3 More Ways To Play Touchcards As A Group

After 6 ways to play Touchcards, we ran out of printing space in the booklet. Here are our favorite ways to play as a group that did NOT make it into the print version. If you discover more awesome ways to play Touchcards, write us at hello@playtouch.cards or via Instagram @playtouch.cards

1. Group Mode with Observer | 4+ players | 10+ minutes

Follow the instructions from Group Mode (see 6 ways to play Touchcards). In this version, each turn, there is one observer who watches the other players as they collaborate to give the person who is “it” their requested touch. After the turn, the observer shares what they noticed. They could comment on qualities like creativity, presence, collaboration, & rhythm. 

This approach was designed by our friend Troy. Two tips:

1. We recommend playing this with 4 or more players, so two or more players can give touch, one person can receive, while one person observes. Having one observer and one touch-giver can create performance pressure.
2. This is a great way to learn by watching others touch! How do they listen with their hands or pay attention to muscle tension and breath? When do they pause, and how do they pace their touch and approach transitions to create an experience that feels complete?

2. Touchcards Telephone | 4-10 players | 15+ minutes

Players form a single line with their eyes closed. The player sitting in the last position opens their eyes, picks a card and, without telling anyone what card it is, gives that touch to the person in front. They then open their eyes and pass the touch they think they received to the next person, and so on. Once the touch made it all the way through, everyone reveals their guess, with the person who picked the card going last.

1. If you have more 5 or more players, form two lines facing each other, with an even number of people in each. The two starting players each pick the same prompt and send it down their line simultaneously. This makes the game quicker and lets you see two interpretations side-by-side. If there’s an odd number of players, the last person in line receives touches from two people at once.

2. The receiver already starts imagining how they might reinterpret the touch and write a prompt in their head — so they’re not just copying, but mixing it with their ideas. This makes touches weirder, more expressive, and more fun.

3. Big Organism | 5+ players | 10+ minutes

In one big group, everyone shares their favourite prompt. Then the whole group picks one of these prompts to start with. Everyone is receiver and giver at once, giving and receiving the touch the group has chosen, as if you were all one big organism.

This is a fun game to play after having played a few rounds of Group Mode, when people are attuned and comfortable with each other

Got more ideas of how to play Touchcards? E-mail us at hello@playtouch.cards and share your experience tagging @playtouch.cards on Instagram