Nemo

Setup

what you need:
– 2 shot glasses
– 2 quarters
– at least 4 players
– at least 7 cups
– a good quarters table
– pitcher (optional: for easy refills)
– lots of beer

setup:
Fill one cup to the top and put in the center of the table (This is called the “Nemo” cup). Fill the remaining cups 1/4 of the way and place so that they surround the Nemo cup. The players stand/sit around the table in a circle. The two shot glasses & quarters start with any 2 players (but on opposite ends).

Rules to drink by

The objective of the game is to bounce the quarter off the table and into the shot glass. When someone makes the quarter into the shot glass it is then passed to the next person. When one of the shot glasses catches up to the other it skips the person who still has not made his glass. When a skip occurs, the person who was skipped must drink one of the outer, 1/4 filled cups before he/she can start trying to make the shot glass again.

Reversals:
At the initial start of the game both shot glasses move in a clockwise motion. However, someone can “reverse” the order by making the quarter in the shot glass on the very first attempt. When he/she makes it on the first try they are allowed to decide whether or not they want to reverse it. Reversals come in handy when a person has just been skipped.

Rally:
If someone next to you has just been skipped and you get the shot glass, if you make it in on your first shot you can reverse the direction of the shot glass and skip that person again. This can keep occuurring for as many times as possible and is called a “rally”. It is during rallies that a person will end up drinking the most beer.

Nemo:
Now the full cup in the middle is called the Nemo cup. At anytime during the game, a person with a shotglass may declare a “NEMO”. When this occurs the rest of gameplay stops. The person will declare the Nemo by stating “I Nemo _____” (with the _____ being someone at the table). The person who declared the Nemo now has one shot to make the quarter in the glass; if he makes it the person who he “Nemo’d” must drink the Nemo cup, but if the person misses it he must then drink it. As soon as the shot is taken gameplay resumes as normal. However, whoever has to drink the Nemo cup must finish it before trying to make the shot glass again.

Tap outs/Variations:
When a person feels he/she has had too much to drink or whatever they must “tap out” of the game. One variation of the game includes elimination in which you play until everyone but 2 people have tappedout. The final two must then play in a first to make 5 shots with the winner winning the entire game and the looser having to drink a full cup. Also, when beer is running out you play until all the cups are gone, except for the Nemo cup. Then, the next person to get skipped must drink the Nemo cup.

Easy Gameplay:
– Use more than just 6 cups to surround the Nemo cup so that you do not have to refill as often.
– Fill a pitcher with beer and use that to refill all of the cups.
– Have the keg or supply of beer right next to the table for easy access.
– Have someone who is either not playing or someone who is furthest away from getting a shot glass refill the cups during play.

Submitted by

Austin from University of Illinois