Christopher Columbus

“Christopher Columbus” sees players arriving at someone else's pool while they’re swimming, murdering those swimmers, and then claiming that the pool now belongs to them. While it does usually include death, “Christopher Columbus” is a game that can be enjoyed by all ages.

Lewis & Clark

As an homage to the famed expedition, players race to the western side of a pool with the overall goal of finishing like third or fourth. During the trek, swimmers are to stop periodically to point at and name things that were discovered centuries ago and definitely already have names. The game will generally last at least two years.

Roald Amundsen

A game that can be played solo or with others, the rules of “Roald Amundsen” are simple: Put on the largest Viking horns you can find and then jump into a pool during the coldest month of the year. There are no winners or losers, only people in Viking horns submerging themselves in icy cold pool water.

Sir Walter Raleigh

This one is really simple. You wheel a TV out to the pool, like a substitute teacher from the aughts, and then load up some American Horror Story: Roanoke. Not so much a game of physicality as it is a battle of wills, “Sir Walter Raleigh” tests how long players can stand watching a television show created by Ryan Murphy.

Ferdinand Magellan

Named after the first man to circumnavigate the globe, “Ferdinand Magellan” is a simple game for children that features a group of players swimming in circles in an above ground pool. The game ends when players get tired of swimming in circles. It's usually a pretty short game.

Sir Francis Drake

Pretty much the same as “Magellan,” “Sir Francis Drake” operates on a similar structure with players swimming in circles, only in this version players are to go much slower, taking frequent breaks to commit acts of atrocity. The game ends when someone gets dysentery. It's usually a pretty long game.

Marco Polo Too

Forget what you thought you knew about a classic pool game, “Marco Polo Too” pays tribute to the explorer's time on the Silk Road by asking players to play regular “Marco Polo” while wearing silk clothing. Most people will prefer the traditional game, but “Too” players will know that they're playing it the way it was meant to be played.

Zheng He

“Zheng He” asks players to hunt for treasure by diving to the bottom of a pool in pursuit of loose change, earrings, or really anything else. If you find something other than an old Band-Aid then you win a prize. The prize is whatever the you found at the bottom of the pool.

Hernan Cortez

A leader, “The Cortez,” trains everyone in their pool to be a skilled mercenary. Once the training is complete, the entire “Army” invades other pools in the neighborhood, slowly taking them over one by one. When you've taken over all of the pools, the game is over.

David Livingstone

A game of persuasion, “David Livingstone” features one person trying to convert everyone else in the pool to Protestantism. The game ends when everyone leaves the pool and vows to never attend one of your pool parties again.