? Where would you expect to be living in 10 years?

Cooperation and Team-building Games

Sometimes it’s fun to play games that reflect the cooperation and teamwork which will occur throughout the week of FOP. Most of these activities can be framed as either as a game or an initiative, but if you’re looking for a more in depth initiative, look in the initiatives section.

Helium Stick

Find a long stick. The group must start so that each person has at least one finger below the stick at the same time. They then must bring the stick down to the ground while everyone is still touching it. If not everyone has a finger on the stick the group must start over. (Solution: All index fingers of the people in the group should be touching to create a platform for the stick. This usually works better if each person uses 2 fingers.) Variation: Some people in the group can be silenced if they are giving away the solution too soon or if they have done the activity before.

Back-to-Back

Each person chooses a partner of somewhat similar height and weight. The pairs stand back-to-back, lock arms, sit on the ground with both legs straight out and then try to stand up without unlocking arms. Do in groups of four or higher to increase the challenge.

Balloon Scramble

The group stands in a line and has a balloon (or other object if in the backcountry) held between each member of the group (except the front and the back) without using hands. They then must try to navigate an obstacle course without dropping the balloons/objects.

Count to 10

The group counts to 10 without talking to each other. If two people say a number at the same time, the group must begin again. Count to 20 or see how high the group can count to increase the challenge.

Hog Call

Split the group in half and separate them by about 10 meters, lined up facing each other. Explain that each person is going to be assigned a specific animal. Participants will then close their eyes and try to find the person from the other line who is the same animal as them. The only sound they can make from their mouth is the animal sound. Bumpers up for safety and once they think they found their partner they can open their eyes.

Human Knot

Everyone stands in a circle and sticks both hands into the middle. People grab random hands, forming a human knot. Then, by climbing over arm links and spinning around, talking it through all along, the group untangles the knot. It’s important that if the knot does NOT become untangled, people don’t feel like they’ve failed - some knots are Gordian and can’t physically be untied!

I Need Somebody

Have participant close their eyes and place their hands behind their backs. The facilitator will place objects in the hands of the participants so that each participant holds an object that matches the object in another participant’s hands. With their eyes closed, participants must find their partner by saying “I need somebody”. When you have found your partner, together you say “I found somebody”.

Impulse

Everyone sits or lies on their stomachs facing into the middle of a circle, with hands interlinked and placed palm-down on the ground (so that a person’s right hand is to the right of their neighbor’s left hand and left hand to the left of their neighbor’s right hand). Somebody starts by slapping one hand onto the ground, and the impulse travels around the circle with hands slapping the ground in order one at a time. If somebody slaps the ground twice, the impulse changes directions. Whenever a hand misses a turn or slaps at the wrong time, that hand must be removed from the middle of the circle until only two hands remain.

Lap Circle

Everyone stands in a circle facing sideways very close together and puts both hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them. On the count of three, everyone sits.

Touch the Can

A small object such as a can or a water bottle is needed for this game. A challenge is presented to the group: The object must be positioned in such a way that every person is touching it with some part of the body except one person, who must touch it with their nose. In addition, no person can be touching any other person. Solutions are often creative and entertaining!

“This is a [blank]”

Everyone sits in a circle, and there needs to be a small object whose name preferably has only one syllable for each person in the group. One person starts with all of the objects, which they introduce to the group one at a time. They do this by handing it to the person next to them, while the following exchange occurs: “This is a cup.” “A what?” “A cup!” “A what?” “A cup!” “Oh, a cup!”. The receiver then turns to their neighbor to introduce that first object with the same dialog. The trick, however, is that a new item is introduced simultaneously. So at any given time a person is turning their head back and forth holding two conversations at once (to the right: “This is a cup” left: “A what?” right: “A cup!” left: “A what?” right: “A cup!” left: “Oh, a fork!”) The key is for everyone to be speaking and moving together in the same rhythm; eventually everyone in the group is holding two conversations at once and the noise and speed levels increase. Advanced: “This is a [blank]”: give each item a name that has nothing to do with what it actually is (e.g. “This is a squid”).

