A secret "murderer" eliminates players by winking at them. The group must figure out who the murderer is before everyone is eliminated.
Have everyone sit or stand in a circle. One person is designated as the detective and leaves the room or closes their eyes.
While the detective isn't looking, silently tap one person on the shoulder — they are the "murderer."
The detective returns and stands in the center.
Everyone begins looking around at each other. The murderer subtly winks at people to "kill" them.
When someone is winked at, they must wait 5 seconds, then dramatically "die" (fall down, act it out!).
The detective has 3 guesses to identify the murderer. If they guess correctly, they win! If not, the murderer wins.
Encourage dramatic deaths — it makes the game much more fun.
For larger groups, assign 2 detectives or 2 murderers.
Use cards to assign roles: Ace of Spades = murderer, King = detective, all others = civilians.
Handshake Murder: Instead of winking, the murderer scratches the victim's palm during a handshake while everyone mingles.
Mafia-Style: Add more roles like a doctor who can save people.
Players sit in a circle with one less chair than people. The person in the middle calls out a characteristic, and everyone matching it must find a new seat.
Players take turns picking up a paper bag from the ground using only their teeth. After each round, the bag gets shorter!
Players stand in a circle holding hands. On "go," everyone tries to tag the person to their right while avoiding being tagged by the person to their left.