Zoom schwartz profigliano

Zoom Schwartz Profigliano is a verbal "tag" drinking game with many variations. One player at a time is active ("it"). The active player states a command from a predefined set of words, which typically include "zoom," "schwartz," and "profigliano." The command shifts active status to another player, 'tagging' them. Play continues until a player fouls by giving a command when not active, by failing to give a command promptly when active, or in some cases by giving a command which is prohibited by the current state of the game. The game lends itself to bluffing where the active player uses nonverbal communication to suggest that someone else is active. In a high speed game a player might give a command passing active status to one player while looking at a different player, confusing the situation.

General Overview

Figliano requires at least four players, with six to eight optimum. The first player holds an imaginary "zork". They pass it by looking at another player and stating one of the accepted calls. The zork is given to the person defined by the word chosen. The zork is passed either to the person looked at or to another player that was previously richocheed off of in the prior pass, depending upon the word used. During play, only passage words are allowed to be spoken.

Figliano is often a drinking game where a player who fouls must take a drink. In non-drinking forms the fouling player is simply embarrassed. Either way the fouling player starts the next round. There is also a children's version where a break in the conversation eliminates the player. The games can have as few commands as the basic "Zoom", "Schwartz" and "Profigliano", but some variations have as many as fifteen commands.

Some variants also have motions which must be made along with the command. Other versions describe the game as players passing around an imaginary ball of energy, a version also used as an improvisation game, where the object is to get the 'ball of energy' moving around the circle as fast as possible.

Calls

Zoom—This call is for passing the 'zork' to the person the caller looks at. It is a foul to call zoom to a player already being engaged.

Schwartz—This call is for passing back to the person currently being engaged with. It is a foul to look away when calling schwartz.

Figliano—A contracted version of Profigliano. It is a no-look or look pass back to the person you are currently engaged with.

Alternate calls and rules

Zoom—Passes the 'zork' to the person being pointed at. Only someone directly to the active player's right or left can be 'zoomed'.

Schwartz—Passes the 'zork' to the person opposite the one being pointed at. Only someone directly to the active player's right or left can be 'schwartzed'.

Mifigliano—Passes the 'zork' to the person the active player points to. Only someone not directly to your right or left can be called with 'mifigliano'.

No Dice- Sends the Pass back to the person "it." One may not say no dice if there have been two "no dices" in a row just previously and one can not "no dice" who has just been "no diced" twice in a row.

Strategy

Techniques to stimulate a mistake by another include: using all six words instead of only a few, constantly changing who the 'it' player is looking at, and varying the speed.

The game lends itself to coaxing a non-active player into speaking a command word by looking at them with expectation of a response when speaking a command word or visualizing an expectation of a response from a non-active player who was looked at in the last pass.

The player starting the round must start by stating the name of the game (Zoom-Schwartz-Profigliano in this case) and must start with the first command (Zoom in this case).

Variations

A vastly more complicated game called ′Remier League can include up to seven games in one, one of which is called "Zoom" and is similar to Figliano. Any combination of the seven games can be announced by the chairman. There are eleven universal rules, as well as a prohibition against explaining rules.

Another version has the players kneeling in a circle with their cups of drink in front of them and a pitcher of refill in the center of the circle. It differs from Figliano in that there are no spoken commands; each player chooses a "name" which is given as a gesture or hand sign (Native American stereotypes like "Running Deer" are often used, leading to this variation being known as "Indian". At the start of play, each player gives their chosen sign and explains its meaning. At the start of a round, one player is chosen to be "it". To begin a round, all the players begin slapping their thighs; optionally, they can yell or cry out inarticulately ("war whoops") to try to distract others. The person who is "it" gives their sign and the sign of another player. The owner of that sign must pick it up, i.e., give their own sign and the sign of another player. If a player fails to pick up their sign, anyone who is not "it" may indicate this by pointing with their elbow. Any player who commits a foul must chug their drink, then refill their cup. Fouls consist of the following: failing to pick up your sign when given, failure to pass on a sign, passing on an unrecognizable or invalid sign (as when a player has left the game), pointing at another player with anything other than an elbow or speaking actual words when a round is in progress. When play is interrupted, all fouling players must chug their drink, but the first one to foul becomes "it" for the next round.

Possible origins

The first play of the game may have been at Penn State University in 1914. Correspondence from a Mr. Millman at the then Beta Sigma Rho fraternity to Millman (unrelated) documented the game.^{[citation needed]}

Others say Zoom was brought to Ventura College in California in 1971 by Kelly Weaverling, a former Navy submarine sailor who claimed the game originated by the Navy submarine crew he worked with. Kelly taught the game to the technical students at Ventura College. One of them was Jerry Crow, who brought it with him to San Diego State University and taught it to co-workers in the Program Department of the Student Union on that campus.^{[citation needed]}

Zoom Schwartz Profigliano was actively played at the University of California at Davis starting in 1976 and included the commands "Beefeater," which passed the "it" to the active player's left, and "Beutermann," which passed the "it" to the active player's right. This was normally done with bluffing to further enhance the game.

A complex version of the game was present at Dartmouth College in the late 70s (when it was introduced is unknown), particularly at Tabbard and Alpha Theta fraternities. In addition to 'zoom' and 'schwartz', calls included 'boint' (zoom with a headfake), 'mafigliano' (schwartz with a headfake), mergatroid (1 left), [?? 1 right], 'shripe' (2 left), 'dort' (2 right), 'beaver' (3 left), 'zunt' (3 right), and mephistopheles (directly across).

See also

• Zip Zap Zop is a similar party game.
• Silent football is a similar party game.

References

• Game Description on BBC h2g2
• "The Rules of Sprodzoom" by Gareth Rees and Simon Arrowsmith
• "The Great Quux Poem Collection" by the Great Quux includes poems about the game written in January 1977. This represents the earliest documented evidence of the game.