Calvinball™ by Doodle Maier, Spidere, K prime, Mudlock, FZ!, Duck Monster, Mike Hellstrom, Shan, Eccoglyph, Momotiki
November 16th, 2007 12:12 PMHoliday monkey stuffed animal: $2.99
Bag of starburst candy: $3.69
Basket: $1.99
Gingerbread man bath mitt: $3.99
Weird rubber ball: $3.99
Shower foof: $4.99
Feather duster: $6.99
Being infected by the hopping disease until you can find the monkey or make it to the North Pole: Priceless.
Passing the spinning disease was rather troublesome. Thankfully, the cure was eventually found and quickly passed amongst the afflicted.
We had fun. We entertained passers-by. We met new friends. And we took a monkey off the grid, saving him from his human oppressors. Good times.
Fizzbang's Recollection:
None of us were really sure how to start Calvinball. At the store across the street, we had bought a variety of impulse purchases to serve as the "official implements" for the game, but when we decided to begin, we just stood there looking at each other for a few moments. Then, one of us had a brilliant idea.
"I've got the monkey," declared Endless Mike, running away form the crowd, "That means I'm winning!"
Immediately, the spell was cast. Everything was much harder to document after that, as we constantly splintered into smaller groups with our own goals, only to run into another group and interchange what few rules we had been using.
We ranged between decorating and defending the Navy Soldier statue on our playfield, varying forms of tag and anti-tag, complicated alliances of convenience and amusingly expected betrayals, and new and unexpected uses for an over-long blindfold.
Apparently, we did a good job, because two passers-by asked what we were doing and were invited to join the game. And they accepted! This is how we met Franklin and Donte, who played with us for the remainder of the game (comprising at least three more halves, along with overtime and bonus overtime).
We then retired to general conversation and bullshitting and getting to know our new friends. As far as I'm concerned, this was just a conversion of the Calvinball game from physical play to social play.
And, yes, we were all winners. Especially the monkey.
Hogtied
Having been lassoed and tied by the wiley Eccoglyph (for about 74 points), Fizzbang tries to defend himself from all comers. He fails, but amusingly so. 12 points and laughs all around.
Monkey Commentator
Calvinball requires a commentator with very unusual gifts. One of those gifts may include "being a plush monkey."
Momotiki Contact Juggling
It's hard to contact-juggle a knobby dog toy, but Momotiki carried it off with style.
A Delicate Operation
Monkey retrieval is a complex task. Thankfully, Doodle Maier is up to the challenge.
Guarding the Decorated
After draping a scarf on the Navy Memorial Soldier, Fizzbang attempts to defend the fashion accessory from Endless Mike, for 2 points of style.
Endless Mike, the Mediator
Endless Mike attempts to mediate an alliance between players. Betrayals abound.
Beware the Foof
"I'll pit my duster against your handkerchief any day, punk!"
Action! Drama! Confusion!
While Shannon defends the soldier-base with a convenient duster, Endless Mike and Eccoglyph watch a stunning sneak-scarf-tag on Spidere. Somebody probably got some points for this, somehow.
Here Come Two New Challengers!
Our game attracts passers-by - Donte and Franklin become our newest challengers and friends.
Shannon's unarmed!
If we all rush at once, I think we can take him.
Mystery!
You can't see it, but something awesome is happening over there. We're all very impressed.
Monkey-Style Victory!
"I have the monkey! I win!"
Purple Starburst team go!
Surround the orange heretics!
You...shall not...pass!
But if I don't make it to the south pole in 30 seconds, I'll be forced to speak only in rhyme!
Donte's in trouble
Quick, a new rule!
Basket tossing
The next person to get something in the basket would get twenty points. After some distance tossing of monkey, poof, and Starbust, Spidere eventually won it with a running dunk.
Face/Off
This might have been right before the limbo competition. Frankling out-limboed us all.
Fencing, minus the fences.
Shannon and Momotiki duel with improvised tools. Meanwhile, Spidere's candy-gathering gambit pays off - "Mmmm, Starburst is for me to eat!"
Where's the monkey?
The monkey can cure all sorts of ailments...spinning, hopping on one leg, being frozen, blindfold disease...we learned a lot about the curative properties of monkeys that night.
That Scarf Really Gets Around
"You get extra points for jump roping with the feather duster."
Ultra Combo!
"I have the monkey, the gingerbread man, AND a bandana! I get a million points for jumping rope!"
A Questionable Turn of Events
"This isn't how you play jump rope at all! This is the opposite of good!"
Let there be light!
Either we played so long that the sun started to come up, or there was a police helicopter with a spotlight on us. I can't remember which.
High Speed Rotation
If you squint, you can see many of us spinning in place. Either that, or it's that time when we all briefly became incorporeal. That was pretty cool, too. Until it wore off and I ran into the statue.
PB140064.JPG
More spinning
We SO FAST!
Frozen
Based on the motion blur, I'm guessing that the solid people were frozen. there was a lot of freezing in the game. There was even more hopping on one leg.
I will not play your game...
...unless I get candy! Mmm, candy!
PB140107.JPG
Is this Japan?
Geography is hard
That is /not/ Japan.
Everyone get to land!
Those in the ocean must swim!
Monkey and his tag
A free Monkey next to the tool of his oppressors.
Monkey: off the grid
With The Man's tracking numbers removed, Monkey is free to move about the world un-traced.
14 vote(s)
Blue
5
susy derkins
5
help im a bear
5
Loki
5
Charlie Fish
5
David Zoltan
5
Lincøln
5
JJason Recognition
5
Stu
5
SNORLAX
5
Burn Unit
5
JTony Loves Brains
5
Ricardo Gonzalez
5
Minch
Terms
(none yet)8 comment(s)
Spidere and K prime brought blank nametags for us all at the start of the night, since it was our first time meeting each other as DC0 folk.
For some reason, mine kept coming off, so I made it a mini-game for myself - I couldn't score if my nametag wasn't attached. I'd end up running around somewhere, and then spend another half minute trying to find where my nametag had gotten to.
By the time I had it again, I'd have been hit by a variety of freeze tags, spin tags, one-legged-hopping tags, un-tags, and the sponge ball, dog-toy ball, or jugglign and hackeysack balls that went in and out of play over the course of the game.
It was great.
It is truly excellent that there are so many powerful new players out there right now.
I've got the monkey.
No way, man! I have the monkey! And Doodle Maier's name tag! (The monkey's all incognito, see...)
I don't know--it kind of looks to me like Lank's got the monkey...
Suzy,
I'd just like to point out that there was totally a ball. You can see me badly attempting to contact juggle it in the third picture and in the list of items we bought from the store.
Granted, it was a untraditional ball, but a ball nonetheless.
Oh, yes, FZ! clarified the ball issue already!
If I remember right, untraditionally juggling untraditional balls is mandatory in Calvinball, unless you are wearing your socks on the wrong foot: you really rocked there.
I was confused at first but I guess you can play Calvinball with no ball whatsoever as long as you are in the DC zone.
(...)for the remainder of the game comprising at least three more halves, along with overtime and bonus overtime, and ALL spinning must be done while in bonus overtime, and throwing up is only allowed twice counterclockwise, NO EXCEPTIONS!
(Were the name tags something you were wearing before or you got to stick those while tagging someone? "Got you with a gazillion negative points tag!!!" )