OK this is a game we played at the first Dutch meet-up, and I've figured out a way to make it playable on forums. As in real life, it is easy enough to cheat, since my trick is simply to use font colour. I'll give an example:

Dylan is *Barack Obama*

Somebody else would post that for me, obviously, since I'm not supposed to know who I am, but rather guess. Anybody can enter simply by asking to be given a name; if two or more names are given at once due to cross-posting, the oldest one should be used and the newer ones should be edited/deleted.

Once you have been given a name (in real life your neighbour would stick it on your forehead where everybody but you can read it) you can start to ask "Yes/No" questions. As long as you get "Yes" as an answer you can ask another question; once you get a "No" you get a one hour time-out, where you can still answer other peoples questions but not ask more yourself. The hour goes in from the time of your question being asked, not of the answer, of course.

Thus I might ask (and get answers for) the following questions in say 15 minutes:

"Am I real rather than fictional" YES "Am I human" YES "Am I famous" YES "Am I male" YES "Am I an artist of any kind" NO (1 hour timeout)

For the purposes of the initial game (this thread), everybody will be "famous" but could be fictional. Artists, sportspeople, politicians, and fictional characters are all acceptable, and ideally should be assigned in a witty way. Try to use common sense and figures who are not too controversial (i.e. not JC or AH).

The aim of the game is to have fun first and foremost, "winning" is what you define it to be, from being first/fast to work out who you are to asking for a really tough assignment.

Examples of (relatively) easy assignments: Brad Pitt, Natalie Portman, Lance Armstrong, Mia Hamm, Ronald Reagan, Queen Elizabeth II, Jack Sparrow, Galadriel, Charlemagne, Cleopatra.

Examples of medium difficulty assignments (not household names for most): Ron Perlman, Mae West, Bobby Moore, Olga Korbut, Neville Chamberlain, Indira Ghandi, Gulliver, Lady Windermere, Harold Hardrada, Catherine of Aragon.

Examples of hard ones, you aren't getting too many yet. Brad from Rocky Horror Picture show is perfect - as soon as someone has identified that they are a fictional white male in a film, just answer every single question with yes! It is hilarious if you can see the questioners face; not so much online which is why I don't mind giving that one away :)

A final note: it is less fun if you try to min-max by asking questions like "am I NOT an artist". Try to ask positive questions unless you are completely stuck. The other players will have sympathy on you :)

Ahoylindsay's identity is Siddig El Tahir El Fadil El Siddig Abderahman Mohammed Ahmed Abdel Karim El Mahdi

Thefirstdude's identity is Sergey Brin

Dylan's identity is Antonio Lucio Vivaldi

CKShinrai's identity is Lotsofgoats.

Crazyfighter's identity is Emperor Hirohito.

StuManchu's identity is Ricky Ponting.

Ppplushies's identity is Giorgio Armani.

Sundancer's identity is Brad Pitt.

Velariel's identity is Gaston (From Beauty and the Beast).

Davsbrander's identity is Paulina Porizkova.

Addison's identity is Isis (From America's next top model, cycle 11). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isis_King

Debbi9's identity is Michael Jordan.

Quitex's identity is Alexandrina Pendatchanska.

Zandia's identity is Ed Begley Jr..

Perelandia's identity is Princess Diana..

Koalarocker's identity is Aretha Franklin..

Assigned: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1803680#1803680
Resigned: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1806679#1806679
Assigned by: Dylan

Assigned: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1803687#1803687
Assigned by: CKShinrai

Quitex's identity is John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt

Assigned: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1803680#1803680
Solved: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1804728#1804728
Assigned by: Dylan

Quitex's identity is Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez

Assigned: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1805550#1805550
Solved: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1810374#1810374
Assigned by: Dylan

Quitex's identity is Taurus, the Bull (astrological symbol) in reference to cow renames.

Assigned: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1804075#1804075
Solved: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1806540#1806540
Assigned by: StuManchu

Velariel's identity is Clara Barton.

Assigned: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1804137#1804137
Solved: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1807218#1807218
Assigned by: senorita_esp

Davsbrander's identity is Titania.

Assigned: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1804743#1804743
Solved: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1807412#1807412
Assigned by: Velariel

Sundancer's identity is Dread Pirate Roberts

Assigned: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1803789#1803789
Resigned: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1810978#1810978
Assigned by: Lotsofgoats

Dylan's identity is Thanos

Assigned: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1808610#1808610
Solved: http://forums.puzzlepirates.com/community/mvnforum/viewthread?p=1812095#1812095
Assigned by: Dylan

Addison's identity is Michael J. Fox.