Constructing Tile Sets
Glahefriends' Drinking Jenga
Just a few thoughts on putting together your own set for playing
Drinking Jenga...
How Much Drinking?
You need to strike a good
balance between drinking and non-drinking tiles. Too many of the
former, and the players will get sloshed too quickly, limiting the
number of times you can play in an evening. Too few, and it
doesn't seem like a drinking game any more!
The answer here really lies in the crowd you're putting the game
together for. If it's strictly for laughs while you hang out,
make more amusing non-drinking tiles, and limit the number of tiles
that involve large quantities of drink. Some tiles that are
highly flexible - that let the players decide how much drinking gets
done when it comes up, like Domino - are key to making a game that can be
played in various crowds.
How Complicated?
While there can be a strong
temptation to fit every entertaining tile into a set, you really need a
good base of relatively simple ones, such as Give 2. It's
about pacing - you don't want every tile to be one the players have to
learn or think about extensively. Having a good mix of simple
tiles in the set makes the more complicated ones even more interesting
by comparison, too.
Also, be careful about the number of tiles that force players to
remember conditions or special circumstances, such as the Can of Whoop-Ass.
A few are amusing, but too many are easily forgotten.
Inside Jokes
If you're going to be playing
with a core group more often than not, you're clearly going to want
some inside joke tiles, particularly ones inspired by specific
individuals. If you're making a set only for play in a certain
context, make the jokes as obscure and inside as you like. But if
you're going to want to take the set on the road, you'll need to make
sure that any inside jokes are at least moderately entertaining for
players who won't fully get it.