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.
Get out those Trapper Keepers and sharpen your No. 2 pencils—it’s Back-to-School Week! Going far beyond the classroom, we’re bringing you genius tricks and ideas on how to start routines, brush up on old skills or learn something new this fall.
- 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.
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.