Tights Racing

Strange Games has been inundated by an e-mail from Elmo McDonald :'Montegue, can you tell me the best Christmas party game to play that is fun for the whole family, is energetic and which uses some of the crap that is left around the place at this time of the year?'  I had a good think about this request and remembered a game from my own childhood: Tights Racing.

Tights Racing is a superb childrens' party game and it is yet another one of those kids' games that is even more fun when played by adults. To play pair up the players into teams of two. One player in each team is given a pair of nylon tights and both are surrounded by a large pile of light, bulky items such as: toilet rolls, fruit, empty plastic bottles, cuddly toys...etc. Basically, as much stuff as you can find around the place. On a starting command one player must jump into their tights and then with the help of their partner shove all the items down the legs as quickly as possible and then once everything has been safely stored there they must race each other to the other end of the room.
 

Even better, delight your neighbours by playing the game outside.

The sight of players running along with elephant-man-like nylon cladded legs is what gives this game its unigue charm.

Happy Christmas to all Strange Games readers...and don't forget if you play something truly obscure and odd and would like to share it with the world then send it to Strange Games: montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk 

Rip Off Your Kecks

Strange Games reader W. Poole (pictured) sent in the following party game, which he insists is 'the' game to play at all the best parties:Rip off Your Kecks or Trouser Swapping as it is sometimes know in more polite circles is the ultimate party game that involves clothes.  There are quite a few of these such as the one where you have to put on an oversize set of clothes and race to the end of the room, or the Blindfold Shoe Game (everyone takes off their shoes, puts them in a pile, is blindfolded then tries to locate and put on their own!)  Trouser Swapping though is in a different league – and if played will have you in creases.

For teams of two players.  One puts on an additional pair of trousers then sits down on the floor with their legs outstretched in front of themselves. Their partners sit down in front of them again with outstretched legs and with the soles of their feet touching.  This is a key part of the game because during no stage can players lose contact with their feet. The aim of the game is for player one to take off their trousers, but rolling them down their legs and for player two to wear them (by rolling them up their legs) inside out – BUT with their feet touching at all times. This ensures a bizarre buttock shuffling game of apparel based fun.

The ideal trousers for the game are probably a pair of roomy Oxford Bags....for more advanced players the use of the skinny jean is considered particularly challenging.

UK RPS Championships - Report

Excellent UK RPS tournament report with lots of photos and videos by Richard 'the Rock' Gottfried over at the Ham and Egger blog (your first stop for UK mini golf news)

Lawnmower Throwing

With the Olympic Games in London in 2012 perhaps the organisers will feature some home grown games.  Maybe they could spice up the dullness of Hammer Throwing by combining it with Britain's love of gardening...surely it's not too much to ask for a Lawnmower Throwing event.

UK Rock Paper Scissors Championships 2010

Strange Games reader and mini-golf guru Richard Gottfried  highlights the running of the UK RPS Championships.  It is to be held at the Durrell Arms in Fulham this Saturday 13th.  It's only £5 to enter which would be money well spent if you end up being the UK champion in what is essentially a random sport....or is it? 
If you want to brush up on your RPS skills you could do worse than visit the World RPS Society here they detail essential strategies for victory including the 'possible':"Rock is for Rookies because males have a tendency to lead with Rock on their opening throw. It has a lot to do with idea that Rock is perceived as strong and forceful" 
The 'surely that's cheating':"Tell your opponent what you are going to throw and then actually throw what you said"  and the desperate:"When All Else Fails Go With Paper"

Here at Strange Games we are slightly disappointed that they are not having categories for two of our favourite variations:
Extreme Rock Paper Scissors - If you win with paper you slap your opponent, if you win with scissors you poke them and if you win with a rock you punch them. 
RPS 101 - the ultimate in hand game complexity.  A total of 101 different hand combinations need to be learned to play. An example hand position is 'baby'. This move will spill 'beer',  ruin 'guitar'  but unfortunately be unaware of 'satan'.  Visit the official 101 RPS site to play the most terrifyingly complex game ever.

Aircraft Carriers

Strange Games reader D. Harbinger sent in this game.  He insists that he has played it with colleagues in the Navy.  There is no shaky mobile phone footage to prove it....but it sounds just mad enough to be real.  Even if it is not real,  surely this is a game that will catch on.

Aircraft Carrier is an almost unbelievably silly and dangerous game that should in no way be encouraged, as playing it will almost certainly result in pain of some sort. However, it is an inspired high concept human simulation game that needs to be known about.

