h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Zoom! How can one say "I don't want to play" to a game with a name like that?! It's really very simple. First of all, it it a drinking game for people of age. There are three words used in this game and they are....zoom, shwartz and pfigliano (pah-fig-lee-ano). There is no limit to the number of players. The players gather in a circle. The person to begin the game simply looks at any other player and says "zoom". The person who is "zoomed" has three choices. He/she can look back at the "zoomer" and say "shwartz", look away (head down) and say "pfigliano" or look to another player and say "zoom". If the player chooses the latter, the "zoom" goes to a new player and the cycle is repeated. Play can go on for quite some time between two people before one of the players either zooms someone else or just screws up. The object of the game is to keep the "zoom" going. You screw up; you drink. Try it! It's soooooo much fun once you get the hang of it.(one thing to remember....you can't zoom the zoomer!)

Hi there

OK, so I'm probably being dim, but what happens when someone replies by saying "shwartz" or "pfigliano"? Who goes next and can they still choose any of the three words?

You can't zoom the zoomer but you can schwartz them (which means they can zoom you back or anyone else).

Once zoomed, you can profigliano anyone other than the zoomer and it puts the turn back on the zoomer who zoomed you.

Also if you are zoomed you can zoom anyone other than the zoomer who zoomed you, thus passing the turn to whomever you zoomed.

Anyone who makes a mistake must drink and generally the game speeds up as it goes along.

(Those are the spellings and pronounciations I've always used.)