Stupid Ninja Party Game

There are a few well known party games where players stand in a circle and take it in turns to do something and then get another player to do the same thing (or related thing) by pointing at them or saying their name.  The Stupid Ninja game is therefore, at first glance, not that different...but the addition of ninja noises as well as adjacent players activity raises it to a different level.

The starting player makes a ninja 'hai!' whilst pointing at a player elsewhere in the circle.  That player must then put their hands together in a samurai sword shape whilst emitting a ninja grunt.  Adjacent players must then, simultaneously make their own ninja arm swords and aim toward the new player's stomach, again with their own sounds.  This player makes a second ninja 'hai!' as he redirects somewhere else in the circle.  The video makes it perfectly clear.  Players slow to respond are out of the game and play continues.

1st Irish Egg Throwing Competition

The noble art of egg throwing - apparently invented in 1322 and now almost sure to be a demonstration sport in the UK Olympics of 2012 - is crossing the water to Ireland.  This Saturday, 29th October, sees the first National Open Egg Throwing Comp at the Culchie Festival, Mohill,Co. Leitrim. Events include the Throw and Catch and the marvellous Russian Egg Roulette.
Head Egg, Andy Dunlop writes "We can already confirm the attendance of the current Egg Throwing World and Dutch National Champions http://www.eiwerpen.nl/  and the previous World Russian Egg Roulette Champion Englands Opal Upton-Brooker. International Judges will be present to ensure fair play"
The World Egg throwing Federation is proud to recognise these games and looks forward to the rapid growth in its popularity under the leadership of Irish Egg Throwing President Paddy Rock, who said “This is a great opportunity for the people of Ireland to show what they are made of. We recognise it’s a new sport to some but we will be training people all day to take part in the finals and a chance for glory and world fame”

Rock Paper Scissors - UK Championships

Sally 'Wacky Nation' Raynes has emailed Strange Games to mention that the UK RPS Championships  will take place in the JD Wetherspoon Knights Templar pub in Chancery Lane, central London on Saturday 22nd October 2011.
Over 300 people are expected to take part -there are no World RPS Championships this year so this will be the big one.
Everyone knows how to play the game so I'm not going to cover the rules but the UK RPS website has some fascinating tips on strategy and nomenclature of different RPS combinations. So, to encourage you to enter the event:



Rock Paper Scissors Gambits:

The Avalanche - Rock, Rock, Rock (beginner’s choice)

The Bureaucrat - Paper, Paper, Paper (boring, but effective)

The Crescendo - Paper, Scissors, Rock (crank up the pressure)

Scissors Sandwich - Paper, Scissor, Paper (very cheeky) 

Denouement - Rock, Scissor, Paper (the surprise factor)

Fistful o Dollars - Rock, Paper, Paper (won 1967 World Championship)

Paper Dolls – Paper, Scissors, Scissors

The Toolbox – Scissors, Scissors, Scissors (a lethal combination)




Temper Tantrum - competition

Temper Tantrum is a game I hadn't heard of till it featured on the ITV2 series Minute to Win It.
Simply get a couple of basic plastic pedometers and attach one to each of your feet or ankles.  A velcro strap is ideal or you can sometimes get away with a couple of strong rubber bands. Set the pedometers to zero, then get down on the floor on your back and get ready to play.  
You have a minute to  frantically kick both your legs up and down as fast as possible - simulating an angst ridden toddler.  If at any time one of your feet touches the ground you are disqualified.  Once the minute is up it's time to check both pedometers and average the scores.  
I've just been having a go and managed an average score of 173 and noticeably tighter abdominals. As a Strange Games challenge the first reader who can beat my score, and prove it with a You Tube video will get a signed copy of my book Strange Games
_____________________________


Minute To Win It is an eight-part series on ITV2, presented by Cadbury Spots v Stripes, which sees contestants compete in hilarious and bonkers 60-second challenges using everyday household objects. To find out more and play Minute To Win It games, visit the Spots v Stripes website here www.spotsvstripes.com

Bloody Knuckles - 2 versions

I thought that I must have covered this classic and brutal childhood game many posts ago..but checking I find that I haven't!


