Printable online tambola game ideas | Story Housie Game themed | Kitty party games

Housie, has to be one of the most played games, of all time. Based purely on luck, it is a surefire hit with people of all ages. The pace, the interesting game variations, the competition to get the prizes – it’s a ton of fun! Needless to say, we play it all the time. And we often adapt the game & complicate it. For example, we play a game of Tambola where we have to add 1 to the number called and cross that on our tickets. Or, we play with two or three tickets. Today, we want to talk about a Housie game variation idea for party, that outdoes all other housie variations. Where you really need pay attention, if you’re going to win. Interested?

Before I get into the details of our housie variation idea, I would like to clarify what housie is for readers who haven’t played it. They’re basically, Indian adaptations of Bingo. You have 1 or more tickets with 15 numbers on each ticket. But, no alphabets. The game moderator calls out the numbers, and like Bingo, you have to cross them out to win prizes. Pretty simple.

Materials:

Housie Game variations | Story Housie for family and friends

How to play Housie:

The game play is very similar to a normal Tambola/ Housie. The game starts with tickets being handed to the players & the prizes being explained (lines, houses, columns, four corners etc). Next, a moderator who has a loud and clear voice is chosen to read out the story for the players. Let’s call this person Clarity!

Clarity, starts reading out the story & crosses the numbers as she comes across them. All the numbers from 1 to 90 have been used in the story, so Clarity needs to cross them out on the numbers board, as they’re called out.

The game progresses as usual, with people calling out when they have completed a line or house or any of the prizes decided. This is where, the numbers board is useful to check if the number has been called out or not.

Digital Housie to play on phones and tablets | housie game price | funny tambola game

Here’s an excerpt from a story:

IN THE 16TH CENTURY, IN INDIA THERE LIVED A 47 YEAR OLD WIDOWED MOTHER WITH HER 20 YEAR OLD SON.

As you can see, the numbers 16, 47, 20  and so on would be called out, in the course of the story. So alert players, who have that number need to cross it out on their tickets.

What’s fun is, people often get so engrossed in the story, that they forget to listen for the numbers. And the confusion is obviously great! (That doesn’t make me sadistic! All’s fair in love, war & games!)

For example, one of the stories is about a young man who sets off from home to seek his fortune, from a seer. During his journey, he meets interesting people who need his help. At the end of his journey, he chooses to fulfil their needs instead of his own. Once these requests have been met with, he starts his journey back home. On the way, he meets & resolves all the concerns. And in this process, achieves all his dreams. It’s quite a simple story, but sweet. I remember my grandmother telling me the tale, as a bed night story!

Story Housie | Tambola variation | Apricot Game On design | The Craftables Party Games

Suggestions:

  • Don’t keep a lot of complicated prizes. Because the game variation in itself it tough enough to follow.
  • It’s way more fun, if you choose a person who reads with a modulated voice & slow enough for people to pick up the numbers easily.

Maybe I’ve still got stories on my mind. But, I’m pretty sure you’ll have a blast playing this variation of the Housie game for your next party. So, play it the next time you have people over! And let us know, how it went 🙂

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