The game is an attempt to simulate the process of landing a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier. In real life, because of the limited length of runway on a carrier, the plane's speed is reduced by the use of a catching wire stretched across the runway. A hook on the base of the jet's tail then catches onto this wire.

To play the human version you will need a long smooth table to take the role of the landing deck, two players with a rope to be the catching wire, one player to be the plane, and two further players to throw him.
The catching players stand either side of the table and stretch the rope over it and a few inches above the surface. Two players then pick up the 'airplane' player by holding an arm and a leg each and swing them and then throw them head first along the table. It is the catching players' role to try and stop the 'airplane' by pulling the rope taut as the 'airplane's' feet pass over it. It is the airplane's job to try and stop his forward motion using his feet and ankles against this rope. Safely landing in the game is a lot less sure than in real life.

World Series of Pong Festival

Andrew Essa, or King Pong to his friends, has written to Strange Games to highlight the marvelous festival of Ping Pong that is currently taking place in London.  The World Series of Pong Festival consists of 64 weekly ping pong nights as part of a 100 day festival - starting on September 20th and going all the way to the final on December the 4th.  It is a fun, two player team event - although there is a prize of £5,000 for the eventual winners.
Andrew writes, "Not a strange game per se but a little different, playing ping pong in bars whilst getting p*ssed and and having dance-off's on top of the tables?"

World Serıes of Pong The newest, coolest way to party, socialise, celebrate, network,
have fun, compete, and unleash your inner Balls Of Fury

World Crazy Air Squash Championships

Here at Strange Games we enjoy hearing about unique and unusual sporting competitions and try to feature them as news items. Richard Gottfried (the man behind the greatest mini-golf blog Ham and Egger )  has brought this marvellous event to my attention.  Unfortunately it has just taken place but hopefully this little piece of publicity will swell numbers for next years event.
Richard writes, "This Undisputed International Worlds Crazy Air Squash Championships took place at 'The Buttons' on Saturday 18th September 2010, with six contenders hoping to be crowned the Global Champion of Crazy Air Squash and take with them the prized silver salver!"  The arcade game is basically Air Hockey but with both players shooting from the same side and bouncing the puck off the far wall. The current World Champion is Scott Lancley UK(seen on the left of the accompanying photograph) 

Although highly skilled at mini golf Mr Gottfried could only manage a desultory 6th/last place.  

If you haven't got a game nearby you could always buy one - only $3,700 here.
------------------------------------------------------------

A better way to spend your money of course would be to purchase the Strange Games book - now released as an e-book on i-Books and available to download straight to your i-pad, i-phone and i-pod touch for only £2.99

Description

A hilarious compendium of weird, wonderful, warped classic and new games.
Taken from the brilliant website http://strange-games.blogspot.com/, Montegue Blister's Strange Games is a pocket-sized compendium of the most hilarious, noisy, messy, and often vomit-inducing games ever written.
Finally, the official rules for all the games you played at school as a kid, such as Finger Jousting, Peanuts, Slapsies and Thumb Wrestling. But that's not all! Montegue Blister's Strange Games includes dangerous variations on old classics such as Extreme Rock Paper Scissors, Bloody Knuckles, Shin Kicking and Toe Wrestling, plus a whole host of new, weird and wonderful games like Face Ball, Crazy Stair Climbing, Watermelon Skiing and Mosquito Squashing.
Some games are violent, some are downright savage - and most involve a tiny bit of blood. But one thing's for sure - they're great fun! Montegue Blister's Strange Games is the perfect gift for Christmas and beyond.
Chapters in Strange Games in include:
Hand and feet games; Urban Games; Festivals; Party Games; Trick Games; Playground Games; Throwing & Propulsion; Sports; Stand off Games; Animal Games.

2010 Sherston Mangold Hurl - 3rd October

Strange Games reader Irene Johnston has emailed to remind me that this year's Mangold Hurling event is rapidly approaching. Mangold Hurling is possibly the greatest of the vegetable throwing events, superior even to frozen pea throwing.
Mangold /Mangelwurzel Throwing:A traditional Somerset game that requires skill, strength and cunning. Mangold Hurling has a well developed set of rules. Players take it in turns to stand in a pitching basket and hurl a Mangold / Mangelwurzel at a Norman (A Norman being a pre-placed fixed position Mangold) The player that gets his Mangold the closest is declared the winner... it's what you get if you mix boules and strong cider. Mangold Hurling is usually performed during October each year.
Last year's event:

Here is Irene's email with all the details you need - the mass Agincourt event sounds particularly appealing:
One of the West Country's most bizarre events! The Ancient Order of Sherston Mangold Hurlers will hold its annual Hurl on Sunday 3rd October. Jimmy Doherty ('Jimmy's Farm') led his Root Vegetable Acrobatic Display Team to a convincing victory in the 2009 Hurl.