Bloody Knuckles 1
Here, players sit down at a table across from each other. One player then makes their hand into a fist and places it on the table. The other player takes a heavy coin (an American quarter, for example), puts it flat on the table then flicks it with as much force as possible at their opponents knuckles. Play then reverses and it is the first player’s turn to form a fist. The game continues until blood is drawn or one player submits or both realise they are wasting their lives and go and do something more productive instead.


Bloody Knuckles 2

The more usual version of Bloody Knuckles is the knuckular (a technical medical term) version of Slapsies. Here both players form their hands into fists and stand opposite each other, arms outstretched and fists touching. It is the aim of one player to lift their fist (no higher than shoulder height) and bring their knuckles down onto the top of their opponents fist. Obviously, it is the opponents job to pull their fist away and avoid a painful blow but they must not make a move until their opponent starts their attempt. Players can either take turns and gain points for each hit or maintain the strike if contact is made.
In the old-fashioned version of this game you are not allowed to move your hand to escape, you just leave it there to get hit then have your turn. Obviously that was just barbaric.

Bloody Knuckles even has its own governing body, the World Bloody Knuckles Association, who promote the game and organise regular events.

Minute to Win It sponsored by Cadbury Spots V Stripes... Press Launch

It's not often that Strange Games gets invited to the press launch of a brand new TV Game Show but on Tuesday this week I went to the launch of ITV2s new show A Minute To Win It sponsored by Cadbury Spots V StripesThe show features two teams of friends undertaking a series of wacky challenges in an effort to win a cash prize. The show is presented by comedian and TV host Darren McMullen and the teams captained by Joe Swash and Caroline Flack.

 But, the stars of the show (from a Strange Games point of view) are the games. Each one is played within a 1 minute time limit. The games are a mix of tweaked classic parlour games and brand new ones. The first show featured Cherry Licker(sucking cherries off hanging strings), Knee Trembler (carrying oranges between your knees)  and Rapid Fire (firing rubber bands at stacked tin cans).  The best games were Flipper That Pancake (one player flips pancakes from scuba flippers and the team mate must catch them on a pie tin worn on their head!)  and Stirring It Up ( players transport marbles by spinning them around the inside of an upturned wine glass).
We then got the opportunity to play some of the games against team captain Joe Swash.  Triple Pong Plop (bouncing ping pong balls along 3 plates into a goldfish bowl) is a lot harder than it looks...Joe whupped me.


Talking to Darren and Joe it became clear that they had a real love for these sorts of games as well as strange sports like Cheese Rolling, Bog Snorkelling and even some of my favourite violent kids' games such as Slapsies and Bloody Knuckles.  Surprisingly they were both unaware of the prince of hand games Finger Jousting.   A quick demonstration later..they both whupped me.

Joe also talked about a particularly basic and beastly chasing game that he played when he was little, which I will cover in my next post.


All in all a superb launch for a good new game show.



Thanks Sophia :-)


Cadbury's Spots v Stripes

ITV2 Minute to Win It

Dancing Rock Paper Scissors

Walter 'Bloody Knuckles' Brown has written to Strange Games to tell me of his favourite Rock Paper Scissors variations.  There are many forms of this game - I have already covered Extreme RPS, RPS 101  and Bear Hunter Princess.
Dancing Rock Paper Scissors still contains three throws and is different from the standard game only in how each throw is created.  
If you throw Drum and Bass then you drum the air with both of your hands.  If you throw Techno then you wave both your hands in the air.  And if your throw Waltz then you position your arms as if holding an imaginary waltzing partner.  Techno beats Drum and Bass which in turn beats Waltz.  Waltz, of course, beats Techno.
For the most fun play the game at your local discotheque.

Indian Leg Wrestling

American Indian Wrestling is based upon pitting different parts of the body against your opponent’s one part at a time.  There are many different forms such as back wrestling (standing back to back and trying to push each other a set distance), one legged wrestling (standing on one leg and trying to push your opponent over), thumb wrestling and of course Leg Wrestling
 

In Leg Wrestling two players lie flat on their backs side by side.  They should be next to each other and touching but pointing in different directions – so the feet of one player are next to the head of the other and the players hips are touching. They then raise their adjacent legs straight up simultaneously three times.  On the third raise players should hook ankles and try and pull their opponent over.  No other part of the body is used and the non playing leg should remain flat on the floor and not be used for leverage.  Games usually last a much shorter time than Arm Wrestling and successful play depends not just on muscular strength but on stealth and speed.

