To do a kick off, the receiver stands at the foot of the table and the kicker stands at the opposite end of the table with the ball in hand. To kick off, the kicker tries to ...
RULEBOOK www.flipball.com
Introduction Welcome to Flipball – Hardcore Beer Football! For the record, this is not a typical drinking game. This is a serious strategy game. We have worked really hard to take everything that we love from football strategy and shrink it down into what is in essence a board game that uses beer pong to pass and flip cup to run. We assume you already know how to play football and that you know all the rules and strategies. If you don’t then go learn that first, cause you will never understand this otherwise. I am going to say it again, this is not a typical drinking game. This is not a mindless game to get drunk, this is the Chess of drinking games. Every part of the game has been very carefully thought out to allow for many strategies for both Offense and Defense. Please avoid the temptation to change the rules because they don’t suit you or frustrate you. The rules were very carefully thought out to create the foundation for an infinite amount of scenarios and situations that mimic real football and just like in real football, just when you think you can predict what will happen next something crazy happens. Enjoy!
If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments please message us on our Facebook page: Facebook.com/Flipball
What you need to play To play Flipball you will need the following things:
A Flipball table 7 red party cups A ping pong ball A coin 2 playing pieces (these can be anything, we usually just use two empty beers) Some friends (two teams of 1-4 players each) A lot of beer
The Flipball Table Thank you for purchasing an official Flipball table! We have put a lot of effort into designing the perfect game layout. All the distances and numbers were carefully thought out and put through hours and hours of testing (which was awesome) to ensure the game plays out with proper Football strategy and rules. The table is a standard 2 foot by 8 foot beer pong table and is divided into three sections.
Playing Area This area consists of the center circles and the bottom part of the table. This section is where all the passing and running is done. Field Goal Area This is the left side of the table. This section is for kicking field goals and punting. The Field This is the right side of the table. This section is for keeping track of where the ball is on the field.
Table Design It is a standard 2 foot by 8 foot Beer Pong Table with this awesome graphic on top.
Setting up the Game Before you can play, you have to set everything up like so: 1. Take 5 red party cups and fill them each with about 1.5 inches of water. Place 4 of these cups on the center circles, these are the Receiver Cups. The 5th cup is the Running Back Cup. Place this cup anywhere behind the line of scrimmage. 2. Place the Flipball (ie. Ping Pong Ball) on the line of scrimmage. Use a bottle cap or the tab of a beer can to hold the ball in place. 3. Use the coin as the down marker. Keeping track of what down you are on after a case of beer is a nightmare, this will help a lot. 4. Place the playing pieces in opposite ends of the field. 5. The other 2 red party cups are the Defense and Quarterback cups. These are the drinking cups.
Ok, now that you are set up, I am going to explain all the different game actions you can do.
Offense During any play there is only ever two people playing. One person is the Defense and the other is the Quarterback/Offense. The Quarterback will play at the foot of the table in the white offense area and the Defender will play on the left side of the table in the white defense area.
Running Screw walking, let’s go straight to learning how to run. Whenever you have the ball, you can run with it until you get tackled by the defense. This is done by a game of Flip Cup. Both the Defender and Quarterback have a red party cup with a shot of beer. They drink the beer and then the Quarterback tries to do as many flip cups as they can before the Defender does one to “tackle” them. The number of flip cups done is equal to running the following yards: 0 Flips = 0 yards 1 Flips = 3 yards 2 Flips = 9 yards 3 Flips = 30 yards 4 Flips = Touchdown Think about it like this. If both players are rockstars at Flip Cup then this is a zero sum game but if the Defense fucks up, think of it as slipping a tackle in Football. If a runner can slip 4 tackles that’s usually a touchdown run.
Passing Unless you are kicking, all plays start with a pass. The Quarterback must snap the ball and throw it into one of the cups. Each cup is worth a following yards: Running Back Cup = 0 yards Receiver Cup 1 = 3 yards Receiver Cup 2 = 9 yards Receiver Cup 3 = 30 yards Receiver Cup 4 = Touchdown Hey, these are the same numbers as in running! The numbers are also written on the table next to the Receiver Cups, so that makes it easy to remember. If the pass is completed, then the player can run. The total yardage gained is the sum of the passing yards plus the running yards. For example, if the Quarterback snaps the ball and throws it into Receiver Cup 1 (3 yards) and then drinks his beer and does 2 flip cups before getting tackled (9 yards), then that is a total gain of 3 + 9 = 12 yards. Think of it as if the Quarterback throws a short pass and then the receiver manages to slip 2 tackles for a 12 yard gain.
If the pass is incomplete, then that is a pass incomplete, obviously. Loss of down. And that is basically the game. This combination of passing and running allows for many different offensive strategies. Do you want to risk the long bomb touchdown pass or do you want to do short safe passes to move the chains? You decide.
