FDQ: What Is the Best Party Game?

You're at a party, and someone suggests a game. That person brings out...Trivial Pursuit, an occasion that might merit the "Nooooooooooo!" edited into the Star Wars Blu-ray. (Too soon?) This, or similar situations, sparks today's FDQ: what is a good alternate party game suggestion? Or, really, what is the best party game? Answer in the comments!

@FarmerLenny answers:
Call me old-fashioned, but I might suggest a game of Pit. Pit is riotous fun for players, is easy to learn, and even though players typically start out underwhelmed, by the end of the night they are laughing hysterically. Another good option is Wits & Wagers, the trivia game for people who don't know anything. I love bidding/betting games, and playing with whiteboards, so this is another favorite. I also enjoy The Game of Things, though I've never played the official version. More recently, The Resistance has gone to the top of my go-to list as well. There are plenty of other options. All this to say: friends don't let friends play Apples to Apples.

@Futurewolfie answers:
I haven't played a lot of party games recently. I enjoy Apples to Apples, but it can be pretty exclusionary. I've never played Wits & Wagers (I know, a travesty!). Of games I've played, The Resistance is pretty high on the list but has a limited number of players (ten sounds high...until you're actually at an actual party...). Catch Phrase usually works well with all ages and skill levels (I have some great memories of my 85-year-old grandma). The Great Dalmuti is a pretty enjoyable card game with large groups, and you can play a variant of it (President or Scum, anyone?) with a normal deck of playing cards. Pit is good if your people don't mind a lot of yelling...at least where my family comes from. I can't imagine a quiet game of Pit, anyways.

Friday Question: Is There a Game You Refuse to Play?

No one likes the wet blanket. The spoilsport. The poo-pooer. But sometimes a game is so insufferable that any sane person is given no choice in the matter. Which leads to today's Friday question: is there a game that you refuse to play? A corrollary question: how do you get out of playing the game you hate? Answer in the comments.

@FarmerLenny answers:
There aren't many games that I refuse to play, but a game that I hate is Apples to Apples. The game is subject to the caprices of the judge, who invariably is ill suited for that position (read: he doesn't choose my card). I am also not a fan of Mafia. The game is mob ruled, and any player who uses logic is killed the first round. Or, he lives through the first round of killings, which goes against the "killed first round" normalcy and casts suspicion on him, making him the first victim lynched. (Read: I always get killed first and have to keep my mouth shut for the rest of the game.) I usually don't refuse to play these games, but I try to steer the mob toward something more fun--which is almost anything.

@Futurewolfie answers:
I will pretty much play any game that a whole group wants to play, even if it's not my favorite.  Aside from obvious no-nos like Monopoly, I am actually not much of a fan of Bang.  I try to avoid any game with player elimination (unless the game ends within 13 seconds of the first elimination) and in my experience, Bang either ends way too quickly with the death of the sheriff, or stretches on far too long after a few players are out and can no longer participate. Whenever a less-tasteful game is brought up, I either take the hit and don't complain and just try to enjoy being with friends, or offer up a different game that everyone can participate in.