Town Council Group Game Instructions
The holidays recently ended, and I love looking back and reminiscing at all of the fun we had. We were able to get together with family multiple times, played games, ate good food, and laughed a lot. I’m so grateful for anything that give us an excuse/reason to get together with the people most important to us. One of my families favorite things to do when we get together is play games. Today I want to share with you how to play one of our favorite party games for all ages called Town Council.
We love playing Town Council because it’s fun, quick to play, easy to learn, and fun for all ages. Plus, you will need very minimal prep or supplies. It is really the perfect big group game.
What is Town Council?
The premise of Town Council is simple really. Your goal will be to collect all the other players onto your council. This is done by correctly guessing their previously chosen fake name. The first person to collect all players wins the game.
It usually takes between 10-20 minutes to complete the game.
Town Council Group Game Set Up
To set up this fun party game for all ages you will need just two supplies:
- Small strip of blank paper for each player (scratch paper works great!)
- Pen/pencils
That’s it!
Before the game begins pass one strip of paper to each player. Ask them to write a name onto the paper. This can be any name: it could be a celebrity, a friend, a cartoon character, or a random name. There is no rule!
Once every person has written down a name ask them to fold their paper in half one time and put it into a bowl.
- Related: How To Play Fish Bowl
How To Play Town Council
Now that all of the slips of paper have been put into the bowl, nominate someone to be the “Mayor”. The mayor will pull out each of the papers and read them one at a time to the group. While the names are being read the rest of the players will need to listen closely to each of the names and try to remember as many of the names as they can.
The names will only be read one time, so everyone should pay close attention.
After all of the games have been read the game can begin!
Sitting in a circle, take turns having each person guess who wrote down each name. If you guess someone’s name correctly then they will come sit by you and join your “Town Council”. You now work together as a council of two.
Play continues until one player has all of the other players on his council.
If you are able to guess someone else’s council of multiple players, then you get the entire team to join your council. It can be wise strategy to guess the large councils to help your team grow quickly.
Example Game
Here is a sample game to help you understand the process.
Let’s say there are 6 people playing Town Council: Jessica, Jordan, Claire, Kelly, Greg and Luke.
Jessica goes first and asks Claire: “Are you Bugs Bunny?” Claire did not write down Bugs Bunny so she replies, “No.”
Next it is Jordans turn, Jordan asks Jessica, “Are you George Washington?” Jessica did write down George Washington, so she replies, “Yes.” Jessica now sits by Jordan and joins his council. They can now work together to guess the rest of the group.
Now it is Claires turn. She asks Greg, “Are you Bugs Bunny?” Greg wrote down Bugs Bunny so he replies with, “Yes.” He now goes and joins Claires council.
Kelly goes next. He asks Jordan, “Are you Lebron James?” Jordan replies “No.”
Luke asks Jordan, “Are you Lizzie McGuire?” Jordan replies “Yes.” Now Jordan and Jessica goes and joins Luke’s Council.
- Play continues again around the circle. This game is all about memory, make sure to pay attention while players are guessing so that you can remember who says no and yes to each of the names.
Claire asks Luke, “Are you Walt Disney?” Luke replies, “No.”
Next Kelly asks Claire, “Are you Dwight Schrute?” Claire is Dwight Schrute so says, “Yes.” Claire and Greg join Kellys Town Council.
- Right now the Town Councils are:
- Kelly, Claire and Greg
- Luke, Jordan and Jessica
- Kelly and Luke are the Town Council leaders and try to guess each others name. The first person to guess correctly will collect the rest of the players in the game and win the game.
Luke asks Kelly, “Are you Walt Disney?” Kelly is Walt Disney, so Luke inherits his council and wins the game. Yay!
- Related: Best Family Games Under $20
Town Council Rules and Tips
Here are a few tips and rules to remember while playing this party game for all ages:
- You are not allowed to ask someone if they are the name that you wrote down. It is always tempting to use this strategy to “throw them off your scent” but it is against the rules.
- As your council grows you are allowed to work together as a team to remember everyone’s names, but only the leader of the council asks the questions.
- When the mayor is reading the names don’t make any sounds, jokes or remarks about the names being read. Try to stay as neutral and quiet as possible. The more comments made about a name the more the group will remember that name, and you don’t want to help anyone else remember the names.
Have Fun!
Town Council is such a fun group game to play! It truly is the perfect party game for all ages. I hope that it will become a favorite game for you to play with your family and friends for years to come.
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