Minute to Win it TV Show: A Game of 1 Half & Knife Throwing with Cards

This Autumn ITV2 launch a new game show Minute to Win It. The new eight-part series, in association with Cadbury Spots v Stripes campaign, sees two popular TV hosts captain groups of friends as they compete head-to-head in hilarious and bonkers 60-second challenges using everyday household objects.

One of the games they are going to play has been named A Game of One Half (see video below) This is basically a game where you throw playing cards at half watermelon in the hope that some of them remain
embedded in the watermelon flesh. 

Throwing cards at fruit appears to be quite a popular past-time if You Tube is anything to go by, with melons, cucumbers, tomatoes and even apples all being used by fruit salad loving card throwers.

However, if you want to play a more hard-core card throwing game I would recommend the playing card version of Knife Throwing. Simply get a willing victim  accomplice to strip off their top and adopt a crucifix position.  Then fire cards at them with the intention that they just miss their body.  Obviously, the occasional mistake adds to the fun. And remember as the video below says,"Please do not try this at home. Cards may look harmless but they leave welts and scars when hit."

Ironing Board Surfing

As summer arrives and everyone migrates to the nation's beaches to sunbathe and play in the surf, body board and even surf board we at Blister Towers prefer a more unusual sporting activity - Ironing Board Surfing.  Simply borrow one of the servants ironing boards and head for the stairs.  The embedded video from students at Hertfordshire University perfectly demonstrates the thrill to be had from this great sport.

repost:Extreme Bucket Ball

In the excitement of writing my previous post all about games involving buckets and balls I forgot about Extreme Bucket Ball which has previously been covered in Strange Games

The game works best with smallish teams of two or three players each. Teams take it in turns to have one of their members be the Bucket Boy - this player stands in the centre of a 3m chalk-drawn circle on the floor and uses both hands to hold a plastic bucket on top of their head. The game starts with Bucket Boy's team mates trying to toss as many tennis balls as possible into the bucket - Bucket Boy can aid this by moving around but he must remain inside the circle at all times. Similarly, team-mates must throw the balls from outside the circle. The opposing team however must try to disturb Bucket Boy, getting him to miss balls or even better spill his bucket. They do this by firing any tennis balls they can get at Bucket Boy's body (again, they have to remain outside the circle) You can make a no-headshots rule if you like. Whenever a ball becomes free there is a mad scramble for control of it from both sides. Play for a set time, count the bruises and the balls in Bucket Boy's bucket then swap sides and play again. Good clean fun.

Minute to Win it TV Show : Bucket Head and other fun things to do with buckets and balls

This Autumn ITV2 launch a new game show Minute to Win It. The new eight-part series, in association with Cadbury Spots v Stripes campaign, sees two popular TV hosts captain groups of friends as they compete head-to-head in hilarious and bonkers 60-second challenges using everyday household objects. You can see the official video trailer here.  But the trailer doesn't feature some of the more interesting games. So, I thought I'd cover one or two of them in the coming weeks.
Like most of these games Bucket Head requires minimal equipment, just a ping pong ball, a bucket and maybe the ability to be not too worried about loss of dignity.  Simply strap the bucket to your head and attempt to bounce the ball off the floor and a wall so that it ends up in the bucket.



When I saw the name Bucket Head I though it might be the classic but bizarre party game that goes by the same name, covered by Strange Games way back in 2006:

Bucketheads is an hilarious yet asinine game for two (or possibly more) people.
Two players place an object on the floor preferably somewhere near the edge of the room. The object can be anything that is easily recognisable.
They then go to the centre of the room and each places a plastic bucket over their heads. The bucket should act as a partial blindfold enabling each player to see some but not much of the floor. It is also quite disorientating. The players then hold hands and spin around a set number of times. The point of this is for the players to further lose their orientation and a little of their balance but not to be totally dizzy.

The race is then on to find the object first.
As well as fun to play it is also fun to observe two of your friends staggering wildly around the room wearing buckets and crashing into each other.

