What you will need:

Two or more players. A bit of open floor space. A temporary disregard for standards of reasonable behavior. Fancy moves. One retractable ball-point pen.

Object:

Get pen. Keep pen away from everyone else.

How to play:

Player One starts with the pen. (Player One is probably whoever grabs the closest pen once the game is announced.) Player One holds the pen tightly in one hand while adopting an appropriate kung fu stance. The other players make appropriate kung fu noises and launch themselves at Player One. Mayhem ensues.

For maximum awesomeness, the player in control of the pen should do fancy moves with it -- twirl it, flip it through the air then catch it, swish it behind other players' backs. In addition to building kung fu showmanship skills, this allows other players a shot at taking possession of the pen.

Duration:

Until something gets broken, someone gets hurt, or everyone is panting hysterically on the living room floor. (Approximately 10-15 minutes.)

Notes:

Felt tip pens are messy, and pens with caps tend to come uncapped, resulting in blue ink marks along everyone's arms. This is why we recommend a retractable ball-point pen (retracted).

In the absence of a suitable pen, other objects may be substituted. For example, a bean bag, tennis ball, or Chinese dumpling.

Origins:

This game was inspired by the legendary dumpling battle between Po and Shifu.