Kicking Kicking is very important part of Football. Whether you are kicking for Field Goal points, punting on 4th down or Kicking Off to start the game, you will use the left side of the table for kicking. Here’s how.
Punting To kick a punt, you must get into “Punt Formation”. To do that, you move the Running Back Cup to the “Punt Circle”. To punt, the Quarterback/Kicker will snap the ball and try to throw it into the Running Back Cup. Whether or not he gets it in, the punt is a 40 yard kick.
Where it gets interesting is if he does get it in, then it is a fair catch and that is where the other team takes possession. If he misses, then the Defender/Receiver can return the punt. In this situation the Defender becomes the runner and tries to do as many flip cups as they can before the Quarterback does one and tackles them. (see running)
Field Goal To kick a field goal, you must get into “Field Goal Formation”. To do that, you move the Running Back Cup into the Field Goal Area and place it behind the line corresponding to the distance you are from the goal. For example, if you are 35 yards from the goal then you place the cup behind the 35 yard line.
To kick the field goal, the Quarterback will snap the ball and try to throw it into the cup. It is 3 points if they get it in and loss of possession if they don’t.
Kickoff To do a kick off, the receiver stands at the foot of the table and the kicker stands at the opposite end of the table with the ball in hand. To kick off, the kicker tries to throw the ball into the Running Back Cup which is behind the line of scrimmage.
If the kicker gets it in, then it is a touchback and the receiver takes possession on the 20. If the kicker doesn’t get it in, then the receiver catches the ball on the 20 yard line and can return the kick. In this case the receiver becomes the runner and tries to do as many flip cups as they can before the kicker can run over to his beer (which is in the defense area) and tackle him.
Onside Kick An onside kick is setup the same as a kick off, except that the Running Back Cup is in the “Punt Circle” instead of behind the line of scrimmage. The kicker must throw the ball into the cup and then run over to his beer (which is in the defense area) and do a flip cup. The receiver can do their flip cup as soon as the ball is thrown, which gives them a big advantage. The first player to do a flip cup gets possession of the ball on the 50 yard line.
Defense Defense is a very important part of this game and you can develop a lot of strategy here, especially if you can predict what the Quarterback is going to do. The Defender does not have to wait for the Quarterback to throw the pass, they can go for the tackle as soon as the Quarterback snaps the ball. This gives the Defense an advantage in the flip cup races and if you have a solid flip cup game then you will run a very strong defense. For example, if the Quarterback snaps the ball and throws it to Receiver Cup 1 (3 yards) and the Defense immediately tackles him. That is a gain of 3 + 0 = 3 yards.
Pass Interception Pass interceptions are rare but awesome, usually due to a fluke bounce or a good read by the Defender. To do a pass interception, after the quarterback snaps the ball, the Defender must drink their beer, put their cup back down in the Defense area and then catch the ball before it either hits the floor or bounces on the table twice.
Going for the interception puts pressure on the Quarterback to snap, aim and throw quickly otherwise the interception will be very easy to make. For example, the Quarterback has to snap the ball, aim and then pass. If this takes more than a couple of seconds the Defense is going to intercept or at least smack that pass down. This pressure is what makes the game intense.
Blitz A Blitz occurs when the Quarterback hands it off to the Running Back Cup and tries to run but the Defender gets the first flip cup before the QB does. This is a sack and the offense loses 2 yards.
If you are going to run, you better be fast!
Blocking a Field Goal This is similar to a Pass Interception. To Block a Field Goal, when the Quarterback goes for the field goal, the Defender must drink their beer, put their cup back down in the Defense area and then block the ball from going in the cup.
Like a pass interception, this puts pressure on the Quarterback to throw and maybe miss the kick.
Penalties You can’t play Football without penalties!
Offside The Defender is not allowed to touch their cup until the Quarterback snaps the ball. If the Defender touches the cup than it is an offside penalty. The Quarterback can take advantage of this by faking the snap to draw the Defender offside. This rule is awesome. 5 yard penalty defense.
False Start When the Quarterback is snapping the ball, if they touch the ball and fail to pick it up, it is a false start penalty. This usually happens when the Quarterback is drunk and trying to draw the Defender offside. 5 yard penalty offense.
Pass Interference If the Defender is going for a Pass Interception and they touch or catch the ball but failed to place their cup 100% in the Defense area after drinking their beer then it is Pass Interference. Penalty is half the distance to the goal.
Roughing the Kicker If the Defender is trying to Block the Field Goal and they touch or catch the ball but failed to place their cup 100% in the Defense area after drinking their beer then it is a roughing the kicker penalty. 15 yard penalty and automatic first down.
