Since the dawn of time, we've been playing Freeze Tag to kill time at the end of Cagematch while the votes are tallied. It's been a good run, but it seems like it's time to shake things up with some new quick fillers.
That said: what are some of your favorite short form games that can accomodate a large cast a la Freeze Tag and don't necessarily have an "end" that it's working towards.
One that will probably get some action in the next tournament would be One Hundred Blanks (I know that's not the number) and My Last One Night Stand Was So... where you get a suggestion of a noun from the audience and then the players take turns making one liner puns using either "One hundred ______ walk into a bar" or "My last one night stand was so ________" as the set up.
Large Cast Short Form Games
Discussion of the art and craft of improvisation.
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- Rev. Jordan T. Maxwell Offline
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Re: Large Cast Short Form Games
the longest tag team monologue ever!
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- kbadr Offline
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Re: Large Cast Short Form Games
The standard line games you mentioned are fun, though it requires quick wit, which some people don't enjoy playing (I used to rock 185 but my improv brain crushed that skill into oblivion and now I'm totally useless at it)
You could do press conference, where one person is delivering a press conference/prepared statement and the rest of the players are reporters asking questions, with their lack of comprehension and assumptions being heightened as the game goes on.
Similarly, you could do Expert Objection, where one person is moderating a "debate" on a certain topic, the goal being to be the person talking (holding the floor) when the game ends. They can object on content accuracy, delivery skills (posture, voice, confidence), and just devolve into nit-picking bullshit. One person is in charge, sort of moderating, asking "on what grounds" when someone says "I object" to interrupt and try to get the floor.
Slow motion samurai is fun, but I cant see that being really fun for the players more than 2 or 3 weeks in a row.
You could do press conference, where one person is delivering a press conference/prepared statement and the rest of the players are reporters asking questions, with their lack of comprehension and assumptions being heightened as the game goes on.
Similarly, you could do Expert Objection, where one person is moderating a "debate" on a certain topic, the goal being to be the person talking (holding the floor) when the game ends. They can object on content accuracy, delivery skills (posture, voice, confidence), and just devolve into nit-picking bullshit. One person is in charge, sort of moderating, asking "on what grounds" when someone says "I object" to interrupt and try to get the floor.
Slow motion samurai is fun, but I cant see that being really fun for the players more than 2 or 3 weeks in a row.
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- happywaffle Offline
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Re: Large Cast Short Form Games
There's String of Pearls, but you don't have the liberty of calling "scene" whenever the votes are tallied (gotta do the whole thing).
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Re: Large Cast Short Form Games
We used to do Cage Matches up at Nokomis Regional High School (what you haven't heard of it?) in Maine and would just do a montage/jam with both teams while the votes were being counted. Or a Tag Out / La Ronde type thing.
The other option we played with from time to time was to have each group come up for a few rounds of The Daisy Chain, a short form/pattern game where teams would have to create a chain of phrases, one person at a time, and ultimately get back to the original suggestion in a limited time period (2 min, 1 min, 30 seconds). Teams would get a point for each statement but lose all points if they didn't come back to the original suggestion. Then these points would get added to the vote tally.
Suggestion: water.
Water is wet.
Wet things can drown you.
You can drown in sorrow.
Sorrow can be cured with laughter.
Laughter is the best medicine.
The best medicine is a pill.
People take pills with water. (and then the group has to repeat the last statement)
It was fun, sort of high stakes, and a crowd pleaser, though perhaps a bit nerve wracking for the improvisers.
The other option we played with from time to time was to have each group come up for a few rounds of The Daisy Chain, a short form/pattern game where teams would have to create a chain of phrases, one person at a time, and ultimately get back to the original suggestion in a limited time period (2 min, 1 min, 30 seconds). Teams would get a point for each statement but lose all points if they didn't come back to the original suggestion. Then these points would get added to the vote tally.
Suggestion: water.
Water is wet.
Wet things can drown you.
You can drown in sorrow.
Sorrow can be cured with laughter.
Laughter is the best medicine.
The best medicine is a pill.
People take pills with water. (and then the group has to repeat the last statement)
It was fun, sort of high stakes, and a crowd pleaser, though perhaps a bit nerve wracking for the improvisers.
Re: Large Cast Short Form Games
World's Worst is a good sub for 185, easy and can keep the audience engaged.
- I was a member of the club and i felt like a f*cking fool- Bukowski
http://biglittlecomedy.weebly.com/
http://www.newmovementtheater.com
http://www.pdogs.com
http://biglittlecomedy.weebly.com/
http://www.newmovementtheater.com
http://www.pdogs.com
Re: Large Cast Short Form Games
i like dan's idea.
what are you doing? is also good.
what are you doing? is also good.
"I suspect what we're doing is performance art, but I'm not going to tell the public that."
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-- Del Close
Re: Large Cast Short Form Games
Top That is a good game, similar to What Are You Doing?
Word at a time advice expert, with the whole cast, and make them go really fast. Get questions from the audience.
Beastie Rap without elimination
Or have the whole group do a dream interpretation of an audience member's day (stealing that from IO)
Or cast+audience dance party.
Word at a time advice expert, with the whole cast, and make them go really fast. Get questions from the audience.
Beastie Rap without elimination
Or have the whole group do a dream interpretation of an audience member's day (stealing that from IO)
Or cast+audience dance party.
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- LuBu McJohnson Offline
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Re: Large Cast Short Form Games
Do you think doing Thunderdome in front of people would be entertaining at all?
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Re: Large Cast Short Form Games
we used to do a thing called 'story-story' at The Committee back in the early days....All in a circle, hands joined. A story title is suggested. each contributes one word in turn to the story. The task is to not think ahead but just listen and let the word come out. this game can be honed by a small company and refined by adding elements.We practiced this over and over, like yoga and got to be like one sort of whacked out mind creating an equally whacked out story . it can get pretty funny!