Silly Ways to Hydrate or Finish Leftovers

These are fun ways to get people to eat the last bit of oatmeal, drink water (which may taste like chorine), and simply be silly. While they’re all useful and fun, however, they should NOT be used as replacements for such practical solutions as explaining to the FOPpers why they need to drink water (but making sure they don’t drink TOO much), or making less couscous (or making the refried beans in individual portions in people’s bowls). Remember that eating can be uncomfortable for many individuals so be very carefully about how you introduce any games involving eating - and do not make any assumptions just because someone seems to have been eating well so far!

Concentration

The group starts a rhythm by slapping the knees twice, clapping twice, and then snapping twice, having first picked a topic (such as fruits, candy bars, board games, movie stars, etc.) One person starts by naming an item in that category (e.g. apple) and the turn continues around the circle with each person naming a different fruit, without breaking the rhythm of the chant. If someone cannot think of a fruit in time they have to eat or drink.

Elephant/Aardvark

Everyone stands in a circle and chooses an animal and a corresponding sign. One person is assigned the aardvark (the lowest animal) and another is assigned the elephant (the highest animal). Everyone begins by slapping their knees to a beat and the elephant does their sign followed by that of another person (thereby passing the command on to the next person), etc. If someone makes a mistake, they must eat or drink. They then become the aardvark and everyone who was below them shifts one space towards becoming the elephant. (The animals that everyone chooses at the beginning stay in the same spot, so everyone is constantly changing animals, making it more challenging.)

Melon Game

Each person chooses a fruit, and tries not to show teeth while saying, i.e. “Banana, banana calling pineapple, pineapple” then pineapple must call someone else. Showing teeth means that person must drink (or the whole group depending on how much water needs to be consumed).

Moose

The group stands in a circle with one person starting as the moose, holding up both hands above their ears in a simulation of antlers. The people on either side of the moose each hold up the hand nearest to the moose, forming additional antlers. The moose is in control and can pass the “moose-ship” to another person by either dropping one antler, becoming an auxiliary ‘rack’ (since the person to the side on which the old moose’s one hand now remains raised becomes the new moose and must raise both hands), or by pointing at another person, in which case that person raises their hands and the people on either side of the new moose become the new extra antlers. If someone misses their cue from the moose and moves too slowly, or messes up in any other way, they must drink or eat. Once the group gets really good, new motions can be added (such as an elephant, with the middle person using an arm as a trunk and the side two making a “c” with their arms for ears, a rabbit with the middle person putting hands above the head for ears and the side two thumping feet, a cow with the middle person chewing cud and the side two pretending to milk the udder, etc.)

Ouar!

Everyone stands in a circle and one person begins by starting to pass the “ouar” movement (a fist-scoop). The movement follows from one person to the next until someone does another move: Arse (switches directions), milk maid (skips one person), get in me barn (skips one person and switches directions), get off me land (points at two people who have a shoot-off: “bang”). Anyone who makes a mistake drinks.

Screaming Toes

Everyone stands in a tight circle, looks up and then looks down at someone else’s feet. On the count of three, look up into that same person’s face. If anyone makes eye contact, they must scream and drink/eat.

Whoosh

An imaginary giant ball of energy is passed around the circle, accompanied by the word “whoosh” as it passes from one person to another. Someone can refuse the energy ball by saying “woah” and putting their hands up. The energy ball can be passed across the circle by putting your arms together, pointing at someone, and saying “Zap!”. When you have the energy ball, you may also invite everyone to “Get your groove on” and dance to a new place in the circle, or say “Giant Sky Hook” while making a hook motion with your arms towards someone who must make a circle with their arms and say “has been caught”. This person is the new holder of the energy ball.

