Fun? in a pub?! do they mix??
They Do Now!
Quarters
Quarters, named for the American coin that spawned the game involves 2 shot glasses (or more for a bigger group) and 2 10p’s.
The game is this
If you have a shot glass in front of you you have to try and “Bounce” the 10p coin into the shot glass. (i.e.) throw it into the table and hope that it goes in.
If you get it in first time you can pass the shot glass to your left or to your right.
Otherwise, pass it to the left when you finally get it in.
If you end up with two shot glasses in front of you, you have to down your drink! (we drunk fingers because Tribeca is too expensive!) you keep one of the shot glasses and pass the other one around the table. start again.
That’s it! very simple, lots of fun!
Twenty-One
My favourite drinking game.
After I introduced Mahinda to the sport, he wrote a brilliant description in his blog. I’m not going to attempt to improve upon it, so I’ve shamelessly cut and paste it into here.
“Twenty-One, as referred to in my last entry, is a common drinking game. The rules are simple (well, they start off simple, anyway):
Basic Premise
Going round in a circle (or thereabouts), you aim to get to 21 by taking turns to say one, two or three consecutive numbers. Numbers must always go up consecutively, i.e. if your neighbour says “1″, you must then start your turn with “2″.
Eventually, someone will have to say “21″…in which case they:
1. Drink.
2. Specify a new rule.
3. Start the game off again, from 1.
More about new rules later. As far as the drinking goes, it depends how hardcore you’re being - often either two fingers, your whole pint, or a swig of the penalty drink is required.
If someone messes up on the way (and there are many ways to mess up), he/she must:
1. Drink.
2. Start the game off again, from 1.
Note that this drink is usually less severe, e.g. just two fingers’ worth. Also, you don’t get to add a rule.
Starting the Game
Whoever starts the game must specify a direction, and then say one, two or three numbers, starting from “1″, e.g. “To my left…ONE, TWO”.
The next person, in the specified direction, must then continue. Of course, exactly who is the next person depends on how many numbers the starter has said…
One, Two or Three Numbers
Whether someone says one, two or three numbers has a direct influence on who goes next:
* One number - play passes along smoothly, going in the original direction on to the next person.
* Two numbers - the order of play is reversed.
* Three numbers - same direction, but skipping the next player.
Naturally, speaking out of turn, or saying the wrong number, results in a penalty drink and the game restarting from 1.
A cunning rule that was introduced to me last night was the one that you must say a different number of numbers to your predecessor, e.g. if he/she said “1″, you must continue with either “2, 3″ or “2, 3, 4″ - saying just “2″ would entail drinking.
New Rules
The most important part of the game!
Once someone has had to say “21″ (and then drunk something), they get to specify a new rule. These can be just about anything within reason, and can include substitutions, actions, etc. For example:
* When saying “3″, you must stand on one leg.
* Instead of “12″, you must say “Wibble”.
* For all numbers divisible by 4, you must touch your nose.
It’s usually up to either a nominated gamesmaster, or group discussion, as to whether or not a rule should be allowed. For example, in some circles, “all numbers divisible by 3 must be said in binary” would be considered fine. However, most people regard (quite rightly) the sort of people who’d play that particular rule as freaks.
Rules can act concurrently, e.g. using the new rules specified above, when you get to 12, you’d have to say “Wibble” and touch your nose.
Naturally, if you get it wrong, you drink, and the game starts again from 1.
Ending the Game
After an hour or so, the rules usually get far too complex to follow, expecially given that all players should now have consumed a fair quantity of alcohol. At some point, players will just decide that they can’t be arsed any more, and play a different game.
The exact complexity of the rules at this point is a fair indicator to how successful your game has been.
Example Game
The game that we played in The Friendship Inn, the evening before this post, ended up with the following rules (in number order, rather than order of introduction):
* Instead of “1″, you must say “Ecky!”
* Instead of “2″, you must say “Ecky! Pitang!”
* Instead of “3″, you must say “Ecky! Ecky! Pitang!”
* For all numbers divisible by 4, you must pinch your nose.
* For all numbers divisible by 5, you must instead say “Quack!”
* The numbers 6 and 8 are swapped, but their actions stay as-is.
* When saying “11″, you must stand up.
* When saying “11″, the players to your left and right must give you bunny ears.
* When saying any number with two syllables (i.e. 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20), you must cup your hand to your ear.
So, as far as order of numbers goes, you’d have to do this:
1. Say “Ecky!”
2. Say “Ecky! Pitang!”
3. Say “Ecky! Ecky! Pitang!”
4. Say “Four” while pinching your nose.
5. Say “Quack!”
6. Say “Eight”.
7. Say “Seven” while cupping your hand to your ear.
8. Say “Six” while pinching your nose.
9. Say “Nine”.
10. Say “Quack!”
11. Say “Eleven” while standing up, and having your neighbours each give you a bunny ear.
12. Say “Twelve” while pinching your nose.
13. Say “Thirteen” while cupping your hand to your ear.
14. Say “Fourteen” while cupping your hand to your ear.
15. Say “Quack!” while cupping your hand to your ear.
16. Say “Sixteen” while cupping your hand to your ear AND pinching your nose.
17. Say “Seventeen”.
18. Say “Eighteen” while cupping your hand to your ear.
19. Say “Nineteen” while cupping your hand to your ear.
20. Say “Quack!” while cupping your hand to your ear AND pinching your nose.
21. Say “Twenty-One”…then swear loudly, drink, and add a new rule.
So, fun.
I Have Never
The Classic.
Someone says “I have never … ” and names something they’ve never done.
Anyone who *has* done that thing then has to drink.
Simplicity itself, but it works sooooo well.
Mats (added)
We invented mats on a hazy evening in “The Big Hands” (sometime in October ‘05) It’s a great, if somewhat messy, drinking game that can only really be played in pubs with adequate tables and beermats.
The idea is to remove beermats from your pile, and add them to other peoples.
The rules are:
1) You must lift up your pint when you want to take a drink
2) You cannot touch any mat when your drink is grounded
3) You must take a drink if you lift up your pint
4) you can only move 1 or 2 mats with every movement.
5) you can only place mats on unprotected piles (i.e. no pint on top of them)
there are no winners or losers, just drinkers and people who get soaking wet (generally this is LW).
Table Football
Not really a drinking game but I had to include it for the fun factor.
Three coins (preferably the same, I’ve found 5p’s work best, but any coins will do)
the “Defender” makes the “Rock” sign with their hand (see Leeds Bibliography) and places it on the table with the two fingers outstretched on top. This is the goal.
the “Attacker” starts from the other side of the table with the three coins placed together with 1 behind the other two in the centre.
Start by flicking the coin at the back through the two in front.
The second and third shot must send one coin through the other two. The third shot is your “Shot on goal”. If you hit the back of the hand making the goal, you’ve scored. swap roles and start again.
There’s only one other rule, if any coin leaves the table then your go is over. (Offside!)
There are many variations on this including table rugby, which requires just one coin, but they’re not as fun so I’m not going to bother with them!
Beer Popping
This is a game to be played when you’re in a place selling cheap bottles of beer.
If you tap the top of someone elses beer with your own then it “excites” the beer inside and - if the bottle is full enough - if will lead to an explosion of fluid. Very amusing, quite messy!
Thumb Master
Generally played in conjunction with another game (it works very well with 21) this game involves someone being nominated thumb-master.
At some point the t-m puts their thumb on the table, serrepticiously, but visible (i.e. placing it behind your pint is considered bad form) Everyone else around the table must follow suit as soon as they notice. The last person to do so has to drink.
They then become the t-m and the game continues.