Play starts at 12 noon with an entry charge of £5 per team of three. There will also be a mass Agincourt hurl at approximately 12.37pm. Action takes place at Sherston Village Hall and field (SN16 0LH) with additional entertainment provided by live music, dancing, stalls, bar, BBQ and teas.Free entry and car parking for visitors.

Expect a great deal of extra, unscripted merriment. Those wishing to enter a team should contact the Keeper of the Challenges Mr Paul Ormiston on 01666 840694 Singles competition entry is £1 on the day and there will be a free Children's Hurl.

Cheesey Daddy Cans

Strange Games welcomes contributions from readers...the weirder the better. However, reader Matt Stiff has gone the extra mile and actually produced an illustration to go alongside his game: Cheesy Daddy Cans - a delightfully messy and moronic version of football skittles. It is possibly the ideal game for Wayne Rooney - it might increase his chances of scoring.
Matt writes,"I thought you might like to know about a great party game that myself and a few friends invented. It's called 'Cheesey-Daddy-Cans' and it goes like this.... Place a coffee table in the centre of the room (or outdoors). On top of the table arrange a bottle of squeezy cheese, a bottle of Daddie's Brown sauce and a pyramid of 6 empty drinks cans. The idea of the game is to kick a 99p plastic football (available at all good seaside bucket and spade merchants) at the array of table top items and knock them off. However, to get points, you need to knock the item clean off the table. Any item left on the table but in a dishevelled state will result in points being deducted. The difficulty with this game lies in the unpredictable flight path of such a cheap and nasty plastic football. It is a great way of passing time on a rainy day and as skill levels increase so does the ferocity of the competition! Scoring is as follows: Daddies sauce - 3 pts, Squeezy Cheese 2pts and Cans 1 pt each.
All items carry a 1pt deduction if lying on the table after three attempts ( three attempts per player) A bonus of 20 pts is awarded if there are no items left on the table and knocking the table over is cheating, a re-kick must be enforced."
Matt doesn't say in his e-mail what his day-job is, but if it isn't something related to either game or graphic design I'll eat my hat.
Send your strange games to : montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk

Doorknobs...a game for the flatulent

Strange Games reader, and occasional contributor, Duncan Flann sent in an e-mail detailing the gross and violent game of Doorknobs It is one of those marvellous open-ended games that never stops (a little like Beetle Bash), instead when the right situation occurs the game is on.
Duncan writes, "We used to play Doorknobs in the house we rented as students. A game would kick off whenever someone farted loud enough to be heard by anybody else in the room. When that happened a non-flatulent player could shout the word 'Doorknob'. The person who had let-off then had to rush and touch the doorknob of any door in the room as quickly as possible. And he had to be quick because as soon as the word Doorknob is shouted all other 'players' have the right to punch the offending farter as frequently and as hard as possible. As soon as the farter reaches the sanctity of the doorknob they are safe and the game is over. We also played the rule that the person breaking wind would avoid any painful beating by shouting the word 'Safe'... as long as they shouted it before the shout of 'Doorknob' went out."

If you have any unusual/gross/stupid games you play that might be of interest, then e-mail: montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk

First International Turf Throwing Festival - Ballaghaderreen 2010

Strange Games reader Rory Walsh (Spire Digital) recently e-mailed me to highlight a brand new throwing competition. Turf and Briquette Throwing. The first world championships organised by ITABTA (International Turf and Briquette Throwing Association) were held in Ballaghaderreen in May of this year. As is usual with strange throwing events there is a mixture of throwing techniques. Is an under or overarm approach the best, or should you attempt a discus like spin and release? The winning entrant achieved a magnificent 35m.


Rory writes, "I made the video as I have relatives in the town and happened to be there with a camera. They plan to make it an annual event and supposedly they have some interest from a few international teams! It was great craic and I hope to go next year a little more prepared and make a proper quality documentary covering the competition."

