Small Talk

A parlor game for teams of two

© 2009 David Scott Marley

I invented Small Talk around 1990, and it's proved to be one of my most popular party games. It has one drawback, which is that it takes a certain amount of preparation, and the player who does the preparing will also need to serve as the gamesmaster -- which means he or she doesn't play, but runs the game for the other players. On the other hand, once you've made the equipment -- a large deck of cards, basically -- you have something you can bring out on the spur of the moment at party after party.

Setting things up Players pair up into teams of two. (You can let people decide who to play with, though I think it's more fun to match people up by some random method or other.) Teammates agree between themselves who will give the clues and who will guess at the answers.

You'll also need a watch with a second hand or some other way of measuring exactly one minute. Time can be kept by anyone who isn't playing in that round, and it shouldn't be the gamesmaster, who will have his or her hands too full to keep a constant eye on the time.

The cluegiver and the guesser face each other. The gamesmaster stands behind the guesser's back, so that he or she can be seen by the cluegiver but not the guesser.

Everyone else will have the best view of the proceedings if they sit behind the cluegiver, so that they, too, are facing the gamesmaster.

How to play The gamesmaster has a deck of cards, on each of which is written (in big block letters) the name of a person, place, or thing. (This is the part you have to prepare ahead of time; more about it later.) The gamesmaster holds up one card at a time so that the cluegiver (and the rest of the party) can see it, but the guesser cannot.

The cluegiver's object is to get the guesser to say what's on the card. If you're the cluegiver, you can give whatever clues you like -- but you may only speak in words of one syllable. Words of two or more syllables are forbidden. Also forbidden, of course, is saying any word, or form of a word, on the card.

So if the card says TOASTER OVEN, you can't say "kitchen" or "appliance" or "cooking" (too many syllables), and you can't say "toast" (a form of a word on the card). You might say something like "This is what you use to heat food with -- you can bake, uh, spuds in it -- it's small, it's not as big as a range" and so on until your teammate guesses it.

Abbreviations and letters of the alphabet are also forbidden. So don't even think of trying to argue that "TV" is actually two one-syllable words. All the onlookers should be alert in case a forbidden word slips by the notice of the gamesmaster.

If you're the guesser, you can make as many guesses as you like, but guesses are all you're allowed to say -- you can't ask questions or make any other comments.

As soon as the guesser guesses what's on the card, the gamesmaster quickly puts it down and holds up the next card.

Mistakes and passing If the cluegiver accidentally uses a forbidden word, the team loses the chance to score for that card; the gamesmaster puts it down and moves on to the next one. The cluegiver also has the option of saying "pass!" and deliberately giving up on that card; the gamesmaster moves on to the next card just as if a forbidden word had been used. There are no further penalties for passing or using a forbidden word -- the valuable seconds that have been wasted are penalty enough.

Only the cluegiver can make the decision to pass. The guesser isn't allowed to say anything other than making guesses. (Still, if you're the guesser, there's nothing to stop you from shaking your head in dismay to signal to your partner that you don't think you're ever going to get this one. But the ultimate decision whether or not to pass is entirely with the cluegiver.)

Winning the game The winning team, of course, is the one that correctly names the most cards in one minute.

For a longer game, or with a smallish party, you might have each team play a second round as well, with the cluegiver and guesser switching places. Then add up the totals from the two rounds to determine the winners.

A few examples

The gamesmaster holds up PICTURE WINDOW.
Cluegiver: This is a piece of glass in the wall ...
Guesser: Window?
Cluegiver: Sort of, but this is a great big piece of glass.
Guesser: Stained glass window?
Cluegiver: You look through it and see a big view.
Guesser: Picture window?
Gamesmaster: Yes!
 
The gamesmaster holds up CHELSEA CLINTON.
Cluegiver: This is the, uh -- [Cluegiver realizes she can't say "daughter"] -- she's the girl of the -- [Oops, can't say "president" either!] -- of a man who was chief of us all. The man who used to be in the White House.
Guesser: Laura Bush? Hillary Clinton?
Cluegiver: That's her mom!
Guesser: Chelsea Clinton?
Gamesmaster: Yes!
 
The gamesmaster holds up ABSENTEE BALLOT.
Cluegiver: This is how you vote when you're out of town. [An easy one for a change!]
Guesser: Absentee ballot!
Gamesmaster: Yes!
 
The gamesmaster holds up RED.
Cluegiver: [Thinks: Should be another easy one. But can't say "apple" -- what else? Ah, I've got it! Says:] This is the color of blood!
Everyone else in the room: Buzz! You said "color"! [The gamesmaster puts the card away and holds up the next one.]
 
The gamesmaster holds up THE ARTFUL DODGER.
Cluegiver: This is a boy in a book.
Guesser: Christopher Robin? Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
Cluegiver: A boy who steals things. He lives with a gang. [Guesser looks puzzled. Cluegiver gets an inspiration. British accent:] His friend said, "Please, sir! I want some more!"
Guesser: Oliver Twist!
Cluegiver: Not him, his friend!
Guesser: The Artful Dodger!
Gamesmaster: Yes!

Want to go on?

Click here for some words about preparing the cards.