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This game is so simple, but so much fun, that you’ll be shocked that you didn’t think of it yourself! Giants, Wizards, and Elves is simply a variation of the classic Rock, Paper, Scissors game that everyone knows. The difference is that this version is much funnier! And with a little imagination, you can change this game and the characters your teens will assume to fit just about any situation. Oh, I’m sure you’re going to love that there is no preparation and no materials needed whatsoever to play this game! Plus, if you ever serve in children’s ministry, this is a fantastic game for younger kids too because it’s so simple to learn.
Giants, Wizards, and Elves can be modified to become a full-featured youth group game (see the Variations below) or you can use it as a quick icebreaker or just something to get the teens out of their seats and change the atmosphere and mood of the meeting. But if you want to create a big, wild game – be sure to check out the rules for Tournament Play at the end of the post.
Number of Players – Minimum 4, No Maximum
Materials Needed – None
Can Be Modified For Social Distancing
Game Instructions (Read Aloud To Group)
We’re going to play a game called Giants, Wizards, and Elves, and it’s going to be super simple to learn! Everyone knows how to play Rock, Paper, Scissors, right? In that game, rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper covers rock, and if you both pick the same one, you just do it again. Same idea for Giants, Wizards, Elves! In this game, Giants smash Wizards, Wizards zap Elves, and Elves bite Giant’s ankles and cause them to fall. Again – Giants beat Wizards, Wizards beat Elves, and Elves beat Giants.
The way you’ll play is by lining up across from your opponent and together you count “1-2-3-Go!” and on “Go” you both act out your chosen character. Giants raise their hands over their heads to smash and roar. Wizards hold their hands out like they’re shooting lightning and laugh maniacally. Elves crouch to the ground while pretending to bite and claw and scream in a high pitch voice.
Everyone has to assume their character on “Go” and you can’t change midway if you see you’re about to be defeated. Commit to making your character choice, even if you’re losing!
The game continues until everyone has played one another. Each round you win is one point for yourself. The person with the most points after having played everyone else is the winner.
Variations
With a little imagination, you can change the three characters to anything you like. For example, the game could be Dragons, Unicorns, and Griffins, or Elephants, Lions, and Hippos. You could have the teens assume the mascots of local sports teams, or anything else you can think of!
Tournament Play Rules
Any version of Rock, Paper, Scissors can be turned into an incredibly fun tournament with just a few modifications. Using the basic game rules, ask the students to form a loosely gathered group, and when you signal to start, simply turn to the person closest to you and play a round of the game. The winner of each round stays in the group, while the loser moves to the side to cheer on the rest of the players. Players continue to face off against the closest person, going through rounds as quickly as possible until only two players remain and a final winner is picked. If you happen to have an odd number of players at the beginning, then join in and play yourself until you are eliminated.
If you have time, you can keep running the tournament over and over until you have 4 (or another even number) of tournament winners, who then face off against one another in a final four tournament for the ultimate champion.