Aero Golf @ Flambards Theme Park

We are big fans of Crazy/Mini Golf here at Strange Games and being on holiday in Cornwall recently provided the perfect opportunity to combine relaxation with an even crazier version of the ultimate seaside sport. The game at Flambards Theme park (a sort of South Western version of Alton Towers but without the rides, excitement or customers) presents itself as 'Aero Golf', each of the 9 holes having a aeronautical theme. So, you have impressive holes based on a Saturn 5 rocket, an amazingly accurate lunar lander, a trio of red arrows and an airport terminus.
Most impressive of all though is a marvellous 1/200th size scale model of a aircraft carrier HMS Invincible. However after these 5 magnificent holes the course designers give up and the remaining holes contain just painted plywood cut-outs of an aeronautical nature emblazoned with the Flambards logo. What makes the course even more unusual is that each hole scores points for whichever slot/hole you manage to get your ball through....it isn't the least number of strokes that wins as in the conventional game.
If you are stuck on holiday in Cornwall and don't mind paying £19.50 to get into the park, plus a further quid to rent a putter, then you could do worse than visit (possibly) the UK's most Southerly crazy golf course.

For more information on the wonders of mini golf in the UK visit the main site here, or for crazy golf blogging try out the Ham and Egger Files here.

Top 10 Strange Jousting Games

Jousting is the noble medieval martial art of knights on horseback, pitting their wits and lances against each other in order to gain money, prestige and the favours of a fair maiden or two. The following list details the ultimate modern equivalents - the only thing that the victors of these battles gain is to look slightly less stupid than their opponents.

10. Garden & Household Equipment based Jousting. If you are considering taking up home-based jousting there are probably two main forms to consider: Wheelbarrow Jousting


and Wheelie Bin Jousting.



9. Piggyback Jousting. Piggybacking lends itself to fighting and racing and even a spot of Piggyback Polo, but Piggyback Jousting is possibly the ultimate game for this position.



8. Bicycle Jousting. There are many forms of this dignified jousting. Straightforward Bicycle Jousting to the bizarre Chap Olympiad version (contestants wield rolled up umbrellas and carry shields decorated with pages from the Times).


Then there are Tall Bicycle competitions:


and even Unicycle Jousting.



7. Chair Jousting. The tedium of office life can be instantly relieved with a spot of Office Chair Jousting



6. Heelie Jousting.



5.Motorised Jousting. Available in a wide variety of vehicles from 4 by 4s to LawnMower Jousting,


MiniBike Jousting,


and my own personal favourite Scooter Jousting.


Mods on Vespas with jousting rods! It doesn't get much better than this, except perhaps...

4. Skateboard Jousting. Note the work that has gone into making the capes in this video



3. Finger Jousting, possibly the most dignified of the jousting events, and I'm not just saying that because I am Obscure Sports Media Mogul of the WFJF (World Finger Jousting Federation)



2. Mattress Jousting. A perfect dorm-based alternative.



1. Exercise Ball Jousting. A stupidly, random sport, and possibly more dangerous than the real thing.

Statues...the slapping game

Strange Games recently received an e-mail from reader Manuel Carvalho detailing a Portuguese playground game he knows and has played as Statues. This is not related to the rather dull party game of Musical Statues (players attempt to remain as still as a statue whenever the music stops) in any way. This is the kind of red-blooded, stupidly violent playground game that we love.
Manuel writes, "All players but one stand in two rows (or sometimes in a circle) with their hands raised, the player that stayed out of this formation is called the statue. This player must pass in between the two rows and get to the opposite side. While he tries to accomplish this everyone that's forming the rows slaps him on the back of the head as hard as they can. The job of the statue is to catch a glimpse of who's going to hit him at any given split second. When he does he switches to the rows and the person caught becomes the statue. The statue must go back and forth in between the rows until he catches someone. Of course there is no evident way to prove what the statue saw and if he's right, and that always leads to some heated disputes." It's as simply brutal as that, just keep slapping the player in the middle and try not to get caught...marvellous!
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If you play a game that is as mad as this one, and deserves wider attention, please e-mail Strange Games: montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk

Cucumber Sandwich Discus @ the Chap Olympiad

This last weekend saw the 5th Annual Chap Olympiad. The Chap magazine, a journal for the modern gentleman, has been publishing sartorial advice and articles on pipe smoking, tweed, and indeed everything else a chap needs to know, for ten years now but it is their marvellous sporting events that appeal to the lover of Strange Games. The event features Hair Tug of War, Bicycle Jousting (covered in Strange Games here) and Cucumber Sandwich Discus. The game hardly needs a description - simply make a Cucumber Sandwich (the snack of choice for all discerning lords, ladies and gentlemen), spin 'round and around then hurl it as far as possible.
The video below show the 2008 event.

