Fizzbin (game)

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Fizzbin is the card game that Jim Kirk made up to distract the bad guys in the Star Trek original series episode "A Piece of the Action." The game's main feature appears to be that it was filled with nonsense rules and haphazard play.

One of the running jokes in the zine Fizbin was the many creative ways of spelling the game: Fisbin, Fizzbin, Fyzbin, Fizben, Phizbin, Fysbhin, and F'zb'n (which the editors note is the "Andorian word for Schatkopt, and ancient German game with similar rules. It's in Hoyle's: look it up.").

Fandom and Fizzbin Creative Works

Used as a Methaphor

At least one fan used it in 1979 as a metaphor for randomness and a convoluted lack of logic by Bantam Books and their impossible Star Trek Tie-in Novel rules. See Let's calculate the 'score' for Bantam and see if they can be said to have 'won' the Fizzbin game so far. by Jean Stevenson.

A fan in 1979 took issue with The Roddenberry Footnote and its vagueness, saying

Captain Bullshit indeed! After reading Kirk's comments on "the lovers rumor" in STTMP, I have reached the conclusion that we have been treated to a contradictory, off-the-subject display of doubletalk which leaves fizzbin pale by comparison.[1]

Ruth Berman uses fizzbin as an illustration of Kirk's tendency to make elaborate lies:

[Look at] our old friend, Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise, who really is a manipulative hero, and glances back with amusement over his shoulder when he's chewed out a crewman to see if the crewman was suitably impressed by the captain's rage. [...] Kirk enjoys telling wildly elaborate lies, whenever he can come up with a sufficiently good excuse for it. (Remember Fizzbin? or the mechanical rice-picker?) [2]

Included in Stories

Other fans included the game in stories.

This is often, but not always, a sort of planetary strip poker.

  • You May Deny by Jean L. Stevenson (Spock teaches T'Pring to play the game.) (1979)
  • Rejected Tryst by T'Rhys ("Kirk and Spock play Fizzbin, the Legion West version. But the game is short, and they move on to other more important business." (1999)
  • Fizbin by Eleanor Locke ("It’s the night before James Kirk is to take command of his new ship, USS Enterprise, and he’s taking the opportunity to relieve some stress. But he’s not the only officer from his soon-to-be ship who’s seeking entertainment this night.") (2003)

Fans' Imagined Rules

Played at Cons, Club Meetings, and Other Fan Gatherings

Fizzbin was played regularly at the early [ Austrek ] club meetings, according to "Kirk's rules", ie. if there was a draw for the winner, those concerned had to "fight it out" (presumably any males also had to tear their shirts). This practice had to be abandoned after a triple-draw of Fizzbin at one meeting. [3]

I remember seeing a game of Fizzbin in the piano pit the first year we moved into the new hotel [4], and the staff were staggered when they heard bets of "My creaky old spaceship" and "The Silly Rabbit Galaxy"! And then the hilarity when gameplay stopped because everyone had to crawl around -- counterclock-wise, of course! -- on the floor, and bark three times before resuming their chairs. The winner was decided when the last challenger left pinned him to the floor and made him recite the opening of the Star Trek theme. I had more fun watching the hotel staff's eyes widen in amazement than the actual goings-on. [5]

I can't believe that [ Creation Con is] charging out the ying-yang, tacking on another fee for "preferred seating," herding everyone into one large room where al the activities take place, CHARGING for the privilege of getting an autograph, having the same damn thing on both days, and being open from only 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. is called a convention! No panels? No banquet? No filksinging? No masquerade? No all-night fizzbin games in the lobby? What is this! [6]

Victoria's Red Squadron hosted the inter-squadron Battlestar Galactlca annual event this year at Ballarat, at the girl guides camp at Cheswick. Cold water over the shower stalls, water-pistol fights, charades. Time Warping with the armed and dangerous Geoff I-just-broke-my-arm-so-have-you-signed-my-cast-yet Tilley, dancing until 2 in the morning, sending the men out to do the dishes and clean the kitchen (a sight to gladden the heart of any housewife... bless their cottonsocks), pyramid and fizzbin played, giant blow-up hammers, photos of drunken teddies on their own bunk in the dorm (who me, pack a brown paper bag of Kahlua? In a Scouts hall? Heck no! ... It was Joanne's Kahlua).... I think we had a good time, didn't we, dear? [7]

After a little party and massive joke/silliness session in Donna and Phyllis' room, with ten rounds of sandwiches between five of us (I know, the room service lady couldn't believe it either!), three bottles of homemade wine (various flavours), and a game of Fizzbin - which the player on the left of the dealer hanging out of the window wearing bright yellow socks because it was dark in September, won - we went

to find out if the last night gathering was still going on. [8]

Used as Titles of Fan Clubs

Titles of Fanworks

cover of Fizzbin: History & Rules (1976)

References

  1. ^ by Diane T. Jeffords, editorial in Naked Times #3
  2. ^ from a LoC by Ruth Berman in Raising Hell #5, a Blake's 7 zine
  3. ^ from the 150th issue of The Captain's Log
  4. ^ See MediaWest*Con/MediaWest*Con 1992
  5. ^ June 2012, a Facebook thread was begun asking fans to share their memories. A few memories are excerpted below, and the full thread can be read here. --Initially open to the public, now requires a Facebook account).
  6. ^ Karen Rhodes, commenting on The Corporate Con Crisis: Does Fandom Really Belong to the Fans Anymore? in My Name Ain't Mary Sue! #2 (1993)
  7. ^ from the editorial of The Chronicles #46 (1990)
  8. ^ from a con report for TerraCon in Beyond Antares #37 (1980)
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