WWU Caps

= WWU Caps =

WWU (Western Washington University) Caps is a variation of the popular drinking game that was established as an alternative to shot-gunning beers. It was modified and perfected in Bellingham, Washington in the early 2000's by a handful of veteran players. It can still be found alive in the Great Northwest, most typically at bachelor parties, fantasy football drafts, or other gatherings.

Setup

(for one-on-one games) Opponents sit on the floor about 10' from each other. Each player has their own cup (pint glasses seem to work best) which should be placed on a dish towel in front of them to avoid beer stains on apartment/rental house/dormitory carpets. Each player also has their own group of beer bottle caps, to be used for tossing into their opponent's glass. The most common place to play caps is in-doors as it is much more challenging to play outside due to wind/rain/etc.

Game Play/Scoring

Before starting, each player makes a pour into their own glass. This initial pour can be a point of contention but generally should be about a half second pour and should be close to the same as your opponents'.

Players take turns in throwing caps into their opponents' glass. Although the point of the game is to get your cap into your opponent's glass, some more experienced players will use the fill rule to get their opponent inebriated so that they are unable to be consistent in their tosses. The most common way to enforce the fill rule is when a tossed cap hits the rim of the glass and bounces up, but not in. The recipient of the toss then has to add beer to their glass. There is also the double fill, which is when the cap goes in and out of the glass. Another, more rare type of double fill is when the cap bounces off the rim and above the recipient's head. If there have been so many fills that there is no more room in the glass, the recipient should take a drink for every subsequent rim shot. When the glass is that full there is a good chance of the recipient getting splashed from a made shot which is a great opportunity for ridicule.

Upon a made shot, the recipient then has a chance to nullify the shot. If that nullification shot misses, the recipient then must drink their entire glass before play can resume. Especially slow drinkers (Trout) are an easy target for further ridicule. A successful nullification just sends the game back into normal play. Tournament games usually go to 5. When playing only one game the score should go to ten or more.

When there are three or more players in the same game or when there are multiple games being played adjecent to one another, there is a crossfire call that can be made which is a frantic period of shooting at random glasses. This was first coined by Stevenson at an especially crowded caps game during the 2004 Super Bowl.

Tricks of the Vets

Since the game is called caps, the use of beer bottle caps was deemed to be the most logical tool for scoring points. It was found that microbrew caps were better flyers than domestic caps (they are heavier and therefore flight) as long as they are twist-offs. It is frowned upon, however, to use microbrew as your filling beverage as micros should be appreciated, not pounded. There have been many attempts at finding a better way to toss the cap (the Kombol baseball style throw or the Samdal leaner) but results show that placing the inside of the cap on your thumb and bringing it back by your ear and then tossing provides the most consistent and legal results. There are no rules against trying to psych-out your opponent while they are shooting, rather, it is encouraged. One especially effective method is to repeatedly claim that you're undefeated.

Tools

Although not yet commercially available, caps kits are a great way to be ready for a game at any time. Constructed in a limited amount by Mr. McDade, they include two pint glasses, two olive skewers (for pulling caps out of your glass), two towels, and a small tin for holding your favorite caps, all in an attractive large tin. These are perfect as a graduation or wedding gift and should be available 2008-Q4.