A Soulcalibur DRINKING GAME | The Official Rules of Lizardman Shots ™
Some time ago, I listened to the Giant Bombcast regularly. In the “rebuilding” phase of its host website, following the tragic death of co-founder Ryan Davis, the site brought in fresh voices to their crew. One of those was notorious rascal and all-around enigma Dan Ryckert. I believe that at some point on the Bombcast, Dan mentioned playing a drinking game in college called “Lizardman Shots” that involved then-current Dreamcast fighting game Soul Calibur. I have looked up and down to find this wayward reference and have been unable to, but I know it came up at some point. I don’t believe that the rules of this game were mentioned, or if they were I was so nonplussed by them that I concocted my own. This game was played many times throughout my heady college days and most of those times I remember vividly and fondly. I sometimes think back to the old friends I shared shots of Jim Beam with over a stained coffee table in a completely middle-of-the-road apartment and hope, in that faint way, that wherever they are, they are well.
Soul Calibur is a one-on-one fighting game. In the game, a not well-defined but still very melodramatic narrative plays out across the various arcade endings of each character. Beating the Arcade mode unlocks a new character for use throughout the rest of the game. The third time you do this, you unlock a character named Lizardman who is a lizard man. I think that that is exceptionally hilarious, and the idea of a drinking game centered around Lizardman was the most appealing thing in the world.
This is the official ruleset for “Lizardman Shots,” a drinking game that can ONLY be played alongside the original Soul Calibur. So dig out a Dreamcast (or check out Redream, it’s a fantastic program) and your spirit of choice because, by the end of this night of debauchery, you’ll find that THE SOUL STILL BURNS.
SET UP:
The game is played by two players, each controlling a fighter in Soul Calibur.
Prepare a number of shots. You don’t want to pause the action to pour more too often. I recommend eight, with four set aside for each player. Preferably these are ominously placed in front of them.
Start Soul Calibur and select “Team Battle” from the main menu.
Choose a number of characters for your team. The game allows as few as one and as many as eight. True Lizardman aficionados always choose eight.
Select “Random” on the character select portion of the screen.
This makes it so that ALL of the characters on your team are randomized. And, most importantly, you don’t know who you have on your team until they are revealed in the fight itself.
HONORABLE COMBAT:
Whenever a player’s character is revealed to be Lizardman, they take a shot.
Whenever a player’s character is revealed to be Sophitia, they take a shot. 1️⃣
Whenever both players enter a fight with the same character (colloquially known as a “Mirror Match”), they must both take a shot at the beginning of that fight. The loser must take an additional shot when the battle has concluded.
If both players enter into a Mirror Match with either Lizardman or Sophitia (but not one of each), they both take a shot at the beginning of the fight AND at the end as a sign of Lizard brotherhood/sisterhood.
If Inferno or Edge Master (called “Mimic Characters” 2️⃣) start a round with either Lizardman’s or Sophitia’s weapon, that counts as a reveal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
A character is “revealed” whenever they first appear on their team. So, when the Team Battle match starts, both players have their first characters “revealed.” If Player A beats Player B, then B’s second character appears and is “revealed.” Player A is NOT revealing the same character they just won with.
1️⃣ Lizardman is a “clone” character of Sophitia, meaning his moves are basically just hers with a different skin. Jokingly, a shot consumed due to her reveal is called a “Lady Lizardman shot.”
2️⃣ Mimic Characters (Inferno and Edge Master in this game) are fighters who have no original style and instead change to one of the other characters’ move sets every round. For the purposes of Lizardman Shots, a Mimic Character mimicking either Lizardman or Sophitia is grounds for a shot as if that character had been revealed.
OPTIONAL HOUSE RULES:
Additional players can join in the fun by declaring themselves “Soul Mates” of one of the players of the game itself. This means they must take a shot whenever their Soul Mate does.
So, if Players A and B are about to play Lizardman Shots and C is watching but wants to participate, they can declare themselves a Soul Mate of A OR B (we’ll say they choose A for this example). Every single time A takes a shot, C must take one as well.
In addition, Soul Mates may dramatically declare that “THE SOUL STILL BURNS” every time they take a shot.
If partners are present, perhaps for a couples’ night or some such event, Lady Lizardman shots can alternatively be taken by the partners of the actual players (regardless of gender).
If anyone in the room criticizes the overtly sexual appearance of any of the characters, they must leave the party and compose a Kotaku think piece as atonement for being that person when we’re all just trying to have a good time come on.