So, my group of friends and I decided we wanted to try playing True American from the show 'New Girl' (if you haven't seen it GO WATCH IT.) 

But all the rules on other sites seemed a bit bitty, so we amalgamated them into this one beautiful document! It may seem a bit confusing at first, but once you get into the swing of things and once you've drunk your first couple of cans, it definitely starts to make more sense ;)

We added our own adjustments, so feel free to make your own as well. You get a feel for what works as you go along, and certain things work better with different numbers of people.

Enjoy! :D JFK!

How to Play 'True American' from New Girl

GAME PREP:

ARRANGE DRINK: Arrange the cans around the bottle of spirit. The cans are Pawns of the Secret Order, the bottle is the King, and the arrangement is called the Castle. The Pawns are lined up in four lines radiating outward from the King. The game ends when all of the Pawns have been removed and a player drinks from the King. (You pick how much you want to drink)

SET UP GAME AREA: Decide on 4 Zones, and arrange platforms (chairs, buckets, anything) in patterns through them. The Castle is in the middle of the zones. (See picture below) You must follow the chair path through the zones. The floor is molten lava. You must use these objects to traverse the zones without stepping in the lava. 

SETUP ZONES: There are four zones, each with five spaces where a player can stand. The centre space in each zone is the only space where the Pawns can be taken and thus it is the closest space to the Castle. There are a total of four of these spaces. The spaces at the beginning and end of the zones are the farthest away from the Castle.

Before the game starts, determine how many cans in total should be consumed and setup the Castle with those cans as the Pawns. Using the lines of Pawns as barriers between the zones; designate each zone, making sure to have 5 spaces in each zone as described above.

DECIDE ON TEAM/FREE FOR ALL: You can do team play or free for all play. If you choose free for all, whoever reaches the King first wins. If you choose team play, only one person on your team has to reach the finish.

To choose teams, count down from 3, and on 0 raise your right hand to your forehead, displaying a number from 1 to 5. Anyone with the same number of fingers as you is on your team. Unmatched players can team up as needed. 

START THE GAME:   

To start, someone shotguns a Pawn (can). This person chants first. (If no player wisher to shotgun, play rock-paper-scissors instead.)

The starting player chants “One, two, three, four, JFK!” and all other players yell “FDR!” at which point everyone runs to the castle, grabs a pawn (a can) and picks the nearest platform to stand on. The floor is now lava. 

LAVA: Touching the lava causes you to lose, meaning you have to go back to the first platform of the zone you are in.

GAMEPLAY: Players move around the game area in a clockwise direction. The player whose turn it is always moves one space and drinks; however, the other players must “win” their moves. When everyone is quiet, standing, and not drinking or moving, the player who is next to chant has a few ways to provide the other players with a way to win their move:

• Guessing a common trait: The player names two people, places or objects that have something in common. The other players then yell out what is the common factor. Any other player(s) that can reply with what these two things have in common wins. Winners may drink and move three spots. If you don’t know anything in common, you don’t get to drink or move.
• Doing the count: (only works with fewer players) The player counts “one, two, three” and on four, all players put a number on their head similar to how teams are picked. Anyone holding a number that no one else has chosen wins and gets to drink. Winners may move one spot. If your number has partners, you don’t drink or move.
• Completing a quote: The player may speak slowly a quote from history or pop culture and all other players attempt to finish the quote. Any other player that is able to jump in and complete the quote in tandem wins and drinks. Winners may move two spots.
• Archaism: The player says a well-known lyric in ridiculously archaic language and the other players attempt to shout out the song. Eg. “Remove thineself from my path, wench, step aside, step aside” = ‘Move bitch, get out the way, get out the way’. Winners move one spot.

The order of chanting goes round the circle person by person.

N.B:

- Once you get the hang of it you can also add in extra ways to earn moves yourselves.

- When playing with lots of people it is often easier for winners to move just one space, regardless of how they won their move.

ADDITIONAL RULES:

• When a player finishes their beer, they yell “All trash belongs…” and all other players yell “in the junk yard!” at which point empty cans are thrown into a designated receptacle in a certain zone. They move forward one space and everyone then drinks.
• A player may yell “JFK” at any time at which point everyone must yell “FDR” and finish their beer. If you finish your drink you may move forward one spot.
• The chanter always drinks and moves one space.
• Players must always have a beer in their hand and may not have more than three at any one time.
• Players may only take a Pawn from the Castle when they are in one of the four centre spaces.
• If you move or drink when you’re not supposed to, you go back to the beginning of the Zone you’re in.

WINNING: After all Pawns have been removed, the King is vulnerable. The first player to land on one of the centre spaces, finish their beer and take a swig from the King, wins the game! If you reach the King, you have to take a drink from the King to win. If you can’t, go back to the beginning of your Zone.

LOSING: If you are caught without a pawn or with only an empty can, you lose. If you step in the molten lava or move/drink when you’re not supposed to, you lose. (Optional: To enter back into the game, drink one full beer and start on a space that the other players decide.)

Concise Playing Rules

The Essentials:

• To win, you must drink from the King once all the Pawns have been removed.
• You lose if:

a)      You touch the lava

b)      You are caught without a pawn/with an empty can

c)       You move or drink when you’re not supposed to

You must then go back to the beginning of your zone.

• To win moves: (Chanter and winners always drink)

a)      Common trait – 3 spots

b)      Count – 1 spot

c)       Quote – 2 spots

d)      Archaism – 1 spot

• When a player finish a can, yell “All trash belongs…” and all other players yell “in the junk yard!” and throw can away. They move forward one space and everyone drinks.
• A player may yell “JFK” at any time at which point everyone must yell “FDR” and drink.
• Players must always have a beer in their hand and may not have more than three at any one time.

Jess: So, it's 50% drinking game, 50% life-size Candy Land.

Schmidt: Well, it's more like 75 drinking, 20 Candy Land, and by the way the floor is molten lava.

Winston: It's actually 90% drinking and then it's got a loose Candy Land-like structure to it.

Remember everything you hear in True American is a lie.