Quote:
Firepit Beer Launching
It's a fun end of Pennsic game played by as many players as will.
What you need is a case of really BAD, cheap beer, a bunch of better leftover alcohol, and a lot of leftover firewood that really needs to be burned before you go.
The object of the game is to build a really really big fire and then to place the cans of bad beer (top down) into the coals so that the bear heats up, until the top blows and launches the beer can into the night with a fanfare of sparks and foam.
Actually, that is the game goal for the team on Offense. There will also inevitably be a team on Defense who will insist that this is a "bad idea"(tm).
The full roster of players on each side is subject to change during the course of the game.
The first round is to start the fire. Both teams will participate cooperatively, but, in order to launch beer, the Offense will need an exceptionally large fire to generate a sufficiently hot bed of coals in order to make beer cans explode.
It is important for Offense to not start too aggressively. Attempting to burn pallets and large sheets of plywood early will cause the Defense to play for an early end of the game.
It is ESSENTIAL that the Offense begin slowly with the fire and to take an early lead in procuring and distributing the "Better" alcohol. The BAD BEER must be thoroughly eclipsed in quality by the good alcohol. High quality, high potency, and sufficient quantity of good alcohol will ensure that the BAD BEER remains as an annoying surplus.
The next essential move for the offense to take a lead in *mocking* the BAD BEER as if it were an unwelcome party crasher who's covered in cheap cologne. This is best done in conjunction with sharing the "Good Stuff" and making sure that all parties on both teams are drinking heavily. "Wow! Have you tried THIS?!" is the preferred tactic at this stage.
Once some alcohol has been consumed, it's then time for the Offense to start building up the fire.
The tactics can range from subtle to blatant, but Offense must remember that it's important to make sure that the Defense doesn't catch on too quickly and that their resistance is being lowered by continued steady application of the "Good Stuff".
As the fire is made bigger, Offense will need to test Defense's resistance. Testing the Defense is best done in intermittent intervals. Too constant an escalation of fire, and Defense will rally and counter. It's important to be patient, to build the fire steadily, and most of all, to let the acohol do it's job. This is why it is optimal to have large quantities of "The Good Stuff" and to be generous with it. Offense needs lowered resistance from Defense, and the best means to that end, actually, is to generate GOOD WILL.
Eventually, thru lowering resistance, attrition, and defection, if Offense has played correctly, the game will progress into the final rounds of play.
NOTE: In order to succeed in the final rounds, Offense also needs to maintain a constant level of Mockery and Derision of THE BAD BEER. This will require a coordinated effort. The mockery and derision are also excellent gateways to defections from the Defensive team.
The final rounds will be signalled by key players suggesting the burning of ever larger and more entertaining items, (usually scrounged from neighboring campsites). Defense, will resist, of course, which is why it's important to have a united effort by offense, and to wait for when Defense is weakened, distracted, or sufficiently inebriated to not resist.
Care must be taken during the BIG BURNS.
The succesful burning of large items (pallets, furniture, structures) must be managed with care as it will get very hot and possibly big. If the Offense is too inebriated for effective management, they will become vulnerable (and possibly injured). If injuries are sustained, Defense will end the game immediately. This is why I personally don't recommend the use of any accellerants more powerful than paraffin. You also don't want the fire to get out of control. Mundane fire authorities will invariably side with the Defensive team.
Once several larger burns have been managed, Defense will sensibly call for an end to large conflagrations. Acceding to this demand seems counterintuitive, but will actually work in Offense's favor. At this point, the fire will have a deep, very hot bed of coals.
Hot beds of coals give an appearance of the party beginning to mellow.
This gives Offense time to ply the Defense with more of the "Good Stuff", and to give a chance for the more persistent Defense players to fall to attrition. This time is also, of course, to work on potential defectors by getting them to sympathise with the mockery of the BAD BEER.
I can't say it enough. Successful Mockery of the BAD BEER is essential to winning this game.
Now comes the final round: the attempting to launch the beer.
Defense must be neutralised or ineffectively small for this stage to succeed.