Even more bucket related fun can be had by playing Bucket Ball. Bucket Ball has a similar feel to Hanet Ball in the sense that the player actually stands within the goal but it is much weirder, more fun and... uses buckets.
For two competing players. At the start of the game each player stands facing the other a few yards apart. Both have placed their feet into plastic buckets, one on each foot. For children playing the game a standard bucket is usually perfect – for adult players you may need to search a garden centre for larger specimens. Players hold in their hands an equal number of small balls. The aim of the game is to throw and get as many balls as possible into either of your opponent's buckets whilst avoiding too many in your own. Players are allowed to move about so the game soon develops into tense stand offs, daring bucket-footed attacks and desperately clumsy leg movements to avoid incoming balls landing in a bucket. Any player falling over loses and once all balls have been thrown all you need to do is add up the bucket-balls to determine the winner.

The Chap Olympiad - 2011

It is time once again for the tweed based jewel in the world of strange sports - The Chap Olympiad.  The Olympiad, 'a celebration of sporting ineptitude and immaculate trouser creases'  is being held this Saturday 16th July in Bedford Square, London.  Its Past events have included Cucumber Sandwich Discus alongside the regular game of Umbrella Jousting, where chaps, and chapettes, mount bicycles and using their rolled up umbrellas against each other  protected only by a copy of the Times held as a shield.
Even more exciting, this year's event contains 7 new disciplines including Butler Baiting and Shouting at Foreigners and possibly the greatest strange sporting event ever.... Competitive Swooning,  one for the ladies.
Don't miss it.

Pip pip!

Montegue

ps If you want to know whether you are a Chap or not you need to read the Chap magazine

Wrong Pong

Strange Games inbox has been inundated by an email from James Michie who along with his colleagues Joe Kelly and Nicholas Wright run Wrong Pong competitions. The next one is being held as part of the Sneinton Festival in Nottingham on Saturday the 2nd of July.

Wrong Pong has been described as a combination of Ping Pong and crazy golf.  It is basically table tennis on specially designed tables that make the ball's movement unpredictable.  So , the table might slope at some crazy angle, or have different surfaces or obstacles attached such as strips of wood.
To find out more visit the International Wrong Pong Association website.


Hockern - revisited

Is it a sport, art or maybe dance? No, it's Hockern!


An email from Stephan Landshutz at SportHocker reminds me of the truly inspred sport of Hockern. So it is with no apologies that I repost a previous post on this sport. Check out the SportHocker website here for some amazing Hockern pictures. 
 
Germany's contribution to the world of odd games and sports is truly bizarre. Hockern (German for 'stools') is a little like competitive break dancing...only, break dancing using a milking stool. Competitors stand in front of the Hockern judges and show off their best stool movements (sorry). These will include spinning the stool on the floor, balancing upon it (on knee, stomach or even head), and tossing it into the air and speed sitting on it wherever it lands. One of the favourite moves is a high speed throw over the the shoulders, back through between the legs and squat down onto it.
Another cool trick is to have a friend slide the stool along the floor towards you for you to sit down hard upon it as it reaches you. And it's not just a solo sport. There are synchronised group events too that have to be seen to be believed. The superstars of this new sport are known as Hockstars and regular competitions are held in the nightclubs of Germany including the prestigious Hocktoberfest.
Now is the time to grab your stool and live the dream because Hockern will surely be a demonstration sport, probably sponsored by Ikea, in the next Olympic Games.

Table Wrestling - revisited

My previous post on Beer Pong got me to wondering whether it would be possible to combine the narrow Beer Pong table with Table Wrestling to enjoy two strange games at once. 
Even if the result would be a bit of a gaming disaster it is still worth revisiting the majestic sport of Table Wrestling.  The Table Wrestling website is a delight and visiting it I found this picture showing how to enjoy the great outdoors.

Even better is the picture below which shows a master of the technique that is known as the Sennewald Sh@g Special.  I have just been attempting this at my local IKEA on a small kitchen table named a Fuktar and can confirm that it is not easy.


Table Wrestling is a sport with a history that goes back to Roman times where slaves were forced to to mount their master's table and try to circumnavigate it whilst wagers were made...or it could be just an inspired made-up game by a group of bored sixth-formers in Worcester. Whichever it is, Table Wrestling is undoubtedly one of the greatest and strangest Wrestling events.

