Suggestions

Source: What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games And Pastimes
Category: THINKING, GUESSING, AND ACTING GAMES



This is a game which people either dislike or like very much. The
players sit round the fire or table, and one of them begins by naming
an article of any kind whatever, such as watering-pot. The word
"watering-pot" will immediately suggest something to the next
player--say "gardener." He therefore says "gardener." The next is
perhaps reminded by the word "gardener" of a bunch of violets she saw
the gardener carrying that morning, and she therefore says "violets";
the next at once recollects finding violets when she was in the
country last spring, and she therefore says "Vermont." Thus the game
goes on for, say, ten rounds, by which time, as we have seen already,
the minds of the players have been carried miles away from the
original watering-pot which set them at work. It is now necessary to
trace the series of suggestions back to watering-pot again. This is
done by the last player mentioning, not the last thing that he thought
of, but the thing which suggested that to him. (Thus, the player next
him may have said, in the last round, "an apple-core," which may have
suggested to him "Tom Sawyer." He would not, however, when the task of
retracing begins, say "Tom Sawyer," because to repeat your own words
is too easy, but "an apple-core" and the next player, going backward,
in his turn would repeat the word which suggested "an apple-core" to
him.) The second part of the game, retracing the suggestions, is
naturally more difficult than the first.

In this game two things are very important. One is, that silence
should be maintained; the other, that the word you give should be
suggested to you only by the previous player's remark. Also it is more
fun to be quite honest about it, and really say what was first
suggested, instead of making a choice.


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