Features / 6 games featured
Games for School Trips: Pick a Game for a Small Group in the Room
Published:
Last updated 2026-10-19 · Run by Qdan, Inc.
On a school trip, three to six classmates sharing a room can play together with one smartphone each, including card games without packing a deck.
Follow your school’s rules, then compare players, time, spoken calls and learning effort below and use Play to open a game.
Three Games to Try First
- Old Maid
Match pairs without learning card ranks.
- Pig's Tail
Follow one reveal at a time without choosing a hand to play.
- Drawing Telephone
Pass pictures and words, then enjoy the results without ranking a winner.
Choose a short game, drawing or bluffing
Choose Old Maid or Pig’s Tail for about five minutes, Drawing Telephone for about twenty minutes of drawing and revealing results, or Liar’s Dice for judging claims about hidden dice. Every game featured here supports a group of three to six.
- Card games to get started4 games
- Estimate and bluff1 game
Compare players, game time, spoken calls and learning effort
Players, time and learning effort come from each game’s information; time varies with explanations, group size and settings. Cards show the full supported range, including numbers outside three to six. Spoken calls describe whether the controls require speech, separately from device sound effects. Card plays, dice bids and challenges use screen controls; drawing games keep answers private until the reveal. General rule references may differ in detail, so check the rules and settings of the BGJ version.
2–30 players
3–20 min
- Quick to learn4 games
- Learn step by step2 games
- More to learn0 games
- Mostly skill0 games
- Luck and skill1 game
- Mostly luck5 games
Player counts and times span the smallest to largest values in this group. Learning and luck describe each game, rather than a quality score.
| Game | Players and game time | Spoken calls | Learning effort | What you do | When to choose it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| President | 3–8 players, About 3 min | No spoken calls needed | Learn step by step | Choose cards or pass | When you want to plan your hand |
| Old Maid | 2–8 players, About 5 min | No spoken calls needed | Quick to learn | Choose one face-down card | For a short first game together |
| Pig's Tail | 2–8 players, About 5 min | No spoken calls needed | Quick to learn | Flip one card from the ring | To enjoy each reveal together |
| Bozu Mekuri | 2–6 players, About 10 min | No poem reader needed | Quick to learn | Turn over a card from the deck | For picture cards without reciting poems |
| Drawing Telephone | 3–30 players, About 20 min | Keep answers private until the reveal | Quick to learn | Alternate drawing and typing | To share results without a winner |
| Liar's Dice | 2–6 players, About 12 min | Buttons handle bids; talking is optional | Learn step by step | Bid a face and quantity or challenge | For estimates and bluffing |
Card games to get started
Take turns drawing, flipping or playing cards. Choose Old Maid or Pig’s Tail for a short game, Bozu Mekuri for picture cards, or President for decisions about which cards to play.
President
Play stronger cards to empty your hand first. Choose this when your group wants to plan which cards to keep after learning the ranks and matching the number of cards played. Passing uses an on-screen button. Check settings such as revolution and clearing the table with eights together before starting. [1]
- Spoken calls
- No spoken calls needed
- Learning effort
- Learn step by step
- What you do
- Choose cards or pass
Old Maid
Draw from a neighbour and discard matching pairs to empty your hand. This is a starting point for classmates who have never played together: there are no card ranks to learn. Choose one face-down card on screen. The player left with the joker loses, giving the group a short game with a clear stopping point. [2]
- Spoken calls
- No spoken calls needed
- Learning effort
- Quick to learn
- What you do
- Choose one face-down card
Pig's Tail
Flip cards and aim to collect the fewest. A match with the previous suit or rank means taking the pile. Under BGJ’s default rule, the player who flipped the matching card takes it; speed does not decide the result. Keep your phones in place and take turns tapping to follow each reveal.
