Two-minute icebreakers and five-minute battles that get phones face-down and voices up.
Everyone stacks their phones in the centre. The first person to reach for theirs pays for the next round of drinks or takes the washing-up. Pair it with a game right away, because a bored table cracks faster than a busy one.
Each person shares three facts about themselves, and the group votes on the lie. Push for details that sound almost too odd to be true. You will learn something about someone you thought you knew.
Draw film and song titles by decade from a bowl, and only act out things from that era. It is much funnier when a twenty-year-old has to mime a 1970s hit. Older guests suddenly become the star players.
Blindfold a volunteer, hand over a small spoon of something, and let them guess. Use unexpected combinations such as mango and chilli, or vanilla yoghurt with a pinch of salt. Keep a bowl of water nearby for brave faces.
Put a paper plate on your forehead and draw the object your partner calls out, without looking. Results are wonderfully awful. Pin them all to a wall at the end and vote on the winner.
Set up a series of one-minute challenges: stack cups, bounce a ball into a bowl, move cookies from forehead to mouth. Keep a score sheet on the fridge. It takes ten minutes to prepare and gives you a full evening.
Stick a famous name on each guest's back, and they must find out who they are through yes-or-no questions. It gets everyone mingling within seconds, which is ideal for a party where people do not know each other.
Put song titles into a hat, draw one, and sing it whether you know it or not. Give the singer a 'lifeline' where a friend can join in once. Nobody leaves without at least one hilarious moment on video.