Black Magic – as the name suggests – is an enigmatic game where everyone is bewildered by guessing something without having seen it. It is a mystery riddle game, a brain-teaser, and everyone must figure out the answer which marks the end of the game.
Brief Summary
You can play Black Magic Game anywhere as long as there are more than three players, where one person guesses the object that the rest have selected. The most intriguing part is that the guesser always makes the right guess, therefore surprising the rest of the players who must figure out how it is possible. When the players find the secret, the game is over.
Requirements
This game does not require any props or a special setting.
In addition to the guesser, one other person must know the trick or rule so that they can baffle the player(s) who select the object and try to figure out the trick.
Secondly, the place where players are playing should have some random items the guesser can point to.
Thirdly, some of the objects must be black. After all, we are playing Black Magic, right?
Set-up
Black Magic does not require any special set up, and playing it takes between 10 to 15 minutes. However, you can always make it lengthy by playing more rounds.
The person who knows the rule to the game becomes the guesser. He/she picks one other player to share the black magic voodoo with. This person is called the assistant or giver, and together they trick the rest of the players.
The assistant and remaining player(s) select a random item that is present in their surroundings, and then the game begins.
The person guessing it always guesses the object right which shocks all the players. This makes everyone want to keep on playing until they can figure out the rule.
Both the guesser and assistant become partners in crime and tease the other players. Because the guesser always guesses right, players are dumbfounded and think that he has got some kind of psychic power, whereas it is just a riddle.
How to Play
Commence the game by telling all the players gathered that your partner in crime has got psychic abilities and that he/she can read minds.
When everyone becomes skeptical saying that it is not possible, it is time to prove it.
Send the guesser out of the room. If you are playing outdoors, send him/her far enough so that he/she cannot hear the conversation or see what item the players choose.
Then the giver chooses an item in his/her surroundings.
The giver says it out loud; the bench under the tree, the tap, the crow on the high wall, or items such as my coat, that little rug, one of the player’s shoes, depending on whether the game is taking place indoors or outdoors.
In both cases, he chooses the crow or the shoes if inside.
The guesser comes back, then the giver mentions different items, for example:
(If played outdoors)
Is it that bench under the tree?
The guesser answers in negative.
Is it that woman’s scarf?
The guesser answers in negative.
And then the giver asks: is it that crow on the high wall?
And the guesser answers yes.
(If played indoors)
Is it the wall clock? The giver asks.
The guesser negates it.
Is it my coat?
The guesser shakes a no to the giver’s question.
But when the giver asks about the player’s shoes, the guesser says yes.
When the rest of the players see this, they become quite confused and impressed as to how the guesser knew. The game continues as the giver and guesser keep playing these brain-teasers on the other players while they try to guess the rule… or unmask the secret to this black magic.
So, what is the rule of the game, anyway?
Black Magic Game Rule
The rule is in the name of the game. It is one of those enigmatic, logical games where one has to pay attention and focus on every detail, including the title of the game. Similarly, this game is also all about focus.
Black magic. That’s right – it is the color black that makes the game special. The rule is that whichever item the giver chooses will always be black. As both the guesser and giver know the rule, they make the players think that it is their psychic ability, whereas it is just as simple as pointing to a black item.
In the examples above, both the crow and the shoes are black colored items, so as soon as the giver hints at the item, the guesser gives the correct answer.
The trick is that the giver never mentions the color of the item, rather just points to it.
Some more examples
Example #1
The giver: Is it that wristwatch?
The guesser answers back in a no
Giver: Is it my hat?
Guesser: No.
Giver: Is it that bag hanging from the cupboard?
Guesser: No.
Giver: Is it Lily’s ponytail band?
Guesser: Yes.
(Again, all those items were not in the color black except Lily’s ponytail band, hence the guesser got it right.)
Example #2
Giver asks the guesser: Is it John’s coat I have chosen?
The guesser answers back in negative.
The giver asks another query: Is it that water tap in the garden?
The guesser again answers ‘No’.
The giver finally asks: Is it the ball that the boy is playing with?
The giver gives his answer in affirmation.
(Obviously, that ball is back in color, hence the magic of the black worked.)
How to Make the Game funnier and a lot more difficult to figure out the rule
There are many tricks and tips to make the game much more fun and a bit more difficult for the players to catch on to the basic rule of the game.
The very first trick is in the name itself because usually, people don’t pay attention. And especially in this game as it is suggested that the game is all about psychic abilities and telepathy, no one pays attention to find the hint in the name of the game.
And so the giver and guesser can trigger and tease the rest of the players by repeatedly saying that we are using black magic, and it is mind reading. Hence, they will still not get that it is the item with the color black.
The second tip is to change the number of questions the giver asks.
If the guesser always guesses at a question asked the third time, the players will start to think it’s the third question trick.
So, to throw them off, vary the number of questions by sometimes asking about the crow in the second question, and for another object, like the ball (which is black), the giver asks the guesser at the fourth query.
Another fun way can be that the giver asks one of the players to ask the questions at any number but to include the item he/she chose in one of the questions.
This way the giver and guesser show to everyone that it is not some signal they exchange between each other but that the guesser is a mind reader and can read anyone’s mind.
Conclusion
This game, due to its mysterious nature, is one of the best icebreaker games to be played among all kinds of groups at picnics, class events, camping trips, or parties.
If you would like to play similar games with verbal and mind tricks, you should check out the umbrella game, green glass door game, bobby’s world game.
If you like a good group game that does not require you to figure out the rule, you will find Jenga or black door, yellow door quite fun and interesting.
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OK fine mine ass your ball