Celebrity Empire Game

The goal of this game is to guess the (celebrity) identity of other people in the group.  When you guess someones identity, they join your empire.  The last person to guess a name is the winner.  This game is a ton of fun.  I've played this with high school students and baby boomers.  It always is a great time.

1.  Hand out a slip of paper to everyone.
2.  Write the name of a celebrity or person that everyone in the group knows on the paper.  The name can be of a  living or dead person, a cartoon character, a person currently in the group, or a mascot.  Use plain handwriting so that no one could tell that it is yours.
3.  Have someone collect all the pieces of paper.  Count them to make sure there are the correct amount.
4.  Everyone should try to remember as many names as possible.  Have someone read the names one by one.  Read through the list twice.  It is OK if there are more than one of the same name.  This list is not to be seen the rest of the game.
5.  Nominate the person whose birthday is closest to today to start.
6.  That person will ask a person in the room if they are a certain celebrity.  I.E  'Phil, are you Oprah Winfrey?'  If they are the person you guessed, then they join your (team) empire and you get to guess again. They should actually move next to you so you can collaborate together.   If the guess was incorrect, then the person you asked would get to guess someones identity.
7.  Empires.  Every person you guess correctly becomes part of your empire.  This means that they can help you remember names and to help you guess other peoples identities. If someone guesses who you are, and you have people in your empire, then everyone switches to the new persons empire.
8.  The game is over when there is only one empire (meaning one person is the winner), or when no one can remember any more names in the list (meaning a tie for all those left).