I love games. As a kid, there was nothing I looked forward to more than the crossword puzzle from the New York Times. Playing with words and riddles has always been a passion of mine. Puns are something I wish I had a knack for. Today, I decided to explore some of the word games enjoyed by favorite authors like Jane Austen. Then I thought, why stop at word games? Why not see what other games they played during that time period as well? In Austen’s era, they played a variety of games like charades (mentioned in “Emma”), cards (mentioned in “Pride and Prejudice”), and a game called ‘Bullet Pudding,’ which I’ll explain shortly. Who doesn’t love a good game? I’ve compiled a list of regency games, including word games from Jane Austen’s time, that you can enjoy alone or with loved ones.
Charades
Here are a few riddles I found online for you to play charades with. The answers are provided at the bottom of the page.
1. In confinement I’m chained every day
Yet my enemies need not be crowing.
To my chain I have always the key
And no prison can keep me from going.
Small and weak are my hands, I’ll allow
Yet for striking my character’s great.
Though ruined by one fatal blow
My strokes, if hard pressed, I’ll repeat.
2. Divided, I’m a gentleman
In public deeds and powers.
United, I’m a monster who
That gentleman devours.
3. When my first is a task to a young girl of spirit,
And my second confines her to finish the piece
How hard is her fate! But how great is her merit,
If by taking my all, she effects her release!
4. My first has the making of honey to charm,
My second brings breakfast to bed on your arm,
My third bores a hole in leather so fine,
While united the whole breaks the heart most kind.
5. You may lie on my first by the side of a stream,
And my second compose to the nymph you adore,
But if, when you’ve none of my whole her esteem
And affection diminish – think of her no more!
Answers to Charades: 1. A Repeating Watch, 2. Agent, 3. Hemlock, 4. Betrayal, 5. Bank Notes
Bullet Pudding
Bullet Pudding is an intriguing game. Here’s how you play it: You need a large pewter dish filled with flour, shaped into a mound with a peak at the top. Place a bullet at the top and everyone takes turns cutting a slice of the flour mound. When the bullet falls, the person cutting must use their nose and mouth to find and retrieve the bullet, which results in flour-covered faces. The tricky part is that you can’t laugh because the flour might get up your nose and mouth, causing you to choke. Hands are strictly off-limits for grabbing the bullet.
Spillikins
Spillikins is similar to early versions of Jack Straw and the American game “pick up sticks.” The difference lies in the materials used. Jack Straws uses uniform pieces of straw or plastic farming tools, while pick up sticks are made of wood or plastic, sometimes with knobs on the ends. Spillikins, on the other hand, were crafted from wood or ivory and could be blunted or rounded.
Here’s how to play with sticks like those from Austen’s time:
1. The goal is to pick up the most sticks.
2. To start, randomly distribute a bundle of sticks into a tangled pile. The more tangled, the more challenging.
3. Players take turns trying to remove a single stick without moving any others. Tools can be used in some versions, while others require players to use their hands.
4. If any other stick moves during a player’s turn, their turn ends immediately.
5. The game ends when the last stick is removed. The winner is the player with the most sticks.
6. In some versions, different colored sticks are worth different points, and the winner is the one with the highest score.
Snapdragon
Snapdragon is a game that will definitely light up your evening! Here’s how it works:
1. Heat some brandy and pour it into a wide, shallow bowl.
2. Place raisins into the brandy and set it alight.
3. Turn off the lights to enhance the eerie effect of the blue flames dancing on the liquor.
4. The goal is to pluck the raisins from the burning brandy and eat them, risking a few burns in the process.
The liquid used is usually brandy, but other flammable liquors will work too. Traditionally, raisins are used, but other treats like almonds, currants, candied fruit, figs, grapes, and plums can also be included. Salt might be sprinkled into the bowl. The bowl is generally placed in the middle of the table to prevent damage from splashes of burning brandy. In one variation, a Christmas pudding is placed in the center of the bowl, surrounded by raisins.
