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21 (drinking game)
Encyclopedia
21 is a drinking game
. The game progresses by counting up from 1 to 21, with the player who calls "21" suffering a drinking penalty before the next round starts. The loser may add one new rule to the game, and starts the new round.
The game is never under any circumstances referred to as "twenty plus".
As the game progresses, each player in turn must recite one to three numbers, counting in sequence
from where the previous player left off:
If a player makes a mistake, then they suffer a small to moderate drinking penalty (e.g. 2 fingers of drink) and then restart the game from 1. Mistakes include:
Assuming there are no mistakes, the game will continue in sequence up to 21. The player who calls 21 suffers a heavy drinking penalty (e.g. finishing their drink), creates a new rule
, then restarts the game from 1.
Sam, Paddy, Lizzie, Saz, Louise, Marie, Daggers, Doyley and Simmy are sitting with Sam at 12 o'clock, and the other players arranged clockwise:
The game ultimately finishes when all the numbers have been replaced, by rule changes instigated by the person who drinks on 21.
For Example:
The game is best played when all bar one player have a collective strategy to ensure that 21 falls on said person, and they then have to drink.
Examples of new rules that could be instated by a player forced to call 21:
It is also commonplace to declare (either at the start of the game or as an additional rule) that the game be played according to the so-called "International Drinking Rules". These are a body of generally accepted but not entirely uniform rules that players understand to apply to all drinking activity and include rules for example, that drinkers must keep their little finger up whilst drinking, only drink with their left hand and, in some circles, that using the word 'drink' be prohibited and replaced with words such as 'consume' or 'imbibe'.
Drinking game
Drinking games are games which involve the consumption of alcoholic beverages. These games vary widely in scope and complexity, although the purpose of most is to become intoxicated as quickly as possible...
. The game progresses by counting up from 1 to 21, with the player who calls "21" suffering a drinking penalty before the next round starts. The loser may add one new rule to the game, and starts the new round.
Rules
Players are arranged in a circle, facing inwards. The game begins with one player calling the direction of play by saying, "I propose a game of XXXX! To my left..." or "To my right..." followed by a sequential series of numbers beginning with one. Variations exist for the proposal of the game depending on personal rules; this is due to some variants calling for any person who says the number "21" to drink. For example:- "I propose a game of 21!"
- "I propose a game of 20...22!"
- "I propose a game of twenty plus one!"
- "I propose a game of the unspeakable number!"
The game is never under any circumstances referred to as "twenty plus".
As the game progresses, each player in turn must recite one to three numbers, counting in sequence
Sequence
In mathematics, a sequence is an ordered list of objects . Like a set, it contains members , and the number of terms is called the length of the sequence. Unlike a set, order matters, and exactly the same elements can appear multiple times at different positions in the sequence...
from where the previous player left off:
- Saying one number (e.g. "one") passes the game to the next player in the circle in the initial direction.
- Saying two numbers (e.g. "one, two") passes to the next player, but reverses direction.
- Saying three numbers (e.g. "one, two, three") passes in the initial direction, but skips a player.
If a player makes a mistake, then they suffer a small to moderate drinking penalty (e.g. 2 fingers of drink) and then restart the game from 1. Mistakes include:
- Hesitating to continue the game.
- Calling the wrong number.
- Calling a number out of turn.
- Breaching any original or instated rule.
Assuming there are no mistakes, the game will continue in sequence up to 21. The player who calls 21 suffers a heavy drinking penalty (e.g. finishing their drink), creates a new rule
Nomic
Nomic is a game created in 1982 by philosopher Peter Suber in which the rules of the game include mechanisms for the players to change those rules, usually beginning through a system of democratic voting...
, then restarts the game from 1.
Example
- Sam: I propose a game of 21! To my left: 1, 2. {play called to the left, but reversed immediately → Simmy}
- Simmy: 3. {→ Doyley}
- Ryan: 4, 5, 6 {skips Mareem → Louise}
- Lousie: 7, 8 {Louise violates the additional rule "reversing into a hole"! She is penalised 2 fingers of drink.
- Louise drinks
- Louise: I propose a game of 21! To my right: 1. {→ Saz}
- Saz: 2. {→ Lizzie}
The game ultimately finishes when all the numbers have been replaced, by rule changes instigated by the person who drinks on 21.
For Example:
- Daggers: I propose a game of 21 to my left, "I Wanna"
- Jonathan: "Look" "Reem" "Smell"
- Sam: "Reem"
- Paddy: "Be" "Reem" "REEM"
- Saz: "edial"
- Louise: "No Carbs Before Marbs"
- Marie: "Shut Up Joey" (In Essex Accent)
- Daggers: "Vodka" "Revs"
- Marie: "Oh Shit" "I Fuckin' Love Joey" "Ice C"
- Saz: "Reem" "To Be Reem"
- Marie "Livin The D"
- Daggers: "Reem"
- Doyley: "Trust Me You Look Reem"
-
The game is best played when all bar one player have a collective strategy to ensure that 21 falls on said person, and they then have to drink.
Additional rules
Variations on the standard rules include:- Prohibiting three players calling single numbers in a row.
- "Doubling a double" - prohibits saying two numbers after two numbers.
- "Tripling a triple" - prohibits either saying three numbers after three numbers, or after 2 sets of three numbers.
- "Reversing into a hole" - prohibits saying two numbers after three numbers.
- Prohibiting calling out a series of numbers that sum to 21 (e.g. "6, 7, 8" or "10, 11")
Examples of new rules that could be instated by a player forced to call 21:
- Swapping two numbers around (e.g. 3 and 13 are switched)
- Replacing a number with a humorous phrase (e.g. replacing 5 with "skin" - causing the sequence 1, 2, 3, "foreskinForeskinIn male human anatomy, the foreskin is a generally retractable double-layered fold of skin and mucous membrane that covers the glans penis and protects the urinary meatus when the penis is not erect...
") - Instating an underlying set of rules (e.g. left hand drinking)
- Thumb master - the last player to place their thumb on the table following the thumb master must drink.
- Head master - as with thumb master, but replacing the thumb with the head
- Pose master - the last player to strike a pose following the pose master must drink.
It is also commonplace to declare (either at the start of the game or as an additional rule) that the game be played according to the so-called "International Drinking Rules". These are a body of generally accepted but not entirely uniform rules that players understand to apply to all drinking activity and include rules for example, that drinkers must keep their little finger up whilst drinking, only drink with their left hand and, in some circles, that using the word 'drink' be prohibited and replaced with words such as 'consume' or 'imbibe'.
Variations
- Using Roman numeralsRoman numeralsThe numeral system of ancient Rome, or Roman numerals, uses combinations of letters from the Latin alphabet to signify values. The numbers 1 to 10 can be expressed in Roman numerals as:...
. Replacing the roman numerals with other humorous or explicit phrases can make the game more interesting (e.g. replace I with "No", V with "Daddy" and X with "Don't touch me!") - Using the binary number system.
- Replacing numbers with themed sets of phrases (e.g. German Porn Stars). Rules for these variants are widely varied.