A superb set of Guardian photographs of 2010's event can be seen here.

News from the crazy world of Crazy Golf

Strange Games News: Two leading lights in the world of crazy golf, Tim 'Ace Man' Davies (the UK's most decorated crazy golfer) and Richard 'Squire' Gottfried (master mini golf blogger) have joined forces to create the world's first Crazy Golf Museum. Initially this will be an online venture but the eventual aim is to create a physical version.
The Crazy Golf Museum’s ‘Curators’ have a vast archive built up over their many years playing the game, and are keen to enhance this with donations to help grow and support the collection in the future. It is worth visiting the site if only for the amazing collection of crazy golf postcards but it also has collections of mini golf badges, history, scorecards and other ephemera.

The Virtual Crazy Golf Museum can be viewed at www.crazygolfmuseum.info
Also visit miniture golfer site & ham and egger files

Robot Soccer

As the bore-fest that is the Football World Cup comes to a close Strange Games receives an e-mail from reader Issy McDonald promoting the cause of Robot Soccer.
She writes, "Robot Football is my own invention. To play you simply play a normal game of football except everyone, including goalies, must move like a robot. So movement must be as mechanical as possible but most importantly you must not bend your legs at the knees. This makes the game really difficult, the ball is hard to control...its even hard to foul an opponent. To help you get the stiff-legged motion required you can always use a pair of shinpads and instead of positioning them on your shins , strap them onto your knees instead."
If you want to go the whole hog, you can always go for boxwars style outfits like in the picture.

Three Legged Skipping Races - Japanese School Sports Day

It's the time of year when schools around the land are holding their annual sports days. Around the country parents are encouraging their children as they compete in a dull selection of games deemed not-too-competitive and unlikely to result in an injury swiftly followed by a law-suit. So it's Egg& Spoon with fake eggs (no Salmonella!), sack race and skipping. It's certainly not the far too dangerous Wheelbarrow Racing or Three Legged Races. It's the time you wish you lived in Japan, where they play Three Legged Hopping Races!

Blow Up Doll White Water Rafting

If you are a man and have ever wanted to take up a new sport that is dangerous, involves water and improves your chances of meeting women then you would probably head for the beach and try your hand at surfing... but if you live in Russia there is an alternative, Blow Up Doll White Water Rafting.
This marvellous sport doesn't really need a description as the name says it all. Buy a blow up doll, find a fast moving river, and then alongside a group of like minded men jump into the water with your doll and race to the finishing line. The video shows this marvellous event in its full glory. What isn't clear though is if there are some positions which are better than others.
Strange Games is indebted to reader Andrew Mortimer for highlighting this sport

Egg Throwing World Championships - 27th June

An eggy e-missive from Andy Dunlop to Strange Games reminds us that the 5th World Egg Throwing Championships is almost upon us.
"Egg Throwing first commenced in Swaton circa 1322, but since the 2005 World Championships inception the sport of egg throwing has grown dramatically and is now being practiced all over the world. The event is hosted by the 16th Swaton Vintage Day." All forms of strange egg activities are held including Russian Egg Roulette. "Ms Opal Upton Brooker of Grantham will instruct presenters how to play Russian Egg Roulette where 5 hard boiled eggs and 1 raw are offered. Each contestant takes it in turn to choose an egg and then smashes it onto their own head. Opal, following years if training, is able (without touching) to detect the raw egg by merely passing her hand over the top of them." But egg roulette is just the start of the mayhem, "Also expected to be featured will be the Static Relay event where a team has to pass eggs one to one along a line in the shortest possible time.Other sports featured at the Egg Championships include the Egg Trebuchet Challenge, The Throw and Catch event and possibly best of all, throwing eggs at a live target:Points are awarded for the area struck. None for face, 1 for arms and legs, 2 for body and 3 for the groin."

