Live-Action Hungry Hungry Hippos!

I've returned from my travels, and now it's time to tell you all about Live-Action Hungry Hungry Hippos, the game I invented and oversaw at this year's Vericon.

To play, you need a table with rims around the edges, and a large number of gumballs. Also, it's good to have some gentle disinfectant and paper towels if lots of different people will be playing on the same surface. It's a game for at least 2 players, with the maximum being determined by the size of the table.

Each player takes 6 gumballs (the smaller the better; I used the 1/2 inch size). At the start of the game, everyone throws their gumballs across the table, and tries to gobble up as many as possible before they're all gone. Players can only use their mouths, but they may move around the table as they please.

The winners are the players who get at least as many gumballs as they want. (Defining the win condition this way is useful, since it prevents people from having to spit out gumballs and count them. Also, it's cool to have a victory condition defined in gustatory terms.)

A dude from Connecticon came by and announced his intention to run Live-Action Hungry Hungry Hippos there, except using cheese balls instead of gumballs. I wish him good luck, and encourage the spread of this wonderful game across the land!