To play, simply get a table (a school size one works well, but one with more character can sometimes give greater opportunity for hand holds) lie on top of it (face down is best) then try and go 360 degrees around it without touching the ground with any part of your body. The most common technique is to stretch a hand all the way underneath to grab the opposing edge before the rest of your body follows and you fall to the floor. Then simply pull yourself underneath and then, hopefully, back onto the top. It's a little like keelhauling - only with a table and no risk of drowning.
Once you have mastered the basic move you can advance to travelling around the table length ways or if you are especially advanced in a figure of eight movement. For the hardcore table wrestler you could even attempt the 'altitude' version where you balance 1 table on the top of two others before going around it. If you are particularly speedy why not try and beat the world record which stands at 10 rotations in 1 minute!

Beer Pong - New UK tournament.

Strange Games has been contacted by Ben Newham, a leading pisshead light in the UK Beer Pong scene.  He is staging a major UK Beer Pong event next Saturday the 5th of February in Cheltenham. Up to 32 teams are playing for prizes totalling £500.  Just think of how much cheap cider you could buy with that. So I thought it was about time I featured this marvelous sport. 

Beer Pong is possibly the King of Drinking Games.  It is a pastime that started out as a basic fraternity house drinking game in the 80's that has now become a game played world wide with a set rules and a world championship with prize money of $50,000: the aptly named The World Series Of Beer Pong.
Early versions of the game were basically normal table tennis games with a pint pot  of beer at each end of the table.  If your glass was struck by the ball then you had to take a sip of beer, if the ball landed inside it then you had to drink the whole pint. The modern game differs in that the table tennis bats have been dispensed with and the solitary glass has been replaced by multiple one.  There are numerous versions of the game but the standardised rules state that teams are made up of two players each and they both stand at the ends of a 8ft by 2ft Beer Pong table.  In front of each team is a set of 10 beer filled paper cups (use water if you are on the Beer Pong wagon) set up in a triangular formation.  Each team now alternates with two shots each the aim being to throw a ping pong ball into one of the opposing cups.  If successful then one of the opposing team must drink the contents and remove the cup from the table.  Throws can be either under-arm or over-arm through the air or they can involve a single bounce.  The first team to cause their opponents to drink all their beer are the victors.
Beer Pong has been almost universally criticised and declaimed by politicians, health professionals and newspaper columnists and everyone else that hates to see anyone enjoy themselves, ever.

visit the website uk beer pong league for more details and a full set of rules

Mini Golf 2011 events & Midget Golf

The British Mini Golf Association 2011 event list is finalised with diminutive golfing events around the country in such hotspots of glamour as Margate, Hastings and Weymouth,  with the World Championships held in August in Stockholm.  Read the full schedule here  at minigolf.org and don't forget to visit the best mini golf blog the Ham and Egger Files for up to mini golf news and the Crazy World Tour.

Although we love Mini Golf here at Strange Games towers we think that a preferable game may be Midget Golf.  Simply kneel down, putting some shoes under your knees for added effect, then try and hit a golf ball with a standard length club. If played on a normal length course games could take some considerable time.  Also as the video below shows it isn't that easy to even strike the ball.

Groin Ball

Groin Ball is a much more sophisticated testicular game than Roshambo (the brutal ball kicking game where players face each other and take turns to make unguarded kicks into the other's groin until one player gives up.  Games are usually extremely short lived.)
This classic Japanese version of Groin Ball is played between two teams of two players. Each team consists of a ball thrower and a target player.  The two opposing target players face each other and with their hands they hold one another's shoulders.  They also need to keep their feet about shoulder width apart and they need to maintain this stance throughout the game.
The throwing players  have a ready supply of tennis balls.  They then have to fire these through the open legs of their partner, bouncing onto the ground with the hope of bouncing up and  smashing into the groin of the opposing target player. Target players can move around and push each other in order to move them into a vulnerable position but they must maintain the hand shoulder contact.  Similarly the ball throwers can move anywhere so as to get a clean aim and as soon as their ball supply has gone they can pick up ones on the floor and keep up their frenetic throwing pace. 
What makes the game especially thrilling is that the target players have to keep their feet well apart so that their partner can fire ball through the gap while they may desperately want to close them after receiving the odd strike or two.
The team with the first target player to cry loses.


If you are interested in more ball and groin based fun try Duncan Flann's Groin Ball or Crotch Ball