Characterades

“Characterades" - Charades with a role-play twist!

No materials required. Just bring your imagination!

At least 3 players...

• Player 1 serves as the GM
• Player 2 serves as a guesser
• Player 3 serves as the role-player
• Additional players can become either guessers or role-players.

Playtime for one round: ~5 to 10 minutes (depending on the complexity of the term)

• GM picks a word/short phrase to tell the role-player only
• Ideally a basic noun for beginner players
• Example: grapes, piano, leaf, owl, high heels, snow
• More complicated pool of words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, idioms) for more experienced players or for those who want a challenge
• Example: Email, disgust, opposite, swim, mirage, “it’s raining cats and dogs”
• If the word is not a noun, let the guesser know the type of phrase they’re looking for before the role-player acts
• The role-player must “personify” the word through role-play for the guesser
• Avoid naming the exact word
• Avoid simply describing the word
• Ex) “grapes”
• “I am round and small and found in bunches. I am a plant. I am sweet and come in many colors like purple and green.”
• Avoid “acting” as the primary means of depicting the word. The main act is your verbal description.
• Be creative and clever! The best result is to be able to simultaneously uphold reality and imagination. Utilize the word as inspiration for making an original character
• Ex) “grapes”
• “My name is Vi and I’m a renowned wine-taster and singer. People all over the world have come to see me perform live on stage. My voice is mellow and full-bodied. I love to wear varying shades of deep red, natural green, and rich purple when I head out. Although I often sing at night with a full-house, my favorite place to sing is where no one can hear me in an open grassy field with the sun shining upon me.”
• If you’re feeling stuck on how to “personify” a word, consider the following:
• Imagine you’re creating a social media profile for your word (e.g., Tinder, Facebook, Instagram)
• What are some things you would enjoy doing as a ____?
• What are some things that would trouble you as a ____?
• What are the social/cultural/political implications as a ____?
• What kind of personality would ____ have?
• Who would be your arch-nemesis as a ____?
• The guesser must figure out what the GM’s word is based on the role-player’s depiction
• Number of guesses are unlimited
• Guesser keep on guessing until they get the right word or they decide to give up and hear the answer