Beer die

Beer Die

Drinking Game
Beer Die - Bowdoin College, 1989
Other name(s)	Snappa
Players	Singles (one on one) Teams (two on two)
Setup time	2 minutes
Playing time	15 minutes - 2+hours
Skill(s) required	accuracy, hand–eye coordination, reaction time
Material(s) required	Plywood, or "borrowed" Colby plastic table, Pint Glass or Solo Cup, Dice
Alcohol used	Beer

Singles (one on one)

Beer die is a table-based drinking game where opposing players stand, or sit, at opposite ends and throw a die over a certain height with the goal of either landing the die in their opponent's cup or having the die hit the table and bounce over the scoring area to the floor. The defending team attempts to catch the die one-handed after it hits the table, but before it touches a non-table surface. The game typically consists of two two-player teams with each of the four players having a designated cup on the table.

There are three distinct attributes which define a beer die : offensive, defense, and . A good offensive player throws many legal throws and often will put pressure on the defense by throwing near the opponents cups and edge of the table. A good defensive player consistently catches routine throws, and often will snare "hot tosses." A player with good stamina is able to drink often over a period of many games without his or her game diminishing. When constructing a beer die team it is advantageous to bring different facets to the table.

Beer die involves quick thinking, quick reaction time, precision throwing and awareness. However, most of all, beer die requires a love for drinking with friends and a stomach that can handle it.

Drinking is unrelated to scoring. Each team will drink together and finish their beers together based on the predetermined number of drinks per cup (typically 5). Drinking will then occur:

Once a beer has been finished, the team must refill, and the drinks per cup are reset to the predetermined number.

The origins of beer die, often being the subject of debate, have and continue to be shrouded in uncertainty. Legend claims that the game started in the 1970s by the Ragin' Bulls of VFA-37. At the time, the game was played with greater formality where an official "God" was appointed to judge and enforce the rules of the game. "Jesus" would assist "God" in judging the game and "Moses" would refill the cups. Furthermore, players were expected to request that "God" grant them a "Natural" in the event they needed to use the bathroom, to belch, to break wind, or to puke.

Although many colleges have claimed to be the first campus to play a game of Beer Die, the regional popularity of this sport among the colleges of New England, and in particular at Bowdoin College and Tufts University imply that the claims laid by colleges like University of Cincinnati are unfounded. Indeed, according to verified chapter records, the Kappa Chapter of the Zeta Psi Fraternity at Tufts University, unanimously adopted beer die as its "House game" in 1978 by a vote of 76-0, with one abstention. In the American South, recent research compiled by the Beer Die League traced back the origins of the Dixieland version of beer die to East Carolina University, with the first published accounts of the game having been played at the Pi Kappa Phi House in 1986. This crowdsourced project was conducted in February 2014 and has claimed to be the only unbiased research conducted on this topic to date.