I had the incredible fortune to play “Washers” the other day for the first time-and let me tell you- it was an experience like no other. There are several variations to Washers, but game I played consisted of throwing giant ring-like metallic “Washers” into a box with three holes worth one, two, and three points each respectively. (According to the Official Washers page, usually the Washers are thrown into a pit, but this version was much more portable.)
The point system we used seemed like a strange and unusual combination between Shuffleboard or a card game of 21 or 31. The objective of the game (as described to me) was to reach 21 points without going over, which is, of course, easier said than done.
My game was complicated by the fact that I had already drank a few cheap beers, and couldn’t understand the finer rules of the game, such as who should go first after each turn, primarily because the turns seemed to alternate without rhyme nor reason, despite who won the previous throw or not. I was then informed (politely) that arguing about the rules was also part of the game, but was unclear about how exactly the arguments were factored into the score, which also appeared to have been decided with somewhat fuzzy math.
None of this took away from the enjoyment of the game; in fact, I would say that it added to it. The worst frustration for me was learning how to throw correctly without looking like an idiot. Once I got over my fear of absolutely hurling the Washers over the wooden box structure and onto the TV playing in the background in the shed, I felt more confident about my throwing ability even though I am sure my aim was little more than random.
Another sad moment came for me during the game when I realized that I had rudely failed to collect the Washers of the opposing team member, which is a faux pas that I should have learned from bar games.
(It also should be noted that the "box" I was throwing into was higher off the ground with the holes at a 45-degree angle, which probably makes it easier to get the Washers in.)
Washers stands out from other games because of the ease it takes to set it up (getting the boxes straight and level is next to impossible, but should take no more than two minutes at the absolute most), because it is played outside, and because of its mobility- all you have to do is throw the boxes and the Washers in the back of your car, truck, or mini-van and is the ideal "bar game" that can be instead played outside.