The Sheep Game

The challenge is to keep your teeth covered with your lips at all times. Sitting in a circle, play proceeds around the circle according to three “moves.” At any given time, play proceeds around the circle in a certain direction. There are three moves: one continues the play in the given direction, another changes the direction, and a third sends the turn to another player in the circle. In the first move first move, the player whose turn it is turns to the next player and says “sheep” (remember, with his or her teeth covered). In the second move, the player turns back to the previous player while saying “sheep- BOOOIIIINNNGG” and changes the direction of the game (think “arse” in OUAR!). In the final move, you say “sheep-shawarma” while waving your arms at someone in the circle who then goes next. If at any point you can see someone’s teeth, everyone points at them and says “We can see your teeth” in a taunting (but still loving and respectful, of course) way (while still covering their teeth). What ends up happening is everyone wants to laugh, which makes it really hard to hide your teeth. To make this a hydration game, everyone should sip some water whenever someone’s teeth show.

Warm Up Games

These are good for keeping a group warm or warming up muscles before hitting the trail; you may want to follow them up with stretching. Similar to hydration games, while these are fun and silly, they should not replace keeping FOPpers warm and dry or explaining to them the risks of hypothermia.

Ichi-Mini-Hoy

Set up 4 bases (hats, sweatshirts, etc.) in a diamond, with the bases about 10 yards apart. Have two teams form two separate lines behind home base. Inform the teams that the players must keep their knees together and squawk like some kind of bird. To start the game, one player from each team runs around the bases (in opposite directions,) until they meet each other. At the meeting point, the two opposing players give each other a double high-five, simultaneously shouting “hoy!” and then proceed to do rock paper scissors, replacing the traditional words with “ichi-mini-hoy”.

Hungarian Foot Dance (a.k.a. the Hypothermia Dance)

This is a great way to warm upon a cold day in the woods, but also great when you’re impatient to get on the trail. Two people stand facing each other and touch feet in the following pattern: the insides of their right feet, then the inside of their left feet, next the outsides of their right feet and the insides of their left feet, but behind their legs instead of in front. Then, the outside of the right feet and repeat the pattern on the other side. Increase the speed to increase your warmth.

Haley Dance

Similar is the Haley Dance, brought to FOP by Haley Surti ‘01 and used to immortalize her in the FOP dance after her sudden death in a car accident the summer after her graduation. It’s also a great dance but even harder to describe in words. Hopefully this helps: stomp, clap down, slap down, clap down, stomp, stomp, clap down, clap slap down.

Bunny Bunny

People sit in a circle,chanting “Koomcha, Koomcha, Koomcha” while beating on their legs (on time). While everyone is chanting, someone takes their hand and forms kind of a duck bill shape and says “Bunny, Bunny”(Hand facing themselves) then they say “Bunny, Bunny” (Hand towards another person). Then that person “Bunnies” someone else and so on. When a person is bunnied, the person to the right and left of that person,turns towards them and waves their arms in a sort wave type fashion and says “Toki, Toki, Toki, Toki”. And the game goes on like that! If someone messes up in any aspect, such as the “Toki Toki” or “Bunny Bunny”, the person who messed up gets eliminated from the rest of the game. Then the game restarts from the beginning until there are only a few people left.

Bodyguard

Have everyone stand in a circle, facing each other. Announce that from this point on the only sound you can make is laughing. Have everyone silently choose someone in the group to be their “assassin.” Next, everyone silently chooses someone in the group to be their “bodyguard.” When the leader says “Go!,” the object is to be “safe.” The only way to be safe is if your bodyguard is between you and your assassin. Remember that neither your bodyguard nor your assassin know that they play that role for you and, in fact, have their own assassin and bodyguard. Enjoy as chaos ensues.

Conan

Everyone stands in a circle, and one person, the Conan, begins the game. Everyone pretends to be holding a large Conan-esque broadsword which they wield with great skill. When the Conan points to someone, that person lifts his sword in the air and yells, “Hieeeee!” while the people on either side swing their sword at that middle person. If the middle person or either side person forgets to swing, he is out. The middle person becomes the next Conan…

Cyclops Tag

Partner up. In a restricted area, one partner is it. The one who is it must cover one eye completely and look through their fist with the other making a mini telescope.

Giants, Wizards, Elves

Form two teams. Each team decides whether to be giants, wizards or elves. Then the two teams face-off and on the count of three, yell what they are. Elves trick wizards. Wizards enchant giants. Giants crush elves. The ‘winning’ team then chases the other team back past an established line. Anyone who is tagged joins the ‘winning’ team until all participants are on one team. Great for getting warmed up and increasing energy levels.

