Elmer Facky
From Scratchpad
Elmer Facky is a game played by the Ship of Fools and members of the Purdue Improv Club as well as many others. This IS NOT an improv game, but a party game.
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[edit] Origins
Elmer Facky was passed on to the Ship of Fools by Erica Minton of the Miami Tower Players. The name comes from a Kroger employee in Oxford, Ohio whose distinctive features and name were lent to the game as a title. (confirm)
[edit] Materials
To play this game, you will need:
- Several small scraps of paper, each large enough to write 1 legible name apiece
- A bowl or hat to put them all in (preferably a bowl with lobsters on it)
- Pens and paper for playing/keeping score
- A watch
[edit] How To Play
Recommended number of players: 6-10
First, divide into teams. Pick a scorekeeper and a name for each team. Distribute all the scraps of paper to all the players, and have everybody write a single name on each paper. Names can be celebrities, cartoon characters, mascots, cereal box people, local celebrities, friends and family, fictional characters, literary, television, cinema characters, superheroes, and so on. There should be about 10 names per person for an average game.
Place all the papers half folded into a group bowl or hat. Team A times and keeps score while team B guesses. The first player of Team B has 60 seconds to blindly select a paper, open and read it silently, and convey the name to his or her team without saying the name.
Legibility of names is stressed. Also, skipping a name (putting it back into the bowl) is worth -1 points. Each correct name guessed in one minute is 1 point. At the end of the round, Team B becomes scorekeeper and timer, while Team A guesses names. Each time a switch is made, a new person conveys the name, rotating through all members.
Continue until all names have been guessed. Obscure names are certainly fair game, but may be difficult for your own team to guess.
Similar to the game Taboo.
[edit] Strategy
[edit] Memorable Names
On many occurrences games of Elmer Facky played by the Ship of Fools and Purdue Improv Club yielded repeated names. Although the names in a given game may change, if playing with this set of people one would do well to learn some of these names:
- Bulbasaur
- Neil Clark Warren (co-founder of eHarmony.com)
- Neil Patrick Harris (former Doogie Howser)
- The Golden Girls: Bea Arthur as Dorothy Zbornak, Betty White as Rose Nylund; Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux, and Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo
- Euclid: Greek mathematician
- Archibald Graham: phantom baseball player made famous in Field of Dreams
- Don Henley: drummer, songwriter, and lead-singer of The Eagles.
[edit] Alternate Versions
One alternate version follows the same rules above, however, there are three rounds (using all the names):
- Round 1: As above
- Round 2: Using only 5 words or less
- Round 3: Using only mime, no sound
If this is attempted, less names is recommended. Memory is crucial.