- Spoken calls
- No spoken calls needed
- Learning effort
- Quick to learn
- What you do
- Flip one card from the ring
BGJ rules [7]
Bozu Mekuri
Turn over poet cards and try to finish with the largest collection. The pictures of nobles, monks and ladies determine where cards go, so nobody needs to recite poems or act as a reader. Everyone takes a turn. Check the special-card settings together before starting; published rules use different conventions for these cards. [3]
- Spoken calls
- No poem reader needed
- Learning effort
- Quick to learn
- What you do
- Turn over a card from the deck
Draw and share the results
Draw and type on your own phones, keeping each answer private until the reveal. Drawing Telephone alternates pictures and words so everyone can compare the changes together at the end.
Drawing Telephone
Turn the previous person’s words into a drawing, or their drawing into words, then compare the changes at the end. Choose this when you want to share the results without ranking a winner. Keep answers private while drawing and typing on your own phones. Allow time for the host to reveal the pages together afterwards.
- Spoken calls
- Keep answers private until the reveal
- Learning effort
- Quick to learn
- What you do
- Alternate drawing and typing
BGJ rules [9]
Estimate and bluff
Estimate the hidden dice and decide whether to raise a claim or challenge it. For example, judge a claim of at least five threes using your own dice and the number of dice still in play.
Liar's Dice
Use your own hidden dice to judge claims about everyone’s results, and challenge a claim to protect your dice. Choose this when your group wants to estimate quantities and bluff. Bids and challenges use on-screen buttons. Check how ones count before starting; the three-dice setting offers a shorter game than the five-dice default. [4]
- Spoken calls
- Buttons handle bids; talking is optional
- Learning effort
- Learn step by step
- What you do
- Bid a face and quantity or challenge
Frequently Asked Questions
What games can three to six people play in a room on a school trip?
Every game featured here supports three to six players. Try Old Maid or Pig’s Tail for about five minutes, Bozu Mekuri for about ten, or Drawing Telephone when you have time to draw and reveal the results. Check players, time and learning effort in the comparison and game cards.
Can we play without bringing a deck of cards?
Yes, with one smartphone per person and an internet connection, you can play these games without physical cards. Cards and dice appear on screen, and drawings are made on your phones. Follow your school’s rules for using devices.
Which school trip games can we play without spoken calls?
The featured card games and Liar’s Dice use screen controls without requiring spoken calls. Drawing Telephone uses drawings and typed answers. Talking during the reveal is optional; check your device volume separately for sound effects.
How do we choose a game everyone can enjoy together?
Choose Drawing Telephone to compare surprising results, or Liar’s Dice to estimate hidden results and bluff. Check how much time your group has, including the final reveal, before starting.
What can we play in a short break?
Old Maid and Pig’s Tail each have an estimated game time of about five minutes. Time varies with the group, so leave a margin and agree to play one game at a time.
Sources and How BGJ Plays
- John McLeod (rules editor) — Dai Fugō / Dai HinminPlay and Variations: stronger plays of the same size, emptying a hand and variations / Checked: ↩
- John McLeod (rules editor) — Old MaidPlay: drawing from a neighbour and discarding pairs; the reference removes a queen, while BGJ uses a joker / Checked: ↩
- Hamajima Shoten (educational publisher) — 百人一首（かるた）の遊び方：坊主めくりPicture-based card transfers (Japanese); special-card conventions differ from BGJ settings / Checked: ↩
- Todd W. Neller (Gettysburg College) — Dudo (“I Doubt It!”)Page 2: hidden rolls, bids on all dice and revealing on a challenge; loss amounts and special-round details differ from BGJ / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — PresidentPublished status, language, players, time, learning effort, actions, default rules and settings in meta.json / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Old MaidPublished status, language, players, time, learning effort, actions, default rules and settings in meta.json / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Pig's TailPublished status, language, players, time, learning effort, actions, default rules and settings in meta.json / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Bozu MekuriPublished status, language, players, time, learning effort, actions, default rules and settings in meta.json / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Drawing TelephonePublished status, language, players, time, learning effort, actions, default rules and settings in meta.json / Checked: ↩
- BoardGameJoin — Liar's DicePublished status, language, players, time, learning effort, actions, default rules and settings in meta.json / Checked: ↩