Throwing a Party. Advice. Exp?

Viga

Me and the love have been talking about having a party at the geekapt. The thing is this is the first non holiday party I ever planned. (I began the annual Unadults Christmas party tradition. Ah~! Memories!) Does it really take more than a few beers and bunch of people and music? Are theme parties considered lame? (Had an otaku birthday party once. Not bad.)

So how do you guys throw a party? Do you game or sit and chat or dance? I'm just trying to get some cool ideas.

George Patches

We usually BBQ, get drunk, and select a form of entertainment. This is usually a movie or sometimes a game.

Li_Akahi

For entertainment, try drunken Rock Band. It's always a winner with it's no fail mode and wide variety of songs people actually know. Drunken Guitar Hero is also a possibility, but the more complex guitar parts and high amount of unknown songs might be problematic.

Since I don't actually drink, I usually observe the drunk people and use that as my entertainment.

Are theme parties considered lame?

This depends on who is coming to the party. For a "normal person," theme parties are usually only for special occasions. If it's just a bunch of geeks, then theme parties are a-okay.

Victor Frost

Do the Ninja game. That is all you need for a rockin good time. Tell em Sail.

Viga

What's the ninja game? Should I be scared?

Apreche

Get all of your friends to come over at the same time. Have enough food to feed everybody. The rest just happens.

Jason

Beirut. And put your iTunes library on shuffle on the big screen.

Sail

Do the Ninja game. That is all you need for a rockin good time. Tell em Sail.

Oh my god. I forgot about that.

Funfetus

Oh my god. I forgot about that.

You didn't tell us!

Victor Frost

Do the Ninja game. That is all you need for a rockin good time. Tell em Sail.

Oh my god. I forgot about that.

Wasn't it a gas though? After you guys left, we gathered more people and played inside for a a couple hours longer. Then we took the game outside and we ended up having two groups of at least 15 people duking it out. Then when we got the winners from those two, we pitted them against each other. And then that winner went against the group of people from inside who had been playing it for a couple hours before. It was like the Outside Champion Versus the Ninja Alums.
The Wolfwood cosplayer ended up taking off his shirt and doing a front flip as his move.

TheWhaleShark

The rest will happen naturally.

Nuri

The most important thing for a successful party is to have entertainment options available, but to not have a schedule. If you plan, things will go off-plan, and then you will be frustrated. If you have no plan, then there are no expectations to not meet, and people can do what they want.

This only works if the people at the party are awesome, but I am assuming that anyone you would invite to your party is awesome.

Churba

The most important thing for a successful party is to have entertainment options available, but to not have a schedule. If you plan, things will go off-plan, and then you will be frustrated. If you have no plan, then there are no expectations to not meet, and people can do what they want.

Actually, that's a really good point - Don't have a plan, have options. The only exception is if you're going to go out and get food, in which case you want to plan around two things - A rough time you want to eat, and getting food before the place closes, because if the places closes and you've not eaten, and you've not prepared beforehand to feed everyone out of your own pantry, you(and your stomachs) are SOL.

Nuri

I learned this important lesson at my 7th birthday party. I wanted to make stick puppets around a specific theme. I wanted to watch the Secret of the Sword. Everybody else was not as much of a dork, and they ended up doing other things. I was terribly upset and threw a temper tantrum.

Too many options can also be bad, though. People will take too long to decide. I recommend having no more than 3 clear-cut options for food if you are giving any options at all.

Wyatt

Options are good. I was at a Luau* themed party last night where is was mostly people sitting around talking either in the house, down by the lake, or in the basement/hot tub area. People drank, ate, talked with friends they hadn't seen in a while, TheWhaleShark walked into a closed screen door, etc. Normal party stuff. The hostess planed a few games but in the end it was unnecessary. Had she threw a fit about no one wanting to limbo or break open the pinata, things would have gotten weird. My suggestion is to have a few things out in the open that people can grab and start playing if and when they want to. Set up Rock Band, put some cards or Apples to Apples on the table, and set up a beer pong table. Those are activities "normal" people do it.

*As for the theme, she does one every year. Normally the cops get called but this years it was in a cabin up in the woods.


Wyatt's Party Tips from last night:

-If you are going to have booze or trash (paper plates, empty cups,,,) make sure you put up a garbage cans for both and make people use them. Put the recyclable container next to the fridge with the beer and the other need the snack table. I was at a party last night and most of the mess could have been solved with a little more foresight.

-Don't get too drunk to give directions before all your guests arrive. It's kind of annoying when the host is the first one blitzed.

-Get all your breakable/valuable shit on lock down. You may think you know your friends pretty well but you may not know the people they bring with them.

-Buy a hot tub and get naked it in. I have never been to a bad party with a hot tub. Skinny dipping in a lake works too but this one was kind of nasty with plant growth and muck.

Churba

-If you are going to have booze or trash (paper plates, empty cups,,,) make sure you put up a garbage cans for both and make people use them. Put the recyclable container next to the fridge with the beer and the other need the snack table. I was at a party last night and most of the mess could have been solved with a little more foresight.

Also, if anyone you know smokes, be sure to set up somewhere where they can smoke without any problems - A bucket half full of sand outside the nearest door is fine, it doesn't need to be elaborate, but it saves you picking up butts and such.

TheWhaleShark

TheWhaleShark walked into a closed screen door

Fuck you, that door jumped out at me.

The sad part is, I wasn't even drunk yet.

Also, a word of warning: if you go to a party with a hot tub, and you have a friend who likes to get naked, you will see his junk. No matter how much you try to avoid it, you will see it. If you go the hot tub route, I recommend only inviting your sexy friends. It's better for everyone involved.

