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Up Nelson

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Set of hands squiggling as played in Up Nelson

Up Nelson

Enthralling team-based guessing game for small groups.

  • Very playful & fun
  • Fosters collaboration
  • Sharpens listening skills
  • Triggers bursts of laughter
  • Friendly competition

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1. Sit 4 to 8 people on each side of a long table, facing one another.
  2. Announce that the objective of this game is to keep possession of the coin as long as possible.
  3. Start by giving one team – the hiding team – the coin to hold.
  4. Ask the other team – the searching team – to nominate a “Captain.”
  5. Once a Captain has been announced, ask the hiding team to place their hands and arms below the tabletop, and secretly pass (or not pass) the coin to other team members.
  6. Allow up to 15 seconds for these passing motions to occur before the Captain plays their role.
  7. Instruct the hiding team that when (and only when) the Captain says “UP NELSON” they all must simultaneously raise their clenched fists above the table and slam their elbows onto the tabletop.
  8. If any member of the hiding team raises one or both of their clenched fists above the table at any other time, possession of the coin passes to the other team.
  9. At any time after all elbows are resting on the tabletop, anyone from the searching team can announce “DOWN NELSON.”
  10. Immediately, on the command of “DOWN NELSON,” the hiding team must slap their palms down onto the tabletop as simultaneously as possible, ie to hide the sound of the coin hitting the table.
  11. The objective for the searching team is to identify which hand is hiding the coin.
  12. Any person on the searching team may instruct any one or more members of the hiding group to squiggle (move) their hands in any direction, ie in the hope this may reveal a scratching sound.
  13. Any time the hand belonging to a hiding team member is touched, that person’s hand must flip to reveal what is under it.
  14. If the coin is revealed before the last hand is flipped, the hiding team wins and retains possession of the coin.
  15. Only when the last hand remaining (face down) reveals the coin does the searching team win to gain possession of the coin.
  16. If the searching team fails in its attempt to locate the coin, it must nominate a new Captain for the next round.
  17. Play as many rounds as time and/or energy allows.

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