The Most Dangerous Games: Blind Man’s Bluff

Previously: The Runner.

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The game known as Blind Man’s Bluff — or Blind Man’s Buff, or Blind Fly, or Blind Hen, or any number of other possible names — has been a childhood staple for centuries; indeed, it dates back all the way to ancient Greece. This… is not that kind of Blind Man’s Bluff. This version isn’t a game of tag; in fact, it’s probably closer to the Hosting Game than, say, Deadman’s Tag. But although this Blind Man’s Bluff has you hosting a gathering of sorts, you should know going into it that the guests you’ll be inviting can be a bit… unruly.

What’s perhaps most interesting about this game, though, isn’t actually the game itself; it’s a declaration about the game made by its original source: “The following is something I made up. But, by reading this, you have made it real.” I’ve commented before on games which are clearly made up, rather than deeply rooted in cultural tradition — games like 11 Miles, Channel Infinity, and Lightless City — but with this statement, Blind Man’s Bluff offers a new spin on games of the made-up variety: It turns it into a sort of tulpa — something which may have been fictional at the start, but which becomes real when enough people have begun to think about it. It’s kind of like the Velveteen Rabbit in that sense, just less… cuddly.

[Like what you read? Check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available now!]

(For the curious, Blind Man’s Buff made its way online via the Creepypasta Wikia in 2012; since then, it’s been uploaded to a number of other places, as well as translated into other languages. See here, here, and here for examples of alternate sources.)

The same warning as always applies:

Play at your own risk.

Players:

• One principal.

Requirements:

• A dark, quiet room, preferably empty of furnishings and decorations.
• A place to sleep. This location should NOT be inside the dark, quiet room.
• Seating for three to five people, including yourself.
• An alarm clock.
• A strip of black cloth, long enough to tie around your head, wide enough to cover your eyes, and thick enough to block your vision completely.

Instructions:

The Preparations:

1. Begin your preparations while it is still daylight.
2. Prepare your chosen room. Clear the floor of clutter. Remove anything hanging on the walls. If there are windows, draw the curtains or otherwise block them; ensure that no light leaks in from the outside. Either remove extraneous furniture from the room or push it up against the walls. (It is recommended that you remove it.)
3. Position the required seating in the room. You may arrange it anyway you like, although it is recommended that the seat you choose to designate for yourself be easy to get to with reduced or eliminated visibility.
4. Clear the path between your sleeping location and your designated seat in the prepared room. Memorize this path. Rehearse walking it, both ways, until you’re so familiar with it, you could do it with your eyes closed. In fact, do walk it with your eyes closed; you’ll need the practice.
5. When you have finished rehearsing, exit the prepared room. Turn out the lights before you go, but leave the door open.
6. Place the strip of black cloth within easy reach of where you plan to sleep. This is your blindfold.
7. Place your alarm clock within easy reach of where you plan to sleep. This is your insurance.
8. Set your alarm for 11:40pm.
9. Wait until 8pm.
10. At 8pm, go to bed. Sleep, if you can.

The Gathering:

1. Awaken when your alarm rings.
2. Turn the alarm off and reach for your blindfold. Tie the blindfold securely around your eyes. Make sure that you cannot see through it or around it, and ensure that it will not fall off or come undone on its own.
3. Leave your sleeping location and proceed to the prepared room. You MUST leave the sleeping location by 11:50pm. Do NOT remove the blindfold.
4. You have 10 minutes to find and take your designated seat. Go.
   • NOTE: DO NOT PROCEED if any of the following occur during Steps 1 through 3 of The Gathering:
     • It is not 11:40pm when your alarm rings;
     • You awaken and your alarm is not ringing;
     • You do not manage to leave your sleeping location by 11:50pm;
     • Your blindfold slips from your eyes while you are proceeding to your designated seat in the prepared room;
     • Or you have not taken your seat within 10 minutes of leaving your sleeping location.
   • Should any of these events occur, return to your bed IMMEDIATELY, lie down, and go back to sleep. Do NOT remove the blindfold or leave the bed until sunrise.
   • If you wish, at this point, to terminate the ritual for another reason beyond those listed above, you may also do so now by returning to your bed, lying down, and going back to sleep. Again, do NOT remove the blindfold or leave the bed until sunrise.
   • This is your last chance to terminate the ritual. If you do not choose to take it, you MUST play the game to completion.
5. Once you have seated yourself, wait 10 minutes. Do NOT consult a clock. Do NOT remove the blindfold. You must determine when the appropriate amount of time has passed yourself.
6. When the 10 minutes are up, issue your invitation: Speak aloud the words, “Come in, and be obedient.”
7. Wait.
8. Your guests are arriving.
9. Do NOT remove the blindfold.
10. You’ll know when they’re here.
11. Once your guests have arrived, greet them warmly and thank them for coming.
12. Inform your guests of your ground rules — what they may and may not do while they are visiting you. Be as specific as possible. (See: Additional Notes.) You are their host; be firm, but polite.
13. Once you have laid out the ground rules, invite your guests to sit down in the seats you have provided.
14. You may now entertain your guests in whatever way you wish, including but not limited to:
    • Speaking with them;
    • Asking them questions;
    • Requesting them to interact with the environment;
    • Playing a simple party game with them;
    • Etc.
15. Do NOT remove the blindfold at ANY POINT.

