How Do You Play True American From New Girl? The Rules Of True American

If you're a fan of the hit TV show New Girl, then you've probably heard of the famously vague drinking game, True American. This game is a beloved staple of the show and has captured the imaginations of viewers worldwide. However, if you've never played before, the rules can be confusing and intimidating. 

Here we'll explore the rules of True American and explain how to play the game. From setting up to navigating the rules and strategies, we'll guide you through every step of the process. So, grab your beverage of choice and let's dive into the world of True American!

True American is a fictional drinking game that the New Girl characters play together in the first season episode “Normal”. Producer of New Girl Brett Baer hoped to include an entire episode about True American but writers were reluctant to form specific rules and wanted the creative freedom to make it as elaborate as possible. 

According to The AV Club, a version of True American for the 2012 US presidential election was discussed but never made. 

True American made a second appearance in the season two episode “Cooler” and was played with a strip poker version named “Clinton Rules”. The New Girl writers started to do one new True American episode each year.

Fans of New Girl and True American try to summarise the rules online stating that it is a mix of a drinking game and the floor is lava while you have to shout many names of American Presidents. True American came from a New Girl writer who played a similar game while attending college but she couldn’t remember the game’s rules. 

The writers then focused on making the game as funny as possible but only established chanting “JFK! FDR!”. While filming the scenes, the writers would occasionally advise actors to improvise and give them brand-new rules on the spot. It had to look as though the characters had been playing this game for years and years. Fox released an official set of rules for True American, sort of, stating that there are no real rules!

How To Play True American From New Girl

The basic idea is that players move around a room while drinking and avoiding obstacles in order to reach a bottle of liquor in the centre of the room.

1. Set up the game: Place a table in the centre of the room, and surround it with a number of cushions or other soft objects. Place a bottle of liquor or beer in the centre of the table in the Castle. 

2. Set up the castle: The castle consists of cans of beer and a bottle of liquor, with the liquor bottle serving as the king of the castle. The beers represent the pawns, acting as the soldiers of the Secret Order. The pawns are arranged in four lines radiating outward from the king.

3. Room layout: The game area is divided into four zones, and there is an alternate zone known as the "crazy" zone. A trail of chairs, cushions, tables, and other objects is set up through the zones. The floor is considered to be molten lava, and players must utilize these objects to navigate the zones without stepping on the lava. The castle is located in the centre of the zones.

4. Divide into teams: The game is typically played with 4-8 players, who divide into two teams. To form teams, each player holds up a random number of fingers against their forehead. Players are then paired up with those holding one fewer finger than themselves. Any unmatched players can team up as necessary.

5. Start the game: The game begins with a shotgun tip-off. Then, a chosen player leads a chant, "One, two, three, four, JFK!" and all other players respond with "FDR!" At this point, everyone rushes to the centre table, grabs a beer, and stands on the nearest object.

6. Move around the room: Players move around the game area in a clockwise direction. The player whose turn it is always moves one space, while the other players must "win" their moves. The active player has three ways to provide opportunities for others to win their move. 

7. Take turns: Players take turns attempting to earn moves, and there are three actions that can be taken on a turn.

Guessing a common trait: The player names two people or objects that share something in common. The other players then shout out what is in common. Those who guess correctly drink and move.

Doing the count: The player counts "one, two, three" and on the count of four, all players place a number on their heads, similar to team selection. Players with the same number as the active player drink and move.

Completing a quote: The player starts a quote, and all other players try to finish it. Those who complete the quote correctly drink and move.

Don't Forget The Random Rules!

• Everything said in True American is considered a lie.
• When a player finishes their beer, they yell "All trash belongs..." and all others respond with "in the junk yard!" Empty cans are then thrown into a designated receptacle.
• At any point, a player can yell "JFK," and all players must respond with "FDR" while finishing their beers.
• If playing with Clinton Rules, stripping may be involved for failing certain tasks.
• Whenever someone yells "Donald Trump," all players must respond with "Build the Wall" and take a drink.

Winning True American: Once all pawns have been removed, the king becomes vulnerable. The first player to reach one of the centre spaces, finish their beer, and take a swig from the king is declared the winner of the game!

Losing True American: If a player is caught without a beer or only has an empty beer, they lose. Stepping in the molten lava also results in losing. To re-enter the game, the player must drink a full beer and start from a space determined by the other players.

*Note that True American is a drinking game, and should only be played by adults who are of legal drinking age in their country. Players should also drink responsibly, and be aware of their own limits.

There was a promotional New Girl True American bus tour went through 19 American cities in 2012 to promote the show and at this time writers claimed that rather than not knowing the rules for True American, they didn’t really have enough time to write them down. 

Elizabeth Meriwether, the creator of New Girl, agrees that it is much funnier if the rules don’t make any sense. She also suggested fans who would like to play the games themselves just get “really wasted” and “look inside” themselves, “the rules will have been there all along”.

True American has been played once in every season except season 4. Season 1 it was played in Normal, in Season 2 it was played in Cooler, Season 3 it was played in Mars Landing, Season 5 in Wedding Eve.

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