“It” Tag

In this version of tag, everybody tries to tag everybody else. If you get tagged, you are frozen until the person who tagged you gets tagged, at which point you are free to run again.

Knee Tag

Everybody is it. The object is to tag other people’s knees. You’re safe if you cover your hands with your knees, but then you can’t run.

Over-under Relay

The group is split into two groups that race each other. The groups stand in a line and the last person leap-frogs one person, then crawls through the next person’s legs until they get to the front of the line. The first group to be in the order they started in wins.

Big Booty

This game can be played at camp or on a break while hiking. Everyone gets in a circle. One person is”Big Booty,” the person on their left is “number two,” and so on until the last person is called “Little Booty.” Big Booty starts by hitting their knees and starting a clapping beat while saying the words “Biiiig Booty, Big Booty, Big Booty, Uh huh, Big Booty.” Then, in quick succession and on time to the beat, they say their position (in this first case, Big Booty) and then the position of someone else in the circle, i.e. “Big Booty, Number Three.” This is all said in time to the beat. Then the person who is number three says “Number Three,” and then another person’s position in the circle. The game continues until someone misses their turn when called or says the phrase off beat, at which point they skip to the last position and are the new “Little Booty.” The goal is to become Big Booty and stay in that position as long as possible, but no one actually wins.

There is a version of this game made popular by Leader Ben Raderstorf on the infamous TT3 in which the first person is called “Number One” instead of “Big Booty” and any person in the circle can refrain from calling the next person when it is there turn and say their position and then “Big Booty, Uh huh, Big Booty,” at which point a freestyle dance interlude ensues and then the game continues.

More Silly Games

The games in this section, while lots of fun, may be slightly risky. If there seem to be group members who are uncomfortable with physical contact, it’s probably not a good idea to play them, especially near the beginning of the trip. Use discretion, but enjoy!

Ah So Ko

Stand in a circle. The object is to pass “Ah!”, “So!” and “Ko!” around the circle, in that order, as many times as possible with as little confusion as possible. “Ah” can pass to the person on either side of you with a hand under the chin, palm facing down. “So” can pass to the person on either side of you with the hand above the head, palm facing down. If you want to pass “Ah” or “So” to the person to your right, you must use your left hand, pointing to the right. The opposite is true for a left pass. “Ko” passes to anyone across the circle (not the person to either side of you) with an extended arm and hand point. Speed up as everyone gets comfortable.

Balance

Two people face each other and try to push one another off balance only touching hands (and not moving their feet).

Boppity Bop Bop Bop

The person in the center of the circle (person A) will look and point at a member in the circle (person B) and say “boppity bop bop bop” and before person A completes their sentence, person B must day “bop”. If person B is too slow then they will trade spots with person A. Person A can also point to someone and say “Elephant.” This person then has to make the elephant trunk with his arms while the players on either side of them make elephant ears with their arms before Person A counts to 5. A variety of other actions can be used such as surfing moose (the person in the middle is the moose and the side people are the waves), toast (the person in the middle bounces up and down and the side people form a toaster), Elvis (the person in the middle says “Yeaaaa” in a deep voice while the two side people swoon), etc. You can make up your own actions, too!

“Ha”

This game can be played in a circle or in a line. Each person lies on their back with their head on someone else’s stomach, forming a chain. The person on the bottom (or anyone, if it’s a circle) starts by saying “Ha” once. The person lying on this person’s stomach says “ha ha”. Each person in turn adds one more “ha” to their fake laugh, until real laughter makes it impossible to proceed. At this point, the “ha”-ing starts again with one, and the group tries to reach a higher number of “ha”s.

Miniature Tanks

Everyone gets on their knees with their forearms on the ground. The only rule is that every time you move one side of your body (one forearm and knee), you must say “Miniature Tanks.”

Ninjas

Stand in a circle. Everyone yells “NINJA!” and jumps into a stance. The first person begins by making one ninja motion towards the person standing next to them-the object is to try and “tag” the other person with your one move. You get one step and a swing: move more than that, and you’re out! The motion continues around the circle, and people are out once they get tagged. Be creative with your moves!

