Ring of Fire (game)
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Ring of Fire is a drinking game for 3 or more players. The quick nature of the game and the punishments for failure to pay attention to what's going on mean it can quickly become very raucous. The game is favoured in some circles for the speed at which it gets people drunk. The game has several known variations, but the origin of the game is unknown.
[edit] Requirements
- 3+ Players
- A deck of cards
- A drink each
- A nearby source of more drinks
- A central glass - the larger, the better
- Relatively weak alcoholic beverages, such as beer
[edit] Preparation and Play
The cards are shuffled and spread them out in a ring around the central glass. The players take turns going around the circle, picking up a card each. Every time a card is picked up an associated rule has to be followed (see below). There are a wealth of different rules that can be mixed and matched - each social group comes up with their own additions. The core rules and some of the many additional rules are listed below.
[edit] Standard Cards' Values
These cards' values are fundamental to the game and are not altered.
[edit] 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s
The player has to drink the number of fingers of drink equal to the value of the card picked up. Optionally, the players can have a rule where black cards make the person who picked up drink and red cards allow them to nominate another player to drink. It's not necessary to use the black and red rules - the game is a lot easier to understand for new players if you just choose whether to drink yourself or give to others, or remove nomination altogether.
[edit] King's Cup
This rule is enacted if a King is picked up. The central glass is filled with beer. Whoever picks up a king must down the glass. The glass is then replenished. This rule can be done with shots instead, or any mix of beverages in the glass.
[edit] Other Cards' Values
These cards' values are often altered to suit a group's tastes, and it is not uncommon to find extreme variations.
[edit] Make a Rule
This rule is usually assigned to the ace card as it has the potential to cause a large amount of drinking. The player who picks it up can make up any rule. Breaking this rule is then punishable with two fingers of drink. In order to keep everyone playing as long as possible, it can be a good idea to prevent rules that pick on one person.
Some popular rules:
- Every time I slap the table everyone must drink
- You must say a line from a movie or sing a line from a song before drinking
- Nobody can say "drink", "drank" or "drunk"
- Nobody is allowed to point at anyone else (this often happens when indicating whose turn it is)
- Nobody is allowed to swear
- Nobody is allowed to use anyone else's real names.
[edit] Thumb Card
When a player picks up this card, they retain it until they use it. At any point throughout the game, they can place their thumb on the table. At this point, the last person to place their own thumb on the table must drink 2 fingers.
[edit] The Category Game
The person who picks up the card calls out a category such as "car makes" or "Family Guy characters" and then starts with the first example of something from that category. No example can be repeated and the first person to fail to come up with another example drinks 2 fingers.
[edit] Fuck You!
When this card is flipped over everyone shouts "Fuck You!". The last person to say the phrase has to take a drink.
[edit] You Fuck!
Counterpart to the Fuck You! rule. When this card is flipped over everyone shouts out "You Fuck!". The last person to say the phrase has to take a drink. This is best played with the 6 as the Fuck You! and the 9 as the You Fuck! card, as anyone shouting the wrong phrase also has to drink.
[edit] The "I have never…" Game
In this game, each player in turn states "I have never..." followed by something he or she has never done. If any player has done what has been said then they must down two fingers. The round finishes either after the first "I have never...", or after everyone in the group has done an "I have never...". This is sometimes stated, "Never have I ever..."
[edit] The Wave
This is rule is also referred to as the Ring of Fire and the Waterfall. The person who gets this card starts drinking and then the person on their right starts drinking. The person on their right then starts drinking and so on until the whole circle is drinking. No-one can stop until the person on their left has stopped.
[edit] Arrogance
The player who picks this card must fill a pint glass with whatever they think they can down - this can be anything from coke to neutral grain spirit. A coin toss takes place. If the player who picked up the card calls incorrectly they must down the drink. If they call the coin toss correctly the challenge gets passed to the next player along, who then adds whatever they think they can down. Another coin toss is then made. The process is repeated until someone calls the coin toss wrong.
If a slightly softer variant is desired, the person who loses the coin toss can be allowed a certain amount of time to drink the mix.
[edit] Social
Everyone takes one drink.
[edit] Rhyme Time
The person who picks up this card says any sentence. The next person along must then say a sentence that rhymes with the first one, and so on. Repeated rhymes aren't allowed. The first person unable to make a rhyme takes a drink.
[edit] Drinks Bitch/Beer Wench
A person who has picks this number must get everyone else's drinks on demand. This rule lasts until someone else draws the same number.
[edit] Bottle Cap
Take a glass of any liquid and float a bottle cap upside down in it. Going around the circle, everyone takes it in turns to pour some liquid into the cap. The person who sinks the bottle cap must drink the whole glass.
[edit] Toilet Card
If the players are using a rule outlawing toilet breaks, this card entitles a player to leave the table to make use of the toilet later on in the game. This card can also place the player in a position of power over someone who is desperately needing to use the toilet. This card may be offered to another player. Attaching a forfeit to such transactions is highly recommended.
[edit] Freeze card
When a player picks up this card, he retains it. At any point throughout the game, he can freeze in any position, preferably an obvious one. The last person to follow his example and freeze in the same pose must drink two fingers.
[edit] Snake Eyes
If a person holds this card, no-one can look into their eyes. Anyone breaking this rule must drink. This lasts until someone else draws the same card, whereupon they become Snake Eyes.
[edit] Tell A Story
Starting with whoever picked up the card, everyone takes it in turns saying 3 words at a time. The words must connect to make a coherent story. The first person that either fails to say three words or doesn't make sense has to drink 2 fingers. (One day I / was walking around / and I saw / a giant monkey / with a big... and so on)
[edit] Number Chant
If this rule is assigned to 7, then starting at number one, the players take it in turns counting up in ones. Every time either a multiple of seven or a number with seven in it comes up, it must be replaced by a phrase such as "REVERSE". The first person to make a mistake must drink 2 fingers.
This means that, going round the table, the pattern would be "1 2 3 4 5 6 REVERSE 8 9 10 11 12 13 REVERSE 15 16 REVERSE 18 19 20 REVERSE 22 23 24 25 26 REVERSE REVERSE...".
This rule can be played with any card, just using the face value of that particular card. Lower values lead to more omitted numbers, changing the difficulty of the task.
[edit] Card specific rules
Listed below are some of the rules that only make sense if assigned to their intended cards:
[edit] Queen - Drink to the Queen
Everyone stands and must cheer “To the Queen!” followed by a good 2 fingers in her honour.
[edit] Jack – Guys drink
All of the men at the table must take a drink.
[edit] Queen – Girls drink
All of the women at the table must take a drink.
[edit] Joker – Pussy, Dick or Hard-Ass?
The person who picks up this card chooses one of the three following choices:
- Pussy: Nominate a fingers card you don’t have to do
- Dick: Nominate 3 people to down
- Hard-Ass: Everyone must down their drink (from a full pint). The person who picks up can just either finish off what he or she has left, or fill it up like all the others.
[edit] Alternate Names
In some countries this game is called 'Sociables'. In Australia this game is often called 'King's Cup'. In Canada this game is called 'Sociables', 'Thumbmaster' or 'Fuck You'.
[edit] Suggestions
You can mix and match the above rules as desired. It's a good idea to write the rules out on a bit of paper to help everyone remember. Creating the rules can be one of the best parts of the game.
Some other popular rules:
- Give everyone at the table themed nicknames (such as characters from The Simpsons). Anyone who uses a real name has to drink 2 fingers.
- Every time you drink both your neighbours must drink
- You must stand on one leg when drinking