The Farewell:

1. When you are ready for your guests to leave, tell them it is time to go. Let them know how much you have enjoyed their company, but remind them not to return unless you invite them again. Be kind, but definite.
2. Wait.
3. Your guests are leaving.
4. Do NOT remove the blindfold.
5. You’ll know when they have gone.
6. Once your guests have left, return to your sleeping location, lie down, and go back to sleep. Do NOT remove the blindfold until sunrise.
7. Once the sun is up, you may rise from your bed and remove the blindfold.
8. But know that your guests may still be lurking nearby… waiting for their chance to see you again.

Additional Notes:

Your sleeping location and dark, quiet room should not be one in the same. They should be two separate rooms, located near enough to each so as to allow for easy travel between them. It is recommended that the rooms be located on the same floor, ideally next to or across from each other.

Your provided seating may be of any variety you like — chairs, couches, floor cushions, etc. — although it is recommended it be relatively comfortable. (It wouldn’t do to offer your guests uncomfortable seating.) Also, if you do not wish to share a seat with one or more of your guests, it is recommended that you provide separate seating options — e.g. chairs instead of couches, etc.

Clearing the immediate surroundings of your chosen room and sleeping location of other people and pets before beginning is not required, but it is recommended. (See: Additional Dos and Don’ts.) For best — and safest — results, both for yourself and for others, ensure that you will be the only one home at the time you intend to play.

It is recommended that you determine the ground rules for your guests prior to beginning the game. Possible instructions include, but are not limited to:

• Whether they may touch you (and if so, where it is permissible to do so and where it is not);
• Whether they may touch anything in the room (and if so, what they may and may not touch);
• Whether they may leave the room (and if so, whether there are any restrictions on where in your home they may go);
• Etc.

Precision is key; better to be overly thorough than not thorough enough. Your guests may be fond of pushing boundaries.

Concerning The Blindfold:

Once you have put the blindfold on, DO NOT remove it until you have either concluded or terminated the game and the sun has risen. No matter what you might hear — no matter what you might feel — no matter what you might sense — keep the blindfold firmly in place for the duration of the game.

Your guests want you to remove it, you see — so resisting the urge to remove it will be difficult. You must not let them see your eyes.

You must not let them see your fear.

For you will feel fear — no matter how fearless you think you might be.

Additional Dos and Don’ts:

DO be a good host. Politeness and kindness are key, but so is firmness.

DO NOT cheat by attempting to look through or around the blindfold, either while you are making your way to or from the prepared room or while you are entertaining your guests. Your guests will know if you cheat — and they are not fond of cheating.

DO be wary of what your guests may say. You may ask them questions; do not assume they will tell you the truth. You may ask them about your future; do not assume they will reveal it to you. You may

DO NOT allow your guests to wake anyone else who might be present in the surrounding area. This is not only out of courtesy to those who may be sleeping. It is also for their — and your — protection. (This is why it is recommended that you clear the surrounding area of other people and pets before beginning.)

DO pay attention. Just as you have boundaries, so, too, do your guests. If you are about to do something — ask a question, make a request, etc. — and you feel a chill in the air, hold your tongue. Change your tack. They might like to push your boundaries, but it would be a mistake to attempt to push theirs.

And above all, DO NOT play this game more than twice. Should you play three times, it will then be your guests’ turn to invite you to a gathering of their own. You will not be able to decline their invitation — and they may not be as forgiving a host as you yourself are.

They may, in fact, never let you leave.

Blind Man’s Bluff: FAQ.

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[Photo via Tama66/Pixabay]