Prueey

Everyone wanders around with their eyes closed except one person designated the Prueey who has their eyes open but cannot move. When people bump into each other, they must say “Prueey?”. Only the Prueey is silent. On meeting the Prueey they join hands or work along to the end of the Prueey and take a free hand and open their eyes.

Scream Run

Basically, you run as far as you can with one single breath scream. It sounds stupid, and is, but it’s incredibly funny to watch, partake in, and serves as a great energy instigator and/or stress reliever… This is not particularly appropriate in the backcountry, but can but used as an ice breaker on the first day.

Slack Jaw Dance Off

A great choice for trip crossings that often fosters connections both within and between groups. Basically, the group(s) form a circle around two individuals, who must assume a fully relaxed position (think arms hanging, body loose, mouth hanging open, a “slack” jaw) and dance at each other. The first to laugh or close their mouth loses. Everyone else cheers on the competitors!

Smugglers

One person stands in the middle of the circle. They close their eyes and the circle starts passing around an object. “It” then opens their eyes and tries to figure out where the object is. Others in the circle and make fake passes to throw the person off.

Vegetable-Off

This is a contest between two people. They start facing back to back, and another person counts to three. On each count, they take a step away from each other, and on three, the third person calls out a name of a vegetable (and optionally, an adjective). Both contestants turn and try to look, smell and sound like the vegetable as best as possible. The group may or may not choose to determine a winner.

Questions

Everybody sits in a circle. Going around the circle, each individual is asked a question and has to answer how they think the person sitting to their right would answer. The person whose answer to the question was guessed then reveals whether the answer was correct or not. Have the group rearrange regularly, perhaps every time somebody guess an answer wrong. This game has the potential to put FOPpers in the uncomfortable position of suddenly having to decide whether to share something about themselves (for example, it can be incredibly uncomfortable for an LGBTQA+ FOPper to have to suddenly decide whether to come out and to possibly feel like they can’t later in the trip if they didn’t during the game), so be sure to set good norms about what is okay to ask or use a pre-prepared set of questions (maybe drawn from a hat).

Trail Games

Often on the trail while hiking (or paddling) away, it is invigorating and encouraging to play games (or, of course, have interesting conversations) in order to divert attention from blistered heels or palms. This is especially true when someone’s spirits are sagging near the back of the group; a fun game gives an added incentive to keep up with the rest of the group. It is important, however, as with all games, to keep an eye out for discomfort and avoid any games which might increase it. For example, if one FOPper doesn’t know much about American pop culture, they might have trouble with Botticelli, or someone who doesn’t seem sure how to share things about their life may feel awkward trying to tell Two Truths and a Lie. Some games may also be used as time fillers and Minute Mysteries can also be a great way to pass time on the trail.

Contact

One person thinks of a word and tells the group the first letter of the word. The group then tries to guess it, but can only ask questions with “yes” or “no” as an answer. However, they can only ask a yes/no question after they have earned it by stumping the person who is it. In order to stump the original player, someone must ask a question of the original player with an answer which starts with the same letter. For example, if the letter is “C” and the original word is ”carrot”, a player could ask “Is it a piece of furniture?” If the original player can think of something which fits the description (saying, for example “No, it is not a chair,” or “No, it is not a chandelier), but only if it’s the SAME thing that the stumper had in mind, will they have escaped a question. If they are truly stumped, however, and another person in the group thinks they know the word, they can yell “contact!”. Both players simultaneously count to three and then say the word they think it is. If they both say the same word, without the person who is it saying what it is first, then the person who is it reveals the next letter. This continues until the word someone is thinking of is the object of the question, both people say “contact,” and then both get it (the person who had first proposed the question in that case becomes it). For example, say the word was still “carrot” and the question was: “is it a Christmas Island native?” and the person who is it can’t get it.

