Do you guys remember pogs? That fun little game where you stacked up a bunch of cardboard coin-like things and hit them with a slammer?
time for some copy pasta
Pogs is a game that was popularized during the early 1990s. The word "pog" also refers to the discs used to play the game. The name originates from POG, a brand of juice made from passionfruit, orange and guava; the use of the POG bottle caps to play the game pre-dated the game's commercialization. The game of pogs possibly originated in Hawaii (Maui, Hawaii) in the 1920s or 1930s, or possibly with origins in a game from much earlier: Menko, a Japanese card game very similar to pogs, has been in existence since the 17th century. Pogs returned to popularity when the World POG Federation and the Canada Games Company reintroduced them to the public in the 1990s. The pog fad soared, and peaked in the mid 1990s before rapidly fading out.
GameplayRules may vary among players, but the game variants generally have common gameplay features. Each player has their own collection of pogs and a slammer, a heavier game piece often made of metal or a thick plastic.[4] However, metal pogs were not allowed in some games because they were too heavy and knocked too many pogs over too quickly, thus giving the player with the first turn an unfair advantage. Before the game, players decide whether to play 'for keeps', or not. 'For keeps' implies that the players keep the POGs that they win and forfeit those that have been won by other players. The game can then begin as follows:
1. The players each contribute an equal number of pogs to build a stack with the pieces facing down, which will be used during the game.
2. The players take turns throwing their slammer (heavy rubber, metal or plastic cylinder shaped piece, with different textures and colors) down onto the top of the stack, causing it to spring up and the pogs to scatter. Each player keeps any pogs that land 'face up' after their throw.
3. After each throw, the pogs which have landed 'face down' are then re-stacked for the next player.
4. When no pogs remain in the stack, the player with the most pogs is the 'winner'.
Players would keep any pogs collected during the game, if you were playing for keeps.
Not just for fun, for military use as well!The Army and Air Force Exchange Service, the United States Department of Defense's largest and oldest exchange system, distributes pog-like coinage as change at its stores in contingency areas (those supporting Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom). The reason for adopting pogs as currency was that supply flights overseas had limited capacity and air-freight shipping involved high costs. Metal coinage weighs significantly more than paper pogs, which are also much thinner than standard pogs. However, since only Congress can order US currency made and the pogs stay within the AAFES system, they are "gift certificates" instead of currency. While they are only issued in contingency areas, they are redeemable at any AAFES store worldwide.
I used to play this stuff all the time as a little kid. I wonder what happened to my old collection, they might be at my grandmas house. I'll be sure to look for them next time I'm there.