The Field The most important part of the game is the Field. This is where you keep track of where the ball is on the Field and without this you would not be able to play. This can be a little tricky but I will do my best to explain it.
Moving the Offense The Offenses playing piece marks where the ball is on the Field. For example, if the Offense has the ball on their 25 yard line then you place the Offense playing piece behind that line on the Field. The Defenses playing piece marks where the first down marker is. For example, if the Offense is on the offense 25 yard line, then you would put the Defense playing piece 10 yards away on the 35 yard line. After each play, the Offense playing piece moves on the field and the Defense playing piece stays put. Using the previous examples, if the Offense gains 6 yards, then you would move the Offense playing piece forward 6 yards to their 31 yard line and the Defense playing piece would stay put on the 35 yard line. This clearly shows that the Offense is 4 yards away from a first down.
Moving the Chains If the Offense playing piece moves past the Defense playing piece, then the Defense playing piece would be repositioned 10 yards away to mark the new first down spot. Using the previous example, if the Offense again gains 6 yards, then you would move the Offense playing piece 6 yards to their 37 yard line (this is 2 yards past the Defense playing piece, which is a first down) and you would reposition the Defensive playing piece 10 yards away on the offense 47 yard line to show where the new first down spot is.
Change of Possession To change possession, you place the Defense playing piece where the Offense playing piece is and they become the new Offense going in the opposite direction, the old Offense playing piece now becomes the first down marker and is placed 10 yards away from the new Offense.
Receiving a Punt When the Offense punts, you move the Offense playing piece forwards 40 yards and then do the Change of Possession as described above.
Playing the Game Alright that’s it! Now you know how to play, that wasn’t that hard… was it? Don’t worry it takes a couple games to get all the above to sink in but once it does it becomes second nature. It’s like Chess. It takes a while to learn how all the pieces move but once you get it you start developing all types of different strategies based on different situations. In this case it’s Football strategy! Seriously just do what you would do in a game of football and you will have a lot of fun. Ok, now let’s play a game!
Teams The game is played between two team of 1-4 players per team. The ideal game is 2 on 2. There is no turn order in the game. Each team picks who they want to play for each down. For example, the same player can play 10 straight downs because they are on fire. Or you could have one guy on your team play offense and the other defense. Or have one guy always do the kicks. It doesn’t matter, the strategy of turn order is up to your team.
Playing a Down These are the steps to play a down: 1. Put the ball on the line of scrimmage 2. Put a shot of beer in the Defense and Quarterback cups 3. Decide if you are going to Pass, Punt, or Field Goal and put the Running Back Cup in the proper position. 4. Snap the ball and play the down 5. Move the player pieces on the Field according to the results of the play 6. Move the down marker coin 7. Repeat
Red Zone Rule We added this rule to make the game more exciting when you are in the Red Zone. The rule is that when the Offense is within 20 yards of the Goal (the Red Zone). The Quarterback is not allowed to do two 3 yard passes in a row. If he does it counts as a Pass Incomplete and a loss of the down.
Touchdown and 2 point conversion A Touchdown is worth 6 points and you can either take an automatic extra point to make it 7 or go for a 2 point conversion. A 2 point conversion is one attempt to get a touchdoqwn from the 2 yard line but the Quarterback cannot use the 3 yard pass cup because that would be too easy.
That’s it, let’s play Flipball! Alright now you are ready to play. I suggest not playing with a Game Clock until everyone knows how to play. Just play first to 11 or 21 points instead. It is still a lot of fun.
Game Clock Making decisions based on how much time is left in the game is really what Football strategy is all about. For example, if you are in the lead you might want to run the clock by doing just safe 3 yard passes down the field, or perhaps you are in the opposite situation and are behind with little time and are forced to go for the Hail Mary touchdown pass for the win. The game clock is what makes the game super exciting and strategic. The game is four quarters long. An ideal time is 10 minutes per quarter but you can adjust this based on your skill level. There is no official Play Clock but you should not take more than 15 seconds to set up in between plays. The Game Clock runs continuously throughout the game, except it is stopped/paused when:
There is a Touchdown or Field Goal It is the end of a quarter It is the 2 minute warning in the 2nd or 4th quarter
While the clock is paused in these situations, there is a short break to strategize with your team. The clock is started before the next play. Each half starts with a kick off.
Time Outs Each team has 3 time outs per half. A team can call a time out anytime in between downs. When you call a time out, you pause the game clock and the Offense plays a full down with the clock paused. The clock is then restarted before the snap of the following down. This allows for some interesting strategies, use your time outs wisely!
Game Clock APP Coming soon!!
FYI we love feedback! If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments please message us on our facebook page: www.facebook.com/Flipball