Botticelli

One person thinks of a well-known character (living or dead, historical or fictional, human or personified animal, etc.) and tells the group the first letter of the character’s last name. The group then tries to guess the character, but can only ask questions with “yes” or “no” as an answer. However, they can only ask a yes/no question after they have earned it by stumping the person who is it. In order to stump the original player, someone must ask a question of the original player with an answer whose last name starts with the same letter. For example, if the letter is “C” and the original character is “Tom Cruise”, a player could ask “Are you a former U.S. President?” If the original player can think of someone who fits the description (saying, for example “No, I’m not Calvin Coolidge,” or “No, I’m not Jimmy Carter), regardless of whether it’s the SAME person the stumper had in mind, they have escaped a question. If they are truly stumped, however, the stumper has then earned the ability to ask a yes/no question about the original character until someone in the group guesses who it is.

Ghost

The person at the front of the line says a letter of the alphabet out loud. One by one, players add letters until a word has been spelled. The goal is to not be the one to finish a word. The person who said the last letter of any word loses, and obtains a letter in the word “ghost” (so the first time someone loses, they have a “g”, the second time a “gh”, etc. until the whole word has been spelled, at which point they are out of the game). If someone questions another’s letter choice, they can challenge the other player. If the challenged player has a word in mind, the challenger loses (and takes a letter in the word “ghost”). If no valid word can be given, the challenged loses (and must take a “ghost” letter). Words must have more than three letters and cannot be proper nouns.

Song Train

One team starts with a phrase (a little Whitney Houston “I-I-I will always love yooou”), then the next team takes a word from that phrase and comes up with another phrase (a bit of Shaggy “You’re sent from up abuh-uve, thanks for giving me your luh-uve”). Note: Train can be played with any category from movie titles to famous quotes. Be creative!

Song Train II

Start with a word, any word, that is relatively common in songs. (“Sun” is an example of a good choice, while “love” would be harder because there are far too many songs that have the word “love” in them, and “stapler” would not result in much of a game). Each person must then sing a verse of a song that contains that word. Whether or not songs that include “sunshine” are acceptable is up to the people playing the game. When someone cannot think of a song, they get a letter, as in Ghost, and thinks of a new word. To keep people from thinking of ridiculous words that would cause the next person in line to automatically lose, the person who thinks of the word must be able to sing at least one song that contains that word.

Two Truths and a Lie

Someone tells three stories or facts about themself, two of which are true and one a lie. The other players must each guess which one is the lie.

Time Fillers

These are for whenever you have down time.

Human Taco

Each person has a tag with a taco ingredient stuck to his back (i.e. shell, meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa). Then each person wanders around asking yes/no questions, trying to figure out what ingredient they are and FOPpers try to form a human taco in the right order. In another variation, you can simply write the names of famous people on the name tags and ask questions to figure out who you are.

Knot Trick

Give your FOPpers a p-cord and have them figure out how to tie a simple overhand knot holding each end of the rope and without letting go of either end.

Mafia!

There are many variations, but briefly, the group is a village of people, three mafia members are chosen and they get to kill someone each night. The rest of the villagers must try and figure out who the mafia members are before they are killed and mafia wins. Surgeon General’s Warning: this game may not be appropriate early in a trip as it deals with a lot of issues of deception and not trusting others.

Rope Handcuffs

This is an activity for two people. Have the two people face each other, then take two pieces of p-cord and have them each take a cord and tie each end loosely to either of their wrists so that their respective pieces of cord cross. The challenge is then for them to uncross the cords without taking them off their wrists.

One-Person-Out Games

It is very important to use discretion in how these games are played. It’s probably a good idea to wait until people are pretty comfortable with each other before playing them, and also to choose people who seem as though they would feel comfortable with being put on the spot for fun. The first three games described can only be played if at least one player has never played before (and therefore doesn’t know the rules). Finally, for all of these games, some stress can be relieved if two people are chosen as the people out instead of one.

Fantasy

This game is fun, but should be monitored to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand. First, one or two people are asked to walk a distance away so that the remaining group can make up a fantasy adventure for them to go on. They must walk far enough away so they can’t hear. While they are gone, the remaining group pretends to make up a story, but really during this time, the leaders of the group reveal the trick. When the two selected people return, they are told they can ask yes or no questions to figure out their fantasy. The trick is that when the questions are asked, if the last word ends in a vowel, you answer “yes”, and if it ends in a consonant you answer “no.” You can also modify it and say that if the last word ends in a “Y” you answer “maybe.” The story that evolves is created entirely from the selected people’s own minds.