For full details see www.eggthrowing.com

Dwile Flonking - curbed by the council

Strange Games receives more worrying news about the state of this country's unusual country pursuits. First it was the annual Cheese Rolling event at Coppers Hill which was cancelled due to a combination of health and safety concerns and worries about chaos on the roads.
Now the humourless idiots that are in charge at North Norfolk Council have curbed the essential part of the grand pub game Dwile Flonking.

Dwile flonking traditionally involves players using a pole to hurl rags at opponents, then downing beer quickly as a penalty for missing... and it is this drinking of a pint of beer at speed that has upset the councillors so much. A council spokesman said, "It is now against the law to promote 'speed drinking', which is one of the elements of dwile flonking" And so it looks like regular games will have the beer forfeit replaced by one involving downing a soft drink. Pathetic!
A reminder of the rules of this marvellous game:
Resurrected in the late 1960’s Dwile Flonking (or Dwyle Flunking) is an outdoor pub game of dubious origin but startling originality. Centred around the villages of Bungay and Beccles in Suffolk this is a bizarre game made even more unusual by its incredible array of yokel terminology.
The game requires two teams formed of twelve players each. One team forms a circle (called the Girter). A member of the opposing team takes his turn to stand in the middle of the Girter and be the Flonker. The Flonker carries a 2-3 foot long stick (or Driveller) on the end of which is a beer sodden sponge (or dwile). As the Girter members dance around him the Flonker must flonk his dwile using his Driveller to try and hit a member of the Girter. He has two attempts and scores as follows:

Hit on the head (a Wanton) 3 points
Hit on the body (a Marther) 2 points
Hit on the leg (a Ripple) 1 point Miss totally (a Swadger) 0 points, plus the poor Flonker must now, as a forfeit, quickly drink a pint of ale. A process which for some reason has no rustic alternative name in the yokel-lexicon.

Trouser Ferret

Another game that is as bizarre as its name suggests is Trouser Ferret. This game has been sent in by Strange Games reader Brian Tiffin.
Brian writes: Trouser Ferret as well as a euphemism is an odd indoor game that is a home made human version of the game that is sometimes seen at village fetes: Bash the Rat. In that game players attempt to hit with a baseball bat a cuddly rat that is dropped through a drainpipe. In Trouser Ferret players are teamed up in twos. One player wears knee length baggy shorts which have a hole in the lining of one pocket (already this game is sounding odd). With a hand in this pocket the player lets go of the 'ferret' (a sock filled with weights or sand would do) which then falls inside his shorts to appear outside at knee level. It is the job of his teammate to smash the ferret against his friends leg between the knee and the ankle using a stick. No signals can be exchanged between players about when the ferret is to be released and the stick wielding player must hold it at least 30cm away from the leg. After 10 attempts it is another teams turn to wear the ferret shorts and play continues.
Thanks Brian...if you have any games that you think Strange Games readers would like to hear about then email: montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk

Crotch Ball

Staying in the same sort of area as previous post P-Ball is the charming game of Crotch Ball. Just sit down on the floor a few yards from your opponent, legs apart, and aim your powerball. It's a sort of slightly gentler version of the famed pain-game rochambeau.

P Balls

At Strange Games we normally only cover games that require little or no equipment; games that minimise brain usage and maximise pain thresholds. But we will make an exception for P Ball. A P-Ball is ping pong sized ball of toilet freshener that is designed to give men some fun in the toilet while at the same time making them aware of male cancer - particularly prostate cancer. Simply pop the ball into your urinal and direct your urine at it and try and make it dissolve as quickly as possible. A decreased flow of wee means the double blow of the game taking longer to complete and the possibility that you've spotted a disease at its early stages. In South Africa the ball is sold by Cansa to raise money for charity. As it says on the box, 'You need balls to play this gam' ...although it is probably one you will play on your own rather than invite friend 'round. Many thanks for Yehuda (who runs a brilliant board game blog here) for bringing the P-Ball to the attention of Strange Games

If you play any strange games with your we then contact us: montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk

Aqua Chess

The fine modern game of Chess Boxing has been in the news recently leading to probably futile hopes of even more newly combined sports such as Backgammon Wrestling or Tiddlywinks Kickboxing. There are, however, a couple of relatively undiscovered combinations of Chess and Watersports.
First up is Scuba Chess.
Not that far removed from a normal game of chess except you play with lead weighted pieces and the time to complete the game is limited by the capacity of your air tank.

Then there is Aqua Chess - a more novel approach to the art of sports combining.

