Kings is a popular Drinking Game involving playing cards. The name comes from the special role of the King card in the game; see below.
Requirements:
- A table
- Copious amounts of beer or other alcoholic drinks
- One or more decks of playing cards - the more players, the more decks are advised.
- A Gargle Blaster - creativity is encouraged!
To play, gather your buddies around the table and give everyone a glass of beer. Put the Gargle Blaster on the table and lay all the cards out in a circle around it, face down. The players then take turns drawing a random card, and have to take some kind of action depending on the card they drew. Drawn cards are not put back into the circle. There are so many different rulesets in existence that a game of Kings almost always starts with a short discussion on the rules for each card, but here are some common ones. (If you have enough beer and want to get everyone drunk fast, replace "sip" with "entire glass").
- Ace - "Snake Eyes". Hold this card until the next ace is drawn. The player who holds the ace becomes "Snake Eyes". Anyone who looks Snake Eyes in the eyes must take a sip.
- Two - "You". Select another player. He or she must take two sips.
- Three - "Me". Take three sips yourself.
- Four - "Piss Card". Similar to the "Get Out of Jail Free" card in Monopoly, this card allows players to go for a bathroom break (leaving the table without this card costs you a sip). You hold the four until you use it.
- Five - "Categories". You pick a category (car brands, Iron Maiden songs, rivers in France, you name it) and name a member of that category. Everyone takes turns calling out other members of the category, until someone can't think of one and has to take a sip.
- Six - "This is the Card". A very confusing Mini-Game. It revolves around a set call-and-response sequence which expands to include more people as the Mini-Game progresses. The first to screw up has to take a sip.
- Seven - "Game of Sevens". A Mini-Game which is also often played as a Drinking Game in its own right. Players take turns calling out numbers, but numbers which contain 7 or 11, as well as any multiples of either, are taboo and must be replaced by something else (this may also be another number; great for confusing your fellow players!). As with the previously mentioned Mini Games, the first player to screw up - by calling out a "taboo" number, or simply the wrong number - must take a sip, after which the Mini-Game ends.
- Eight - "Make a Date". Select another player to be your "date". Whenever you take a sip, your date has to drink as well, until the next eight is drawn.
- Nine - Invent an extra rule, breach of which is to be punished with a sip. Some examples:
- You have to say 'For Great Justice' whenever you take a sip.
- You're not allowed to call any of the other players by any name except "Steve".
- In each sentence you speak, you have to say the last word backwards.
- Ten - Remove an extra rule of your choice. If there are no extra rules at the moment, umm... take a sip?
- Jack - "Thumb Master". Hold this card until the next jack is drawn. The player holding the jack becomes the "Thumb Master". Whenever the Thumb Master puts his thumb on the edge of the table - and he'll be sure to do so as inconspicuously as possible - all players must follow suit. Last one with his thumb on the table must take a sip. The Thumb Master may do this as often as he likes for as long as he remains Thumb Master.
- Queen - "Question Queen". Hold this card until the next queen is drawn. The player holding this card becomes the "Question Queen". When the Question Queen asks you a question, you're only allowed to answer with silence or with another question. Actually answering the question costs you a sip. Of course, a good Question Queen will deviously trick players into answering her questions, e.g. by asking questions about the rules ('Hey, what did the seven do again?').
- King - The game's namesake. Each king, when drawn, is put on top of the Gargle Blaster in the middle; the player who draws the last king must drink the thing. In one gulp. A common variation is to build up the Gargle Blaster as the game progresses, with each player who draws a king adding an ingredient of their own choosing.
- Joker - Typically removed from the game; depends on the group.
The game usually continues until all the kings have been drawn and the Gargle Blaster has been downed. Oh, and the player who "breaks" the circle when he draws a card - which is going to happen sooner or later - must take a sip as well.
Have fun.
This game provides examples of:
- Drinking Game: It's a game intended to get people drunk.
- Gargle Blaster: It's encouraged to use a potent drink that people have to consume during the game.
- No Unified Ruleset: There are so many rulesets about what the cards do that the game often starts by the players agreeing on just that.
