The Rose and the Drinking Game
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
The Rose and the Drinking Game are two remarkably similar ways of getting drunk quickly. They both include cards, they have an element of contest and rivalry and both demand extensive beer-availability. It is recomended that both games are played with no less than three and no more than six players. Four being the optimal middle road. Finally, both games gets the players drunk. This is the objective.
Winning is not the objective. You can't win. This sets the two games apart from the avarage tabletop wargame/game of darts. On a related note, it is quite possible (and recommended against) to loose. Loosing can be accomplished through passing out among other things.
The Rules of the Rose
The Rose is the game with the hardest1 set-up and the simplest rules. You prepare the game by putting out fourteen cards in a circle, and placing the remainder of the deck in the middle of the circle. If you have many players, or want to play for a while, use two decks. This might make the initial part of the game longer, but its really no big deal.
When everybody has seated themselves and the cards have been placed, one of the players picks a card.2 The player then gives the card to one of the others. If the card is anything from Ace to Ten, the receiver takes one sip of his beer. If the card shows a King, a Queen or a Jack, two sips are taken. Then the receiver picks a cards and gives it to someone. It is perfectly allright for two players to deal cards to eachother, but it makes for a slow game for everybody else. Dealing cards to oneself is also possible. This continues until the stack is empty and one is left with the fourteen cards in the circle.
Allthough the ceremony of dealing and receiving cards continues unabated, the value of the cards changes immediatly after entering the circle. Now the cards numerical value (one for Aces, three for Threes and twelve for Queens etc.) is the number of sips the receiver takes.
Clearly this is the point in the game things get ugly. Fortunatly there are a couple of rules that makes the game nicer for everybody.
For every prophanity, curse or otherwise unpleasant word you utter, take a sip of your beer.
Everytime you use someones name or nickname even, take a sip of your beer.
Everytime you take a sip of your beer using your right hand (or left hand if you are left-handed), take a sip of your beer. Buffalló?
The Rose is played until there are no more cards left. At this point one might pass out, head out to a bar/pub or other spot where one can be drunk without feeling ill at ease, or even play another round of the Rose.
The rules of the Drinking Game
The Drinking Game has a much easier set-up that the Rose. Simply take a stack of cards and spread it out over the table. Use two stacks if you want the game to last longer. Then start picking cards. The players draw in order, beginning with the oldest and traveling deosil3 around the table. The card is either kept with the drawer, given away or it prompts some kind of action from the participants.
The values and their meaning:
Ace through seven means the reciever must take that amount of sips from their beer.
Eight means "Contest!" The contest is played out like this: The drawer of the card asks a question of the type "Bandnames beginning with A", and then he or she answers it, and passes it around. The next player must then give a bandname beginning with A. The contest lasts until someone can't come up with an answer. That last sucker must take five sips of his or her beer. It is important to use your imagination when coming up with questions. It is illegal to pose a question twice during a game. Likewise, it is illegal to use the same answer more than once.
Nine is pee-break. If you have a niner in your possession, you may go to the bathroom,go out for some air, whatever you like really. A niner is good for one break, and one break only. The break lasts until you reenter the room or until the game is over, whichever comes first.
Ten is a special card. When someone has a tenner, you may not answer that players questions. Ever. If you do, you must take five sips of your beer. The tenner is good for one answered question.
When the Jack is drawn, everyone must salute and say "Hello Sir!" The last one to salute takes five sips of his or her beer.
When the Queen is drawn, everyone must salute and say "Hello Madam!" The last one to salute takes ten sips of his or her beer.
When the King is drawn, it is put aside. When the fourth King is drawn, the drawer must take fifteen sips of his or her beer. Nasty indeed.
Much like the Rose, you play until all cards are drawn. Optionally, you might put every card back into the heap after they have been played. That way, you can play forever, or at least untill you run out of beer.
Beer, beer, beer!
Why are these only beer-games you might ask yourself. Try drawing the fourth King using Tequila-shots instead of beer. Now you see? Actually, these games simply work better with beer. Nobody is stopping you playing with booze, but nobody is taking any responsebility for what you do after the game either. Not that anybody would anyway, but you get the point. Wine is a better alternative if you dislike beer. However, that lacks a bit of finesse, doesn't it? To drink a fine Faustino I in huge gulps really doesn't impress the ladies.
Post Scriptum!
This article is for educational purposes only. The auther takes no responsebility for your or anyones actions. Ever. Sorry, he just isn't that kind of guy. If you wish to try out any of these games, the author wishes to point you to the article on The Things We Do When We Get Drunk. Read that one first, and decide if it's something you would want to do... If you do decide that it is all jolly fun, you might want to try other drinking games like the Pyramid, the Dice of Death and Drink While You Think as well.
1Hard being relative. These are games for the unscroupolously drunk...2How you decide wich player starts is unknown. Make your own rules.3The same way as the clock, the sun and every other important things go, when going in a circle.
