Printable party game

The Pitch

The Case looks bad. The Problem makes it worse. Your Curveball has to save you.

One player reveals a Case. Everyone else draws one absurd Curveball and has sixty seconds to sell a cover story that explains everything.

Improv
3-12 players
15-25 minutes

Build my pack All games

Situation

Mia's hotel has called about a missing room TV.

The Problem

James has a photo of it in the taxi.

Curveball

Inflatable swan

The pitch

“The swan was the only way to move it without waking the hotel.”

Thirty seconds to build your excuse. Sixty seconds to sell it.

How to play

Three things happen each round.

SituationMia's hotel has called about a missing room TV.
The ProblemJames has a photo of it in the taxi.
The cover story has to explain both.
Step 1
The judge reveals the Case
The judge reads the Situation and its Problem, then sits out while everyone else pitches. The seat passes left after the winner is picked.
PriyaInflatable swan
TomFog machine
SamLeaf blower
Step 2
Draw one Curveball you did not ask for
Every pitcher draws one card from the Curveball pile. It must matter inside the story, and the judge can stop you and make you point to it.
YouThe inflatable swan was the only safe way to move the television without waking the hotel.
JudgeShow me where the swan mattered.
The judge picks whoever sold it, not whoever made sense.
Step 3
Talk your way out of it
Thirty seconds to think, sixty to deliver. The judge picks whoever explained it best and their call is final. Then the seat moves on and it is somebody else's turn to sweat.

Why the Problem changes everything

The Problem makes it theirs

The Situation opens the door. The Problem uses a grounded group detail to make the excuse harder without claiming it really happened.

The Curveball is the wildcard

Anyone can invent an excuse. Making an inflatable swan essential to it is a different sport.

Confidence beats cleverness

The judge is not marking logic. A terrible excuse delivered with total conviction wins constantly, and everyone learns that by about round two.

What makes it yours

The Problems know the group

Each Case starts with an awkward Situation. The Problem brings in the person, object or message that makes it personal and harder to explain.

Ava is precious about her car. Jess has the spare key.

Situation: Ava's car has done 487 km overnight. Problem: Jess has the spare key.

The hotel room TV came up in the group chat. James took a taxi photo.

Situation: Ava's hotel calls about a missing room TV. Problem: James photographed it in the taxi.

Ava's mum is coming. She always arrives early.

Situation: Ava's birthday cake has vanished. Problem: Her mum arrived twenty minutes early.

The Situation creates the awkward spot. The Problem brings in one grounded person, object or message that the pitcher cannot talk around. That is what makes the group's details part of the game, not decoration.

What you print

Case cards with a Situation and Problem30
Curveball cards, one shuffled deck60
Score sheet1 page

Prints on plain A4 or Letter. Black and white is fine. Cut along the guides and you are ready.

See a real printed pack (PDF)

Before you play: a pen for the score sheet and a phone timer, for the thirty and sixty second clocks.

Is this one for your group?

Perfect for

✓Groups where at least a couple of people enjoy an audience
✓Anyone who has ever committed to a lie and refused to back down
✓Anyone who enjoys watching a mate dig a hole live
✓A seated round after dinner
✓Small groups, it is sharp at five or six
✓A party that needs one game with a big finish

Maybe not if

×A group who hate being put on the spot. This puts you on the spot.
×Very large groups. Everyone pitching gets long past ten.
×Anyone who wants a game they can play while doing something else.

Questions

Does the Curveball really have to fit?

Yes. It has to matter inside the story, not appear as a last-second mention.

Can we overrule the judge?

Complaining loudly is encouraged. Overturning is not. The judge is wrong and the judge is final, and the seat passes anyway.

What if I freeze?

Make the Curveball essential and commit hard. A bad excuse delivered confidently can beat a clever one delivered apologetically.

How long is a pitch?

Thirty seconds to think, up to sixty to deliver. If someone is flying, let them fly. If someone is dying, the clock is a mercy.

How many people is best?

Five or six is the sweet spot. The game supports up to twelve, but a full round of pitches takes longer as the table grows.

Does the judge play?

Not in their own round. They read, they listen, they pick. Then the seat moves left so everyone gets a turn on both sides of it.

Does the same person judge every round?

No. The seat passes left after each round, so everybody judges exactly once and pitches the rest. Six players means six rounds, and the game ends when everyone has had the chair.

How do scoring and winning work?

One point per round, to whoever the judge picks. Their call is final. Most points wins, once every player has taken one turn judging.