It's been 12 years since
Harry Potter and
the Deathly Hallows, signifying the end
of Harry's journey on print. But his story, and J.K. Rowling's world, remain as
relevant as ever, and we've seen a multitude of spinoffs since then, such as
the Newt Scamander-led
Fantastic Beasts film
franchise. These explore the part of wizarding history that audiences and
readers have yet to discover, but it doesn't end there. The high demand for
more Potter material has also led to a new augmented reality game
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite,
which allows people to live out their Hogwarts fantasies in real life.
But for some, even this isn't enough. If you
find yourself needing more Potter material, we've got you covered. Read on for
some tips on how to add a little magic to your favorite muggle games!
Wizarding Cards
Ron and Harry were obsessed with the Wizarding
Cards that came with Honeydukes Chocolate Frogs. The cards included historic
wizards and witches on the front and back. You would come away not only with a
hopping treat, but also a chance to score your favorite wizarding icon. If
you're into that sort of thing, you'll be glad to know that Wizarding Cards do
exist in real life. These come in the form of the
Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle: Defence Against The
Dark Arts strategy card
game. This is a two-player game where you can simulate a wizarding duel just
like in the books and movies.
But if that's not your speed, worry not as you
can always just reinvent existing rules and terminologies for muggle games like
poker to make it more magical. One way would be to go through the poker guides
featured on
partypoker and come up
with fun alternatives based on spells, characters, or even places in the
wizarding world. “Bullets,” or a pair of aces, can be “Fred and George,” while
a “Straight Flush” can even be a “Weasley Family Tree!” Have fun, use your
imagination, and remember that the use of Felix Felicis in any form of
competition is considered cheating.
Bertie Botts Challenge
If you remember the Bertie Botts every flavor
beans from the books and movies, you'll know that when they say every flavor,
they
mean every flavor.
Ron even claims that George had gotten a booger-flavored one once. Well,
luckily for you (or maybe not),
USA Today reports
that Jelly Belly has released a line of novelty jelly beans that come with
flavors like Spoiled Milk and even Barf.
One game you can play with these beans is the
classic guessing game, where you and your friends estimate how many jelly beans
are in a jar. The twist here is you'll be mixing a batch of novelty beans with
the regular ones and then try to guess how many novelty beans are in your
container. You and your friends will write down your guesses and then try the
beans out one at a time, taking note of when someone ingests a novelty bean.
The person with the closest guess wins a prize — and considering that you may
just ingest a booger bean, the prize better be worth it.
Rita Skeeter Rumors
Lastly, anyone who's ever read the books has an
irreverent and enduring dislike for the infamous Rita Skeeter. Skeeter writes
for
The Daily Prophet and
was the main source of wizarding gossip throughout the series. So what better
way to pay tribute to Rita than a game of Telephone?
To play, have your players form two lines and
have the first person in each line start a "rumor." You can even make
this an obscure but special phrase from the book for added Potter points. That
person then whispers the rumor into the ear of the player behind them. This
goes on until the rumor reaches the last person who is then responsible to
report the rumor. If the phrase is accurate, then the person and their team
gets a point. To continue the game, simply have the last person move to the
front and repeat the initial steps.