Brain Teasers

These games can be fun (although frustrating at times!) and involve figuring out what the pattern is that someone is using. One way to avoid making any one person feel left out or stupid is to expose the trick while there are still two or a few people who haven’t yet figured it out. For other similar fun, see Minute Mysteries.

“Bang, bang, bang! Who’d I shoot?”

Someone says this sentence while pretending to shoot various people in the group. The other group members are supposed to guess whom they shot. The answer is always whoever’s name is the first person to speak up after the question is asked.

Green Glass Doors

The object of this game is for FOPpers to discover what your roommate likes by asking whether or not they like different things. In this case they like anything that has double letters in it, though there are other versions. One other version begins “My roommate likes coffee, but they don’t like tea” and the like dislike hinges around the presence or absence of the letter T. Another variation is Black Magic where one person tries to guess what object another person has in mind. The person with the object in mind asks “Is it this?” and the correct object is always the one right after a black object (i.e. a boot or backpack frame).

Snaps

This game requires that at least two people know the trick from the beginning. One person who knows it spells words to the other in code (using their amazing “ESP” powers!), and the other figures them out. If the rest of the group does not believe in their integrity, they can whisper words to one of the coders to pass to the other to prove it wasn’t planned ahead. The message is passed with seemingly nonsensical sentences and snapping. The clue is spelled out using the first letter of each sentence to indicate consonants, and using 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 snaps (corresponding to a, e, i, o, and u) for the vowels. For example, the name “Elmo” could be passed as follows: 1) Two snaps. 2) “Look at all the snow in this campsite!” 3) “My sister saw a unicorn yesterday.” 4) Four snaps.

Travel

In this game, everyone sits in a circle and one parts by saying, “I’m going to travel to…” The person who is running the game then tells them whether or not they can travel there. The trick is that the first letter of the place they want to travel needs to be the same as the letter in their name that corresponds to that round of the game. (For example, Ned could first travel to New Zealand, then in the second round to England, then to Delaware.)

Broom Dance

This is similar to the Travel game, but involves movement instead of just words. A stick is used as a broom, and someone dances a little dance with it while chanting “I can do the broom dance, broom dance, broom dance, I can do the broom dance, can you?” Whether or not someone can do the broom dance depends on whether or not they cough first, says “Ok” before beginning, or whatever the pattern is.

Black Tie Dinner

Tell your FOPpers that they need to assemble their most formal attire from the things that they have with them. You can leave it up to their imagination or give them hints (socks make great ties, trash bags and tarps make great skirts and dresses). This works especially well on the last night of the trip, so that your FOPpers are entertained while you’re making the cheesecake.

Word Games (or Interesting Thoughts)

These are some games that aren’t quite games, but just more ways of thinking about things in a different way.

Truths

This game starts with each person in turn saying something true about themself, though impersonal (e.g. “I have a black dog.”). The next truth that each person tells must be slightly more personal. The game can continue until it becomes boring or everyone knows everything about everyone else in the group! Again, it is important to use judgment in determining how personal this sort of game can become.

Poem/Story

One person starts off by making up the beginning of a poem or a story. Each person in the group has the option of adding a word or a line or several sentences to the poem or story. Go around the group several times until you have a literary masterpiece.

Word Association

One person starts by saying a word, then the next person says a word without taking time to think through what they associate with the first and so on.

Yeti Game

The TJ Hazen memorial “Yeti” game is simple and guaranteed to get the whole group laughing hysterically. Here’s how to play: after two or three FOPpers have been away from the rest of the group for a few minutes, tell the absent FOPpers that the group made up a story about them while they were gone. Say that you won’t tell them the story right away, but that they should ask yes or no questions to learn what the content of the story was. But here’s the trick: you never made up a story! For every yes or no question that they ask, respond “yes” if the last word of the question ended in a vowel and respond “no” if the last word of the question ended in a consonant. To make the trick believable, make sure that everyone who wasn’t away from the group is answering the yes or no questions in sync. Let your confused FOPpers keep asking questions until they’ve woven an utterly ridiculous, inevitably contradictory story about themselves!

