The first game of Zonk was played in the early 1980’s on Long Island, New York. Many variations of the game have been handed down over the years. The rules have been subsequently enhanced and clarified over the course of its history, but the basic rules were largely set after the first few games.
The game was created explicitly for the purpose of smoking marijuana by winning “bong hits”, after a long evening of playing drinking games. It was based on the common dice game Zilch.
The game was intended to have a very complex and comprehensive set rules to cover all possible events that could occur during a game. These included standard rules to govern actual game play, and a set of rules to cover social aspects of the game. The rules stated that any first-time player would be told all of the rules before playing, but only ONCE. They would then be explained the rule again, but only after a foul against them.
There were two game objectives, winning the game by reaching 10,000 points first, and scoring the most bong hits during the game. While rookie players strived for the former, veteran players were generally more concerned with the latter, a more prestigious and respected feat.
