I was introduced to Cosmic Wimpout by Nick (aka Nwimp) one of my best friends in high school. He had learned in boarding school. Way back in 1981 we took the train into Cambridge one day so he could get a set of his own "bones" at the Harvard Coop. He and I played an epic game to 5000 points waiting for the train home from Porter Square. I do not recall who won, but I do remember an elaborate system involving track ballast to keep score. The game quickly spread like wild fire amongst or circle of friends and family.
The game was at the time headquartered out for Greenfield, Massachusetts. Another friend and Wimpout convert, Jim, and I made our pilgrimage to Wimpout HQ and met Jeb. He shared with us many stories about the origins of Cosmic Wimpout. He also solved mystery, that being why the bright round orange stickers were associated with the Grateful Dead. Jeb Explained that they handed out stickers at all the concerts they went to, but it was the Dead Heads who really embraced the stickers. The game, not so much. For quite a time in the 80s it was impossible to go through a toll booth in the North east and not see a Cosmic Wimpout sticker.
The games rules seem a bit convoluted at first. In fact, you may be convinced the person teaching you is making the rules up as they go. Stick with it, soon you’ll understand the basics and will be well on your way to mastering the game.
There are many variations on the rules, so it’s a good idea to thrash them out in advance when you meet a player you are unfamiliar with. To quote the rules that came with my first set of dice, published in 1979: “Part of the game is making up your own rules (as long as all of the players are in agreement).” My son met other players in college and adopted what he refers to as the “Ward Farm rules”, including a limit of three attempts to clear a flash and bumping people when you had the same score. I never really understood the latter and despised the former. But when at Ward Farm you play by their rules! The lesson being to agree in advance.
This game has been part of my family for more than forty years. I’d love to hear from other fellow Cosmic Wimpers! And I hope this travel bug inspires some new folks to try out the game.
Visit https://cosmicwimpout.com/ to learn more, or keep reading
“Wimpout originated in Eugene, Oregon. It was discovered by two travelers who took the game all over the country. Folks in Orgeon, California, Hawaii, Colorado, Illinois, New York and Massachusetts really liked to play.
The Basic game is pretty simple but everywhere people add new rules. It got so all the rules boggled the minds of new players. Teaching a few rules at a time made the game easy to learn, but friends would look at you in a funny way and say, “Hey, come on, you just made that up.” This this rulebook…
After a while the players began to get a little weird. Some of them began to do things like hike up to the top of a beautiful mountain to take in a righteous view only to end up playing Wimpout when they discovered a natural playing surface. On another occasion some especially bold players walked deep into Central Park on Halloween so they could roll under the full moon at midnight.
Anyway, Wimpout is a lot of fun. But its more than an experience, it’s a game.”
From instructions dated 1976 by KBX Associates