Trial by Jury

by Robert Coats | More from this Blogger

14 May 2006 07:24 AM

This is a great party game for a smart group of teenagers, or even at an adult party. Imagine playing the game of Clue, but without the board and the cool pieces.

Prepare two letters in advance and seal them in envelopes. One of the envelopes is left completely blank and the other contains a brief, but graphic account of a crime. (usually a murder)

Choose a resourceful party guest as the "district attorney" who will then take charge of the proceedings. He chooses two players from the group and gives each a letter. They leave the room to read the letters and can't give any hint of the contents to each other, or to the other guests.

These players are then called in, one at a time, by the district attorney for questioning. He tries to find out which one knows most about the crime; its victim, locality, etc., and is therefore presumably the murderer.

The other people at the party act as the jury. They discuss the evidence and decide which of the two players is guilty.

Each of the prisoners must answer each question truthfully and quickly, saying whatever first comes to mind when the district attorney asks a question or mentions a subject. For example, if the murderer escaped in a Ford car across a red bridge over a river, etc., the district attorney might ask "What occurs to you if I say river?" The accused must answer quickly without time for reflection.

After the district attorney is satisfied, the first prisoner is excused and the second sent in for questioning. After that, the jury decides which of the two had the envelope and committed the crime.

Look out Perry Mason!

Learn more about Robert Coats

My name is Rob Coats, and I'm very excited to join the Families.Com community. It's an honor and a privilege to be part of the internet's best resource for family information.

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger