Forfeits

"As the penalty consists chiefly in kissing, forfeits are rather popular..."
--"Letters from the Country" (1861) 

".. no one guessed who held the thimble, which had been selected on account of its convenient size, and which Eunice, who passed it round. made a show of placing in the hands of each. The muffs, shawls, caps, hats, handkerchiefs, and gloves which were consequently obliged to be given as pledges, when piled together on the table, formed a miniature pyramid."
--"Sketches from Real Life" in Godey's (1848)

"As soon as the tea was over a game of family coach was started, which set every one laughing and scampering for places,-- forfeits were gathered in a pile in the lap of one of the elder ladies. Blindman's-buff followed, and Wilkie might have caught a few ideas had he seen the sly tricks of some of the demurest looking of the young girls." --"Forest Gleanings" in The Anglo-American Magazine (1858)

 

Many parlor games use mechanic of "forfeits" or "penalties" to raise the stakes of the games. Some games act as little more than means to rack up as many forfeits as possible! Indeed, depending on the source, "forfeits" may be a category of parlor game, a game in its own right, or simply score-keeping mechanic for games in general. Games for All Seasons speaks of  "The Game of Forfeits", and then enumerates ways in which these forfeits are doled out: in other books, many of these are called "games" in their own right. At the other extreme, A Week's Delight offers few forfeit tasks, but instead suggests that the first person to incur a penalty has to chose the next game the group will play.

"The Face of Wood"
A forfeit in The Sociable (1858)

During the course of the game, a player who makes a mistake or hesitates too long, will surrender a personal item (like the handkerchiefs and gloves above) into the forfeit pile. When the time comes to redeem the forfeits, items are drawn at random, and the owner is assigned an amusing or seemingly impossible task--not unlike a modern game of "truth or dare". The Victorian versions, however, quite famously involve more kissing than the modern analogue.

Fear not! For the modern audience, there are plenty of options for forfeits which do not involve kissing. 

An article in Godey's (August 1858) describes four possible forfeits, which encompass much of the variety available. The first is to make the person sing an impromptu song on a an assigned topic (or pick and sing a song about the topic if they can't make one up). The second is an exercise in wit: the forfeit-payer must 'making a will' by bequeathing one trait or possession of theirs to each person playing (potentially complimenting or mildly insulting everyone present). The third, in a similar vein, requires the person to pick one member of the party and an object, and then make a comparison between the two, as well as a contrast (again offering opportunities to compliment or insult). The last is the ever popular task to"kiss the candlestick"--more easily accomplished by handing a candle to a person you want to kiss (who is thus temporarily acting as a candlestick).

As indicated by the above, forfeits often fall into categories of wit, complimenting others, performing an impossible task, and kissing (or being excluded from kissing). The first two groups are often easiest to play in the modern day. "Making a Venus", for example, requires the forfeit-redeemer to compliment each lady in the room by selecting a trait from her with which to endow the goddess of love. A similar forfeit requires the person to "bow to the prettiest, kneel before the wittiest, and kiss the one [they] love best". Impossible tasks include passing an object through a keyhole (hint: write the word on a piece of paper), kissing the inside and outside of a reticule without opening it (hit the lining and exterior, or hang it on a wall and creatively define "inside"), or 'putting two chairs together, taking off your shoes, and jumping over them' (jump over the shoes, not the chairs!).

The kissing forfeits take various forms: from having to kiss a random person, to having to pick someone to kiss, or having to pick other people to kiss eachother while the penitent is excluded. In the "bridge of love" (aka Aristotle's steed, aka Ariadne's steed, aka the bench, see also the game "beast of burden"), a male forfeit-payer kneels on all fours while a couple sits on his back to kiss eachother. In "the wooden face" (see illustration), members of the group are lined up back to back, and on a signal, each turns around and kisses the person they are facing--the forfeit-payer, however, is always  positioned to be facing a wall instead of a person.

Period Sources for Forfeits

 The Sociable or One Thousand and One Home Amusements (1858), describes 56 forfeit tasks, starting on page 262.

The Corner Cupboard (London, 1858) describes 20 forfeits, starting on page 6.

The Book of Parlor Games (Philadelphia, 1853) has categories of "penances", starting page 42.

Fireside Games For Winter Evening Amusement (New York, 1859), forfeits start page 93.

Every Boy's Book of Games (London, 1852), forfeits start on page 45. 

Games for All Seasons (London, 1858), lists forfeits starting on page 191.

Round Games for All Parties (London, 1854), forfeits start on page 196.

Top 5 Parlor Games

For all of you locked down and sheltering at home with family, here are some of my favorite parlor games. These were a staple amusement for Victorians, particularly during long winter evenings. I've previously posted some popular Christmas games; here are my all-around favorites.

Hunt the Slipper (1860) by Frederick Goodall
Don't play in such large groups just now.

5. The Elements. Players sit or stand in a circle, and toss a small ball or knotted handkerchief. The person throwing the ball names one of the four classical elements (earth, water, air, fire), and the person catching the ball must name an animal appropriate to that element. For "fire", the catcher needs to say nothing. Forfeits are assessed for repeating an animal, naming an inappropriate one, or forgetting to call out an element.

4. Biz. This simple counting game is surprisingly amusing. Players sit in a circle, and count down the row 1, 2, 3, etc. However! The person who gets "4" (or a multiple of 4, or a number with a "4" in it), instead says "biz". The trick is to keep on count, and not say the forbidden numbers or 4, 8, 12, 14, etc. Forty through forty-nine are especially interesting. The game is played with forfeits (for errors and stalling).

3. Barnyard Animals. This is a story-telling game that's fun with kids, and hilarious with adults. Everyone selects an animal, and sits in chairs in a circle, with one person standing in the center.  The standing person starts to tell a story, using the animals as characters. When an animal is named, the corresponding player must stand  up, spin in a circle making the animal's noise, then sit again. At the phrase "all the barnyard animals", everyone stands, spins while making noises, and then scrambles for a new seat. The player without a seat becomes the next story-teller.

[I've found this game in period books as "My Lady's Toilette", with everyone pretending to be shoes and combs and so on, but prefer it with animals, as I learned it with LHS.]

2. I Love My Love With An A. An alphabetical game of wit. The group goes alphabetically around the circle, the first player getting "A", then "B", "C", all through the alphabet. Each player much think of a name, occupation, and trait that starts with that letter. For advanced play, add a flower, a food, and a present. The rulebook recommends skipping Q, X, Y, Z, though intrepid players can power through these tricky letters. You do not have to play with forfeits, but can assign them for forgetting a category, choosing a word with the wrong letter, or stalling too long.

Example rounds:

Person 1: "I love my love with an A for her name is Anna, she is an architect, and she's angelic."
Person 2: "I love my love with a B for his name is Ben, he is a bus-driver, and he's very bashful."
(Full version) Person 3: "I love my love with a C, for their name is Chris, they are a carpenter, and they're very careful. I will feed them carrots, give them a candle, and crown them with chrysanthemums."

1. What is my thought like? My current favorite is a game of wit. It's very popular with middle schoolers and adults alike; I've not tried it with younger children.

The person whose turn it is will think of an object (or concept), and without saying what it is ask the group "What is my thought like?" Each person then makes a comparison. After everyone's committed, the turn-taker will announce their thought, and everyone must explain why their comparison is true. Once everyone has done so, the next person gets a turn to pick the secret thing. You can play the game for forfeits, but I have never done so.

Example round:
Abby: I'm thinking of a thought. What is my thought like?
Ben: I think your thought is like a book.
Claire: I think your thought is like a summer's day.
Danny: I think your thought is like a baby.

Abby: I was thinking of my bunny slippers.
Ben: Abby's bunny slippers are like a book, because they are useful for relaxing at the end of a long day.
Claire: Your slippers are like a summer's day, because they are very comfortable.
Danny: The slippers are like a baby, in that I'd get in trouble for losing them.

The game continues with Ben picking an object, while Abby, Claire, and Danny make similes for it.

***

Honorable Mention: Blindman's Bluff. Not a good social distancing game, but very fun with a small group of close friends, at some point when it's safe to touch eachother again.

The two versions I like are blindman's bluff with a wand and seated blindman's bluff. In both games, one person is blindfolded, and tries to catch another member of the group and guess who they've caught. When played 'with a wand', the whole party holds hands in a circle around the blindfolded person, who uses a long stick to feel around for someone in the circle; the blindfolded player must then guess who it is. "Porco" (an Italian variant) allows the blindfolded player to make animal noises, which must be repeated  by the person being tapped with the stick (giving a clue to their voice). For safety, be sure to hold the stick low--below waist level--to avoid hitting faces.

In seated blindman's bluff, the whole company sits in chairs in a tight circle, and the person guessing has to sit on someone and guess who it is, rather than hitting anyone with a stick.

Sources

The Sociable, or 1001 Home Amusements (1858)
A Week's Delight or Games and Stories for the Parlor and Fireside (1859)
Fireside Games: For Winter Evening Amusement (1859)
Parlour Pastimes for the Young (1859)
Sports and Pastimes for In-Doors and Out (1863)

[Parts of this post previously appeared at my old Civil War blog.]