Both players stand in the water at one end of a swimming pool with a chess board on the edge. The first player makes their opening move then sets off down the pool. When they are exactly at the other end then their opponent makes a move and sets off swimming too. Player one has now returned to the board and has to make his second move – quickly – because if they are caught in the pool then they lose. Players win either by winning the chess match or by catching up with the other player in the pool. A game both physically and mentally exhausting. It is important that both players should be evenly matched swimmers to make the game as interesting as possible.

Whistle for Your Nipple

After the last post concerning the violent playground game of Jam Sandwiches Strange Games has been inundated by an e-mail. The correspondence, from Steve 'Jumper' Brand, concerns a tortuous playground game presumably only played by boys. Steve writes:
Whistle For Your Nipple is a pointless schoolyard torture game that has almost no elements that make up a normal game but one big one that relates to pain. One player/joker stealthily approaches their victim, grasps their nipple through their school shirt and shouts out, “Whistle for you nipple”. The idea, if it can even be called that, is that the victim must put their lips together and whistle and as soon as they manage to do this then the attacker will relent in their vice-like finger grip of their sensitive body part. Obviously it is very hard, if not impossible, to whistle whilst someone is doing this to you (try it now if you don't believe me) and so the game often ends with confusion swiftly followed by a scream of startled pain, and then a fight.

If you've played something more stupid than this then e-mail:montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk

Jam Sandwiches

Another violent playground game from Strange Games contributor Duncan Flann. In his words: Jam Sandwiches is a simple, brutal and totally unnecessary playground game of violent punishment. It is named after the popular tea-time snack and just like the ingredients required to make a Jam Sandwich needs a couple of slices of bread and some jam, although in human form. The slices of bread are formed by the two burly lads and the 'jam' is an unaware victim in the school yard. The slices approach this player from opposite directions of the schoolyard at the same time.

Their aim is to create the perfect jam sandwich by hitting (with their stomach and bodies) the 'filling' at exactly the same time. This results in anger, some pain and often a bewildered wilting to the schoolyard floor by the squished 'jam' and occasionally the 'slices of bread'.

Of course the jam player can, if they are quick witted and agile enough, realise what is about to happen and dive out of the way at the very last moment, resulting in the breads smashing headfirst into one another and being toasted.
If you play odd games then contact me: montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk and tell me all about it...if you want

Bang!

Bang (it may have many other names) is a children's party game that needs lots of concentration, fast reactions and gun play.
Everyone forms a circle with one gun toting player standing alone in the middle. This player spins around, arms extended with an imaginary gun in their hands. Without warning they point this gun at one player in the circle and shout, 'BANG'. On being shot this player rapidly crouches down which means the the two players that are standing on either side of them must raise their own hands in a gun shape and try and shoot (shout BANG) each other first. The player that achieves this first remains in the game, the other player collapses to the floor (dead) and plays no further part in the game. The original player to be targeted also (bizarrely) returns to the game. The player in the centre then begins another round and the game continues until there a winner is found.

Cash Club

A recent e-mail from main man and Strange Games fan Daryl Hrdlicka brought to my attention the delightful game of Cash Club. A possibly entirely fictitious game, featured on the website Chain Bear, Cash Club is a twisted amalgam of a nice, gentile party game and Fight Club and is the perfect game for these credit crunched times.

All players stand in a circle facing inwards. Players take it in turns to take money (coins, notes...credit cards) out of their pockets and wallets and throw it onto the floor in the middle of the circle. This activity continues until one player can take it no longer and dives into the middle with the aim of grabbing as much as possible. As soon as one player commits themselves then all other players are free to grab, punch and kick and generally persuade them that it might not be such a good idea. Any money the person manages to pocket they can keep and the game continues. Greed and violence with the possibility of monetary gain and the odd bruise...what more do you want of a party game?

Mini Dig / Beetle Bash

Upon seeing this game being played recently (on the top deck of a bus) I assumed that it was merely a charmingly violent local variation of the innocent childhood game of 'who can spot the most things whilst travelling'. After some research, however, I discover that it is seemingly played world-wide with more variations than you can shake a stick at.
The version I saw being played is as follows. Players sit in a car (or bus) and as they travel they keep their eyes open to the cars passing them in either direction on the road outside. The idea is for players to spot certain car types, shout out a determined phrase, and if they do so first then they get the chance to physically punish the other player according to the type of car seen.
So in my version, if you see a Mini car you shout, "Mini Dig" and if shouted out first you can dig your opponent(s) in the ribs. If you see a Volkswagen Beetle then you shout, "Beetle Bash" and then you can bash the other person in a place of your choosing. The highlight in the game though (at least in my local version) is that if you see an old fashioned Volkswagen Beetle you shout out, "Herbie" and can continue striking your opponent until the next qualifying vehicle is seen. Marvellous fun for all.