If you host a party with alcohol, I highly recommend having large quantities of cool water readily available, preferably in containers that are difficult to break (i.e. no glass). You don't need your one friend getting totally blitzed and then vomiting all over everything. Make sure the raging alcoholics mix it up with some water.

Walker

What's the ninja game? Should I be scared?

bunnikun

Agreed. Trash is the most annoying part of a party, seeing as excessive amounts of piled red cups and cigarette butts are never fun to clean up. I'd suggest at least one trash can/garbage bag per room.

Also, if you think you have enough food/drink for everybody, go buy more. As my friends have proven, there can never be enough beer, even if you don't drink.

-Buy a hot tub and get naked it in. I have never been to a bad party with a hot tub. Skinny dipping in a lake works too but this one was kind of nasty with plant growth and muck.

Hot tubs lead to epic amounts of fun. Always. There's something about drunk people and water that's always entertaining.

AND DON'T OPEN RANDOM DOORS IF IT'S NOT YOUR HOUSE. Chances are, you may possibly walk in on something you never wanted to see. Ever. That being said, if it is your house, lock all rooms you don't want people in.

Wyatt

AND DON'T OPEN RANDOM DOORS IF IT'S NOT YOUR HOUSE. Chances are, you may possibly walk in on something you never wanted to see. Ever. That being said, if it is your house, lock all rooms you don't want people in.

QFT.

Nuri

TheWhaleShark walked into a closed screen door

Fuck you, that door jumped out at me.

You are now an initiate of the Screen Destroyer Club, which includes elite legends such as myself and Cremlian. At least yours was a door. Mine first one was a window. A second-floor window.

Oddly enough, I've never been to a party with a hot tub. However, I am a big fan of nekkidity. I'm used to seeing all kinds of body types in the nude, so it's really no issue for me. I do, however, realize that not everyone is so experienced in the casual viewing of nudity. Making sure that the public is accepting before you get naked is probably a good idea.

TheWhaleShark

Making sure that the public is accepting before you get naked is probably a good idea.

I'm just quoting this so Wyatt can see it.

Nuri

Making sure that the public is accepting before you get naked is probably a good idea.

I'm just quoting this so Wyatt can see it.

Are you technically naked if you still have your drinking hat on?

Churba

Making sure that the public is accepting before you get naked is probably a good idea.

I'm just quoting this so Wyatt can see it.

Are you technically naked if you still have your drinking hat on?

Depends what part of your body you're wearing it on.

Wyatt

Making sure that the public is accepting before you get naked is probably a good idea.

I'm just quoting this so Wyatt can see it.

I warned everyone what I was going to do a week in advance and gave my apology. It looks like someone should have read the part about skinny dipping in the invite a little bit better. Besides, this isn't the first time you've seen me naked

Also, a word of warning: if you go to a party with a hot tub, and you have a friend who likes to get naked, youwillsee his junk. No matter how much you try to avoid it, you will see it. If you go the hot tub route, I recommend only inviting your sexy friends. It's better for everyone involved.

Could you name these mystical nudity loving sexy wood nymph friends of yours? I for one appreciate the human body and don't buy into Hollywood's oppressive standards of beauty.

But seriously,,, I'm surprised at the amount and type of hot tub PDA's and the girls going full nude. Their should have been a Hot Zone ~_^ and OMG! WYATT PUT YOUR GOD DAMN PANTS BACK ON! Zone.

Victor Frost

Okay, I'll try and describe the ninja game.

You need at least three people to start. The objective of the game is to touch someones hand and get them out. To begin the game, you all take ninja poses and designate a person to start. The game moves clockwise as the person moves to touch a persons hand while the person who is being attacked tries to dodge. The attackers and defenders movements must be in one motion and the two must freeze at the end of the movement.

For example: Attacker moves forward and reaches out for defenders hand at the same time. Meanwhile, defender pull his hand back while attacker is moving. The two freeze, leaving the attacker with his hand outreached and the defender with his hand pulled back.

You can attack in any direction, move in any direction, or not attack or move at all.

If you have a lot of people and a bunch of people have been out-ed, you will occasionally need to call for a "ring up" to keep the action interesting. If you can keep the game moving at a good pace, it will look like a bunch of ninja's fighting.

Li_Akahi

Get all your breakable/valuable shit on lock down. You may think you know your friends pretty well but you may not know the people they bring with them.

Hell yes. I have had two parties at my house (never again, never again) and at the first one, someone almost broke a bas relief I sculpted and I almost killed him.

Also, if anyone you know smokes, be sure to set up somewhere where they can smoke without any problems - A bucket half full of sand outside the nearest door is fine, it doesn't need to be elaborate, but it saves you picking up butts and such.

I didn't anticipate the amount of people who smoked, so I spent the next day cleaning up cigarette butts off of the rear lawn.

Also, don't have beer pong unless you want to have a large mess to clean up afterwards. They wanted to use the dining room table for it, and I am extremely glad I talked them out of it, as they ended up spilled beer all over the kitchen floor and left it there for me to clean up. Actually, just don't have beer pong. It's a really stupid game.

Nuri

Actually, just don't have beer pong. It's a really stupid game.

Agreed. Also, ew. You don't always know where those balls have been in, especially after they fall on the floor. Also, it spreads communicable diseases. The alcohol content in the beer is not nearly enough for sterilization.

If you have intelligent people at your party, I guarantee you can find something better to play.

Andrew

Agreed. Also, ew. You don't always know where those balls have been in, especially after they fall on the floor. Also, it spreads communicable diseases. The alcohol content in the beer is not nearly enough for sterilization.

Play with water in the cups instead and have your own personal beer to drink from when they score. A bonus is that the balls don't get sticky at all.

Nuri

That's a good idea if you like playing beer pong.

Rym

I tend to only ever invite people I know and trust well into my home, so the whole "lock the doors" thing has never been applicable.