And the BAD BEER must be in profound surplus, with NO HOPE WHATSOEVER of ANYONE finding ANY REASON TO BELIEVE IT WILL ACTUALLY BE CONSUMED- EVER.
The propaganda campaign must 100% effective and at this stage it should even be escalated.
Thus, the case must be pursued that the best thing that could happen to this beer is that it must be DESTROYED.
Once the Offense has reached this point, and once Defense has been neutralised,
FIREPIT BEER LAUNCHING can begin.
The actual launching is simple:
Place the can of BAD BEER top down into the bed of coals (as deep as possible) and wait.
If the fire is hot enough, the impending launch will happen within 1-3 minutes.
It takes a while. Be patient. Drunk people can be impatient with this stage, so be careful.
Resist the urge to keep poking at the beer can with a stick.
The actual Launch occurs in stages.
1) The can will get hot.
2) The bottom of the can (which is indented) will "pop" out, as if a belly button going from an "innie" to an "outie". This will make a metallic "pop" sound when it happens.
3) That sound is the equivalent to the warning "fire in the hole". The can is going to explode REAL SOON!!!!!! DO NOT INVESTIGATE THE BEER CAN or DISTURB IT, after the "pop".
4) A Big POP, a Hissy Whooshing Sound, and a shower of sparks will indicate an effective "launch".
The can will fly off into the night and land with an anticlamactic metallic "thunk" somewhere.
It's important to do this in near isolation. The cans will usually fly over and beyond a ring of nearby tents, but you don't want alot of neighbors when you play this game. If hot beer cans land in someone else's camp, they will usually (but not always- hee!) join the Defensive team and the game will be over.
It's also important to be willing to go about and clean up the cans in the morning.
Yes, even if it's raining and you're hung over.
It's essential that any members of the Defensive Team be excluded from this chore, and optimally, not knowing that you are doing it. It's your mess, your problem, and if they don't have to clean it up, or even know about it, it helps insure that the Game can be played again. Also, it is THE RIGHT THING TO DO as an included cost for having your fun.
It's a fun end of Pennsic game played by as many players as will.
What you need is a case of really BAD, cheap beer, a bunch of better leftover alcohol, and a lot of leftover firewood that really needs to be burned before you go.
The object of the game is to build a really really big fire and then to place the cans of bad beer (top down) into the coals so that the bear heats up, until the top blows and launches the beer can into the night with a fanfare of sparks and foam.
Actually, that is the game goal for the team on Offense. There will also inevitably be a team on Defense who will insist that this is a "bad idea"(tm).
The full roster of players on each side is subject to change during the course of the game.
The first round is to start the fire. Both teams will participate cooperatively, but, in order to launch beer, the Offense will need an exceptionally large fire to generate a sufficiently hot bed of coals in order to make beer cans explode.
It is important for Offense to not start too aggressively. Attempting to burn pallets and large sheets of plywood early will cause the Defense to play for an early end of the game.
It is ESSENTIAL that the Offense begin slowly with the fire and to take an early lead in procuring and distributing the "Better" alcohol. The BAD BEER must be thoroughly eclipsed in quality by the good alcohol. High quality, high potency, and sufficient quantity of good alcohol will ensure that the BAD BEER remains as an annoying surplus.
The next essential move for the offense to take a lead in *mocking* the BAD BEER as if it were an unwelcome party crasher who's covered in cheap cologne. This is best done in conjunction with sharing the "Good Stuff" and making sure that all parties on both teams are drinking heavily. "Wow! Have you tried THIS?!" is the preferred tactic at this stage.
Once some alcohol has been consumed, it's then time for the Offense to start building up the fire.
The tactics can range from subtle to blatant, but Offense must remember that it's important to make sure that the Defense doesn't catch on too quickly and that their resistance is being lowered by continued steady application of the "Good Stuff".