The variations on this game are legion. One of the most common is the addition of the colour yellow which adds points / punches. So if the mini you spot first is yellow then you can make two digs rather than a solitary blow. One of the most obscure is extra punches for bald-headed drivers. I particularly admire the following rule found on the Facebook group devoted to the game:"Also one of the rules should be that you can only call a yellow car whilst in another form of transport. Me and my friends added this rule after kicking the shit out of each other in a carpark"

Eggy Golf

My last post about the delights of Mini /Crazy golf led to an e-mail from Strange Games reader Stuart 'Stiffy' Johns. In it he describes possibly the greatest indoor golf game ...ignoring Lemon golf of course. Stiffy writes:
'We play a game called Eggy Golf, an indoor game that is stupid, random and has lots of cleaning up to do afterwards...what more do you want from an indoor game? To play each player will need a golf putter and a fresh (unboiled) egg. A course is created in the carpetted living room - this can be simply a starting line and a finishing point with the inbetween space being as obstacle-filled as you like. Each player must try and get their egg to the finishing position in the fewest strokes possible. Obviously, the egg is the problem in this game with its ovoid shape making direction of roll a major issue...the other being that if you hit it too hard it will break and you are going to automatically lose that round and have a messy carpet to clean up. We have found that the game is extremely difficult with a 'raw' golf club so each placer is allowed to wind a couple of cushioning elastic bands around the club head. Even then games are exciting nervous affairs and it is often the ultra-cautious player that wins."
If you are like 'Stiffy' Johns and get up to unusual things in the privacy of your living room that are game related we would love to hear from you. E-mail: montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk

Mini Golf / Crazy Golf

An e-mail from Mini Golf obsessive ‘Squire’ Richard Gottfried (see his how to become an expert minigolfer video here) alerts me to the fact that the 2010 British Minigolf Association Tour is about to begin. The tour tees-off this Sunday with the BMGA National Open at Adventure Island Mini Golf, Star City, Birmingham.
Mini Golf is the game that used to be known as Crazy Golf (its name being changed possibly to avoid offence to putter wielding madmen everywhere) and is the often-found-at-the seaside game beloved by everyone who enjoys putting golf balls through windmills and drain pipes, up ramps and down slopes and between the cardboard cutout legs of Jade Goody (I may have imagined that last one)

Anyway I implore you to get involved in the diminutive and ever so slightly deranged world of Mini golf by visiting the event in Birmingham.
Key Mini golf sites to visit:
Richard Gottfried's Ham & Egger Blog British Minigolf Association World Minigolf Federation European Minigolf Federation Miniature golfer.com Top 10 UK minigolf courses
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Note: Previous strange golf games covered in Strange Games:
Lemon Golf hillbilly golf zombie 3 legged frisbee golf

Spikeball 3 on 3

Strage Games has covered Spikeball before - it is an incredible volleyball like sport involving a handball and a trampette. But, because it is brilliant and the Facebook Group here needs your support we are covering it again by featuring some heady 3 on 3 Spikeball action. Normally it is a game for pairs but the video below shows it can work with more numbers.

Bear, Hunter, Princess

There are many alternatives to the hand game Rock, Paper and Scissors all of which work on the same principle of each move beating one of the others and being beaten itself by the remaining one. One of the most fun versions to play is Bear, Hunter, Princess. On a set count you have to be either a Bear (raise your hands in front of your body like paws and growl) a Hunter (make an imaginary shotgun using both hands) or a Princess (stand demurely in a Princessly fashion). Obviously, Hunter kills Bear....Bear kills Princess...and Princess kills Hunter. The students of Davenport College (US) have a Facebook group devoted to the game and claim they invented it, although I have other sources that claim that the game of Bear, Hunter, Woman has been played for a very long time.
Also of interest is the use of the game in an advert for Fed Ex. Here the game has been transformed slightly with the Princess being changed to Ninja, making it more politically correct and actually more fun.


Bear Hunter Princess Facebook Group
The ultimate version of RPS is RPS 101 with 101 possible hand positions:RPS 101 on Strange Games