The James T. Callow Folklore Archive

WALES-TALES

THIS DRINKING GAME STARTS OUT WITH A NUMBER OF PLAYERS WHO ALL
HAVE A BEER. ONE OF THE PLAYERS IS THE "PRIN" (FOR THE PRINCE
OF WALES). HE BEGINS THE GAME BY RECITING THIS FORMULA:
I GOTTA GAME, I GOTTA GAME
BY THE P AND (THE NUMBER OF PLAYERS MINUS THE PRIN)
BY THE P AND (#)
BY THE S-W-T, BY THE S-W-T
(AND THEN HE SAYS A NUMBER)
THE PLAYER WHO IS SITTING THAT MANY PLACES TO THE LEFT OF THE
PRIN THEN ANSWERS "NAY". THE PRIN QUESTIONS "WHO", AND THE PLAYER
REPLIES WITH ANOTHER NUMBER. THE PLAYER WITH THAT NUMBER THEN
SAYS "NAY" AND IS QUESTIONED "WHO" BY THE FIRST PLAYER AND SO ON.
TO CALL ON THE PRIN YOU SAY "PRIN" INSTEAD OF A NUMBER.
THE ROUND CONTINUES UNTIL SOMEONE MESSES UP. THAT PERSON
MUST DRINK AND THEN HE BECOMES THE NEW PRIN. AT ANY TIME BETWEEN
ROUNDS A PLAYER MAY CALL "TABLE-DRINK" AND THEN EVERYONE
MUST TAKE A DRINK. SINCE THIS IS A GENTLEMAN'S GAME, SWEARING
AND POINTING WITH THE FINGERS ARE NOT ALLOWED OR ELSE YOU MUST
TAKE A DRINK. IF THE PRIN MESSES UP WHEN RECITING THE FORMULA, THEN
HE MUST TAKE A DRINK AND START ALL OVER. IF A PLAYER RESPONDS
WRONG, RESPONDS WHEN IT WASN'T HIS NUMBER, OR TAKES TOO LONG TO
RESPOND, THEN HE HAS TO DRINK, AND A NEW ROUND STARTS. IF A PLAYER
SAYS THAT SOMEONE HAS MADE A MISTAKE, BUT HE IS WRONG THEN HE
MUST DRINK DUE TO "FALSE ACCUSATION".
WHEN THIS GAME GETS TOO EASY, THE PRIN MAY CALL VARIATIONS
OF IT INSTEAD OF S-W-T (STANDARD WALES TALES).
C-W-T : THE SAME AS S-W-T EXCEPT THIS TIME THE PLAYERS
ARE COUNTED COUNTERCLOCKWISE.
R-W-T : INSTEAD OF THE PRIN BEING A FIXED PERSON, IT "ROVES"
WITH EACH CALL. FOR EXAMPLE, IF THE PRIN INITIALLY CALLED ON
PLAYER THREE, THEN PLAYER THREE BECOMES THE NEW PRIN AND
THE PLAYER HE CALLS ON IS COUNTED FROM HIM RATHER THAN
FROM THE ORIGINAL PRIN, AND SO ON.
C-R-W-T : LIKE R-W-T EXCEPT COUNTERCLOCKWISE.

Where learned: UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT

Date learned: 09-00-1979