Pruie is a stupid party game, suitable for people of any age as long as they don't mind the possibility of getting groped a little bit, which (the game, not getting groped) (ok, maybe both) is much more fun than it may seem at first glance. It's best when played with, say, six to twelve people, depending on where you play; too few people will render the game fairly unspectacular, and the more people you have, in general, the more space should be available in which to play the game. For reasons mentioned above, it's probably best for people who know each other at least a little bit; it's not really a good icebreaker or getting-to-know-you game, and there is physical contact involved. And lots of it.

How to Play

The rules are downright laughably simple, which is a good feature of any party game. Here's how to play. Designate, via whatever manner you wish, one player to be the Pruie. The other players (let's call them the non-Pruies) close their eyes and count to ten (or maybe twenty if you're playing in a large area) while the Pruie high-tails it to a secluded and inconspicuous location. When the non-Pruies are finished counting, they do not open their eyes, but instead lurch around with their eyes closed and hands outstretched, trying to find the Pruie, whose job is to avoid being touched by a non-Pruie at all costs. Whenever a non-Pruie bumps into or otherwise touches someone, he or she says "Pruie?" and the other person will respond in kind, unless he or she is the Pruie!

If the touchee is the Pruie, it is up to the non-Pruie to recognize this fact by noticing the Pruie's conspicuous silence. The non-Pruie then grabs the Pruie and opens his or her eyes, and from that point on the Pruie consists of those two people, who must stay in physical contact at all times and attempt to avoid the questing hands of the dreaded remaining non-Pruies. As the Pruie grows, it grows more and more clumsy as it tries to sneak around the blindly stumbling non-Pruies, and when the last person gets absorbed into the Pruie, the game is over. Generally the last person to find the Pruie becomes the starting Pruie in the next round.

Some Notes

This game sounds very stupid. I am aware of this. I implore you to try it at least once; it is at least seven times as fun as it seems just from reading the rules.

The game can be played indoors or outdoors, but it must, obviously, be in an enclosed space with clearly defined (and tangible!) boundaries. Additionally, it is imperative that any protruding pointy or bruisy objects be cleared from the area of play and that dangerous areas be closed off! So close the kitchen door! I will not be held responsible for some non-Pruie knocking a pitcher of Kool-Aid on the ground or falling down the stairs or getting his or her eye poked out by the corner of a shelf at eye level or something. People will be moving slowly and cautiously, so things like tables shouldn't be much of a problem, but do have some sense about all this.

As the Pruie, do take the opportunity to derive as much enjoyment as possible from the sight of your friends staggering about and crashing into each other, because in the end you'll be cowering in a corner while they descend, slowly but irrevocably, upon you.

One interesting variant of the game can be obtained by setting a maximum Pruie size limit; I have played with a maximum 3-person Pruie, which works as follows. If a Pruie consists of three people and a non-Pruie finds them, that non-Pruie and the person he or she touched form a new two-person Pruie which splits off from the original Pruie. This way, you end up with lots of Pruies which are more mobile than the behemoth which results from a "normal" Pruie game.

Enjoy!

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