How To Play MASH - Lifehacker

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How to Play MASH Nick Douglas September 15, 2017 Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

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The fortune-telling game MASH, kept alive over decades by grade-schoolers, requires nothing more than pencil, paper, and a friend. Here’s how to play this little bonding game.

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Write MASH and list your categories: Life partner, number of kids, job, salary, car, and where you live.
List four or five options for each category, with your friend picking a terrible last option for each.
Choose a number from 3 to 10; count out that many of your options, strike one out, and repeat.
When all but one option in a category is struck out, circle the remaining one.
Read out your full fortune.

There are dozens of variations. Some players lay out their categories in a giant tic-tac-toe grid; some choose their random number by drawing dots or tick marks. Other categories include pets, honeymoon plans, college major, partner’s job, and how long you’ll live.

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It’s customary for your friend to write out your fortune for you, while you tell them your choices. Etiquette dictates that after they complete your fortune, you return the favor.