Going on a Picnic

Going on a Picnic does not involve packing a basket lunch, loading up the kids in the car and driving to the countryside, rather it does involve some party goers looking for something to do and a bunch of beer. Going on a Picnic requires no extra equipment and can be played basically anywhere. The only thing needed is to have at least one player who actually knows how to play. To become that player, read on.

Going on a Picnic is basically a game where at least one player knows the allowable items for the picnic and all of the other players are trying to figure out which items they can bring along. To start off, at least one player has to decide what the criteria is for "allowable items". To do this all the player has to do is come up with a series of letters, a word, or a series of words. For example if the player in the know decides that the word 'avocado' is the criteria then whenever another player asks if they can bring an item on the picnic, that item must begin with one of the letters in the word 'avocado'. In other words, if a player asks to bring bananas, the player in the know would tell them that bannanas are not allowed on the picnic. The player who wanted to bring them must now take a sip of their selected beverage. If a player wanted to bring apples then the player in the know would inform them that apples are allowed and the game proceeds to the next player. Once an item has been mentioned it may not be used again. Any player attempting to do so must consume.

Sounds easy doesn't it? Well, that's because it is, unless the player in the know decides to get a little more sophisticated with the criteria. An experienced player could decide that the criteria is the word encyclopedia, allowing only items starting with the letters in the word encyclopedia, and further that these items be allowed only in an order designated by the spelling of encyclopedia . In such an instance, as soon as a player correctly asks to bring an item starting with an 'e' then the next item has to start with an 'n'. This not only keeps things interesting and players always guessing, it usually ensures that no other player is going to correctly guess an item that is allowable on the picnic. In other words, heavy consumption. To help keep players guessing, the player in the know, who also has to mention an item to bring along, should guess an incorrect item now and then, just in case any players thought they knew what was safe. Play continues like this until everyone becomes bored or there is nothing left to drink.

It is allowable to have more than one player in the know. This helps keep moving things along and acts as a sort of double check for what is allowable and what is not. Having two players in the know also helps to keep the game more interesting. For instance, one player in the know could incorrectly request to bring an item and the other disallow it. Be as creative as you can with the criteria. You can choose to have things in reverse order, alternating, etc. The more creative, the more drinking. If a player does manage to figure out the criteria, either by guessing or by putting things together, the players in the know should change the criteria. Have fun.