As the fire is made bigger, Offense will need to test Defense's resistance. Testing the Defense is best done in intermittent intervals. Too constant an escalation of fire, and Defense will rally and counter. It's important to be patient, to build the fire steadily, and most of all, to let the acohol do it's job. This is why it is optimal to have large quantities of "The Good Stuff" and to be generous with it. Offense needs lowered resistance from Defense, and the best means to that end, actually, is to generate GOOD WILL.
Eventually, thru lowering resistance, attrition, and defection, if Offense has played correctly, the game will progress into the final rounds of play.
NOTE: In order to succeed in the final rounds, Offense also needs to maintain a constant level of Mockery and Derision of THE BAD BEER. This will require a coordinated effort. The mockery and derision are also excellent gateways to defections from the Defensive team.
The final rounds will be signalled by key players suggesting the burning of ever larger and more entertaining items, (usually scrounged from neighboring campsites). Defense, will resist, of course, which is why it's important to have a united effort by offense, and to wait for when Defense is weakened, distracted, or sufficiently inebriated to not resist.
Care must be taken during the BIG BURNS.
The succesful burning of large items (pallets, furniture, structures) must be managed with care as it will get very hot and possibly big. If the Offense is too inebriated for effective management, they will become vulnerable (and possibly injured). If injuries are sustained, Defense will end the game immediately. This is why I personally don't recommend the use of any accellerants more powerful than paraffin. You also don't want the fire to get out of control. Mundane fire authorities will invariably side with the Defensive team.
Once several larger burns have been managed, Defense will sensibly call for an end to large conflagrations. Acceding to this demand seems counterintuitive, but will actually work in Offense's favor. At this point, the fire will have a deep, very hot bed of coals.
Hot beds of coals give an appearance of the party beginning to mellow.
This gives Offense time to ply the Defense with more of the "Good Stuff", and to give a chance for the more persistent Defense players to fall to attrition. This time is also, of course, to work on potential defectors by getting them to sympathise with the mockery of the BAD BEER.
I can't say it enough. Successful Mockery of the BAD BEER is essential to winning this game.
Now comes the final round: the attempting to launch the beer.
Defense must be neutralised or ineffectively small for this stage to succeed.
And the BAD BEER must be in profound surplus, with NO HOPE WHATSOEVER of ANYONE finding ANY REASON TO BELIEVE IT WILL ACTUALLY BE CONSUMED- EVER.
The propaganda campaign must 100% effective and at this stage it should even be escalated.
Thus, the case must be pursued that the best thing that could happen to this beer is that it must be DESTROYED.
Once the Offense has reached this point, and once Defense has been neutralised,
FIREPIT BEER LAUNCHING can begin.
The actual launching is simple:
Place the can of BAD BEER top down into the bed of coals (as deep as possible) and wait.
If the fire is hot enough, the impending launch will happen within 1-3 minutes.
It takes a while. Be patient. Drunk people can be impatient with this stage, so be careful.
Resist the urge to keep poking at the beer can with a stick.
The actual Launch occurs in stages.
1) The can will get hot.
2) The bottom of the can (which is indented) will "pop" out, as if a belly button going from an "innie" to an "outie". This will make a metallic "pop" sound when it happens.
3) That sound is the equivalent to the warning "fire in the hole". The can is going to explode REAL SOON!!!!!! DO NOT INVESTIGATE THE BEER CAN or DISTURB IT, after the "pop".
4) A Big POP, a Hissy Whooshing Sound, and a shower of sparks will indicate an effective "launch".
The can will fly off into the night and land with an anticlamactic metallic "thunk" somewhere.
It's important to do this in near isolation. The cans will usually fly over and beyond a ring of nearby tents, but you don't want alot of neighbors when you play this game. If hot beer cans land in someone else's camp, they will usually (but not always- hee!) join the Defensive team and the game will be over.
It's also important to be willing to go about and clean up the cans in the morning.
Yes, even if it's raining and you're hung over.
It's essential that any members of the Defensive Team be excluded from this chore, and optimally, not knowing that you are doing it. It's your mess, your problem, and if they don't have to clean it up, or even know about it, it helps insure that the Game can be played again. Also, it is THE RIGHT THING TO DO as an included cost for having your fun.
