Slammers Creepers & Pods is a team game requiring at least 4 people, though 8 to 14 players is an optimal range.
Contents
Items Needed
You will need a rectangular table and a quarter dollar coin.
Set Up
- Players divide into two equal teams and appoint a team captain. Only instructions from the captains are honored.
- Teams sit facing each other at a table.
- Toss a coin to decide which team goes first.
Play
The team that won the coin toss hides their hands and passes the quarter under the table, careful not to let the opposing team know who has the quarter. Once they have had enough time (15 to 30 seconds or so), the opposing team's captain calls, "hands up!" at which point all the players on the passing team put their fists up with their elbows on the table. The opposing team's captain quickly consults with his team and calls either, "slammers", "creepers" or "pods". The team with the quarter then slams, creeps, or pods their hands in unison onto the table. The passing team is not allowed to talk until hands are in place so as to give the opposing team players a chance to listen for the clink of the quarter.
Slammers
The team holds closed hands above the table and slams them down together with palms and fingers flat on the table’s surface. If you have the quarter you must do this without letting the opposite team know you have it.
Creepers
The creeping movement begins at the corner of the table slowly opening your fingers until palm and fingers are flat on the table. Again, the location of the quarter should be concealed.
Pods
To form pods, the players place only their finger tips on the table. The player holding the quarter must pinch it in his or her palm in order to conceal it.
With the quarter in play and hands either slammed, crept, or podded, the opposing team tries to find the quarter through process of elimination. Team members help the team captain as he or she tells individual members of the passing team to reveal their hands. Only one hand is revealed at a time. The guessing team hopes to save the quarter hand for last. Once the quarter is revealed, the number of hands still hidden on the table equals the number of points removed from the guessing team's score. The quarter is then transferred to the opposing team and the roles are reversed. A new captain is chosen each round.
Scoring
Both teams start at zero. If the guessing team successfully reveals only empty hands, thus saving the quarter hand for last, they remain at their current score. However, if they reveal the quarter early, then they are penalized and must add the points equal to the number of hands still hidden on the table. Similar to golf, the winning team is the one with the fewest points after both teams have had equal chances to pass the quarter.