Minute Mysteries

Great distractors on the trail. Hours of fun and frustration compiled by Emily Donaldson with additions from Matissa Hollister.

• A man walks into a bar and asks the bartender for a glass of water. The bartender pulls out a gun, the customer says “thanks,” and walks out. Why? The customer had the hiccups.
• The gate opened and she fell to her death. What happened? Her carabiner opened.
• Joan and Barry are dead on the floor, surrounded by glass and water. What happened? They’re fish, and their tank broke.
• 50 people are dead in a cabin in the woods. How did they die? Plane crash.
• If you have a 5-gallon jug and a 3-gallon jug, how do you get 4 gallons? Fill the 3-gallon, pour into 5-gallon, then fill 3-gallon again, pour into 5-gallon until 5-gallon is full; then empty 5-gallon and pour what’s in 3-gallon into 5-gallon, fill 3-gallon one last time and pour into 5-gallon and you have 4 gallons in the 5-gallon jug.
• There is a truth-telling village and a lying village. A traveler comes to a crossroads where one road goes to each village. A man standing at the crossroads could be from either village, and the traveler can only ask them one question. What does he ask the man, if he wants to get to the truth-telling village? Which path do you live down?
• A person is found dead in the woods. An autopsy reveals it was the pack on their back that killed them. How? It was a pack of wolves.
• Some hikers come to a crossroads and the sign has fallen down. How do they know where to go? They pick up the sign and point the arrow to where they came from back the way they came.
• A lady is found dead in a room with one window, a rope around her neck, and a puddle of water on the floor. What happened? She used a block of ice to hang herself.
• A man who lives on the 50th floor of a building can take the elevator all the way to his room on rainy days, but on sunny days takes it to the 15th floor and has to walk the rest of the way up the stairs. Why? He’s very short and needs an umbrella to reach the button for the 50th floor.
• Five pieces of coal, a carrot and a scarf are lying on the lawn. Nobody put them on the lawn but there is a perfectly logical reason why they should be there. What is it? They were used by children who made a snowman. The snow has now melted.
• A woman had two sons who were born on the same hour of the same day of the same year. But they were not twins. How could this be so? They were two of a set of triplets (or quadruplets etc.).
• A man pushed his car. He stopped when he reached a hotel at which point he knew he was bankrupt. Why? He was playing Monopoly.
• A man rode into town on Friday. He stayed for three nights and then left on Friday. How come? The man’s horse was called Friday.
• A man went to a party and drank some of the punch. He then left early. Everyone else at the party who drank the punch subsequently died of poisoning. Why did the man not die? The poison in the punch came from the ice cubes. When the man drank the punch the ice was fully frozen. Gradually it melted, poisoning the punch.
• A man was walking downstairs in a building when he suddenly realized that his wife had just died. How? The man had visited his wife in hospital. She was on a life-support machine. As he was walking down the stairs all the lights went out. There had been a power cut and the emergency back-up systems had failed. He knew that she had died.
• A man and his son are in car crash and the man dies and his boy needs surgery, the boy is rushed into the operating room and the surgeon says “I can’t operate on this boy he is my son” How can this be so? Amazingly people do not get this one….the doctor is his mother. Nice one to talk about sex stereotyping.
• If a bee is in your hand, what’s in your eye? Beauty. Beauty is in the EYE of the BEE-holder.
• 100 people are in a line facing forward so they can see everyone in front of them, but no one behind them. Each person wears a blue or a red hat. They don’t know the color of their hat. Going down the line, how can they each say the color of their hat with only one possible wrong answer? Answer: the person in the back of the line (who can see everyone else) answers “red” if the number of red hats in front of them is even and “blue” if the number of red hats in front of them is odd. Then, each person keeps a running tally of whether there should be an even or odd number of red hats from their point on in line, and answers according to what they see.