Paper and pencil games need nothing more than a sheet of paper and a pen. The best known are MASH, Dots and Boxes, Hangman, Tic Tac Toe and its harder cousin Ultimate Tic Tac Toe, Sprouts, paper Battleships, Categories, Consequences and Paper Football. Each takes a minute to explain.
I like these because there's nothing to buy, nothing to download and nothing to lose. They suit a long train journey, a boring waiting room, a rainy afternoon or a table at a restaurant. Below you'll find how to play each one, then a quick table so you can pick fast.
MASH, step by step
MASH is a fortune-telling game that has been passed round playgrounds for years. It predicts nothing, of course, but it makes people laugh. Here's the full way to play.
- Write MASH at the top of the page. The letters stand for Mansion, Apartment, Shack and House. These are the four possible homes.
- Make your categories. Under the letters, list a few headings, such as partner, car, job, pet and holiday place. Under each heading, write four options, and make at least one of them hilarious.
- Find the magic number. Ask a friend to draw a spiral in the corner of the page. Stop them whenever you like, then count the lines of the spiral. That number is your magic number.
- Count and cross out. Starting at the first item, count through all the options in all the lists, in order, and cross out whatever lands on the magic number. Start counting again from the next item. Skip anything already crossed out.
- Keep going until one choice is left in each list. Those are your answers.
- Read out your future. The funnier the combination, the better. A mansion with a pet goldfish and a job as a lighthouse keeper is a perfectly good result.
Keep the options kind. It's a laugh, not a way to tease someone, and young players especially enjoy making the lists themselves.
More paper games, and how each one works
Dots and Boxes
Draw a grid of dots, say five by five. Players take turns drawing one line between two dots that sit side by side. When your line finishes the fourth side of a box, write your initial inside it and take another turn. When all the boxes are claimed, whoever has the most wins. The skill is in not giving your opponent the third side of any box.
Hangman
One player thinks of a word and draws a blank for each letter. The guesser calls out letters. A correct letter goes in its place, and a wrong one adds a part to the drawing of a gallows stick figure. If the figure is finished before the word is guessed, the setter wins. Many families prefer to draw a snowman or a flower instead, which works just as well.
Ultimate Tic Tac Toe
Draw a big tic tac toe grid, then draw a small grid inside each of its nine squares. The first player puts an X in any small square. The square they choose decides which small grid the other player must play in next. Win a small grid by getting three in a row, and it becomes yours on the big board. Win three small grids in a line to win the game. It's the same idea as the classic, with far more planning.
Sprouts
Start with two or three dots. On your turn, draw a line that joins one dot to another, or a dot back to itself, then add a new dot somewhere along that line. Lines can't cross each other, and no dot can have more than three lines touching it. The player who can't make a move loses. It looks odd at first, but it's a favourite with maths fans for a reason.
Battleships on paper
Each player draws two grids, one for their own ships and one for tracking their shots. Hide your ships by marking squares in straight lines, of different lengths. Take turns calling a square, such as B7, and your opponent says hit or miss. Sink every ship to win. Agree the fleet size before you start. The board game uses ships from two to five squares long, and that's a good guide.
Categories
Choose a letter and a set of categories, such as animal, food, city, film and job. Everyone writes one answer per category beginning with that letter before time runs out. Answers that nobody else wrote earn points, and matching answers score nothing, so be creative. Agree on a time limit first, and settle disputes by group vote.
Consequences
This is a story game. Each player writes on a sheet in turn, folds the top over to hide it, and passes it on. The usual order is a name, who they met, where, what he said, what she said, and what happened next. Open the sheets at the end and read the nonsense out loud.
Paper Football
Fold a sheet into a tight triangle. Players take turns flicking it across a table, and you score if it stops with a corner hanging over the edge. Agree on the scoring and on how to take a bonus kick before you start. It's a classroom favourite, so you may only need to ask a child to teach you.
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If you're playing with younger children, you'll find more ideas in our guide to fun childhood games, and our guessing games page has more word-based options.
Games for two and games for a group
Not every game suits every table. Dots and Boxes, Sprouts, Hangman, Ultimate Tic Tac Toe and Battleships were made for two players. Categories, Consequences and MASH work best with three or more, because the fun comes from comparing answers. Paper Football works for two, or in teams if you fold more than one.
If you've got a phone but no paper, there are plenty of good options for one device. Take a look at free two player games for one phone for ideas that work without internet.
Pick a game at a glance
| Game | Players | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| MASH | 1 or more | Short | Silly fun, younger players |
| Dots and Boxes | 2 | Short | Quiet strategy |
| Hangman | 2 or more | Short | Spelling practice |
| Ultimate Tic Tac Toe | 2 | Medium | Planning ahead |
| Sprouts | 2 | Short to medium | Maths fans |
| Paper Battleships | 2 | Medium | Travel and waiting rooms |
| Categories | 3 or more | Several rounds | Families and friends |
| Consequences | 3 or more | Short | Silly stories |
| Paper Football | 2 or more | Short | Classrooms, break time |
What to bring
A few sheets of plain paper and two pens or pencils are enough. Squared paper is handy for Dots and Boxes, Battleships and Ultimate Tic Tac Toe, because the lines are already there. A hard surface helps, and a book or clipboard works if you're on a train.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best paper and pencil games for two people?
Dots and Boxes, Hangman, Battleships, Sprouts and Ultimate Tic Tac Toe are all made for two players, and each needs only a sheet of paper and a pen.
How do you play MASH?
Write M, A, S and H at the top of the page, add categories with four options each, draw a spiral to find a magic number, then count through the lists crossing out options until one is left in each.
What does MASH stand for?
MASH stands for Mansion, Apartment, Shack and House. They're the four homes you can end up in when the game decides your future.
Which paper games work for a group?
Categories, Consequences and MASH work well for groups of three or more, because everyone writes and then compares their answers.
Is Ultimate Tic Tac Toe hard to learn?
It takes a round to understand, because your move decides where your opponent plays next. After that it's simple, and it's far more strategic than the classic version.
