Worm Racing

I am yet again on holiday for a week or so enjoying the bracing sea mists of an English Summer, so to keep readers entertained until my return I post an entertaining video of Human Worm Racing. Enjoy!

Pegs: an inane pain game

Pegs is probably the most fun you can have with a group of friends, some dice and a humble clothes peg. To play, everyone sits in a circle around a table with a couple of dice and one strongly sprung plastic clothes peg. If you can't get one of these you could always try using a bulldog clip although that might be a little too painful for what is about to happen. Players take it in turns to roll the dice. If they roll two different numbers then the dice are passed to the next player and play continues. However if any double is rolled then a peg based punishment must be applied. If you roll double one then you must attach the peg to the loose skin on the back of your hand. A double two means you apply the peg to your neck, a double three and you must peg one of your cheeks (on your face!). A roll of double four means that the peg is heading for one of your nostrils and double five means you must peg your earlobe. The worst roll, double six, places the peg on your lip. Players must keep the peg in whatever position it is placed until the next person relieves them, but hurts themselves, by throwing the next double.

Kung Fu Diddymen

Another e-mail to Strange Games from reader Lurch Latronico details a fabulous playground combat game he and his friends enjoy playing. It has the marvellous name of Kung Fu Diddymen.

Lurch writes, "
Kung Fu Diddymen is a difficult violent combat game for only the very fittest of combatants. Two players face each other, bow, then adopt a low crouch. Both knees bent and their bottoms almost touching the floor. A sort of Russian dancer posture...but these are Russian dancers with attitude as both kick out at each other and try to achieve a knockdown. It takes quite a lot of practice just to be able to do this but once you have two players that can do it the fights are hilariously brilliant and occasionally brutal, depending on how high you can kick from a crouched position. The first player to either put their hands down or get knocked over loses. You can play the version where if you put a hand down you lose OR you can allow hands to be placed onto the ground only when a kick is being made."

If you have any odd things that you play contact Strange Games here: montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk

Fingertip Firewalking

Experience the thrill, and the pain, of walking barefoot over hot ashes but in the comfort and convenience of your living room by playing the intensely stupid game of Fingertip Firewalking. Fill a tray an inch or so deep full of dead cold cigarette butts. Amongst these, at random, distribute a dozen recently smoked and still hot butts. You should now have a menacingly smoking tray full of cigarette ends. Players (who haven't been party to the placing of the live dog ends) now have to place their index and middle fingers into one end of the tray then fingerwalk to the other side. Points are given for fingerwalking style and coolness and swagger of the walk. Points are deducted for screaming, withdrawal of fingers and...burns. For the truly advanced player attempt the course with a swagger by nonchalantly holding a lit full cigarette higher up the two fingers whilst walking the walk.