A flexible game that combines classic marbles with elements of darts, bocce, and ski-ball. This game was born out of me having a tiny apartment where I unfortunately cant own a dartboard.
The game is largely modifiable, but is best played on a soft surface with a soft backboard, as well as some soft rails on the side. A good field can be easily setup on any bed using a blanket for rails and a pillow for a backboard.
Players can shoot marbles either onto a predefined bounce area (a yoga block is fun for this, it gives a good consistent bounce), or more simply anywhere on the overall playing surface, off the backboard, etc.
The distance being thrown from, size of the field, size of a bounce area that must be hit, size of the target object relative to the marbles, etc can all be modified depending on the skill/ability of the players.
At minimum it requires two sets of 6 same-colored marbles (smaller are better), and one appropriately sized ring or bottle cap. The game can be played by 2 players throwing 6 marbles each, or two teams of 2-3 players throwing 2-3 marbles each.
The ring or target object is initially placed in the center and towards the backboard, but not touching the backboard. After initially being set at the beginning of a round, the target object is played based on wherever it is moved by the marbles and is not reset until the next round. However, if the target object is still touching the backboard after both players have thrown all their marbles, then it should be moved so that it is not touching the backboard (but overall remain as close to the same position on the field as possible)
The object of the game is to win either by being the first to score 11 points, or win by sinking a marble into the ring or bottlecap.
The team that goes first is determined by an initial single throw from each team. Whichever team lands closest to the target gets to throw first, and will continue to throw first until someone scores. Teams throw all of their marbles before the other team gets to throw.
After the initial set of throws, whatever team has more points throws first. In the event of a tie score, the most recent team to score points wins the tie and will throw first.
Points are scored in three ways:
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Hitting the ring: making contact with the target object counts as 1 point. Using a metal ring is best because it makes a nice clear sound when struck by the marble, even when hit softly. If you knock an opponent’s marble into the target object then your opponent is awarded a point. If you knock your own marble into the target object (or knock the target object into another one of your marbles) it also counts as a point. I.E. if you hit the ring and the ring slides into another of your marbles, that is two points.
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Flipping the ring: if the marble not only makes contact with the target object, but also flips it upside down (or on its side), then the hit counts as 2 points instead of just 1.
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Post-throw contact: points are awarded for any marbles that are in direct contact with the target object after both teams have thrown all their marbles
Sinking the marble: if a shot lands inside the ring/cap and stays inside, the shooter has the potential to immediately win the round. If the shot was made by the first team to throw, then the second team gets to attempt to knock them apart. If the shot was made by the second team to throw, then the marbles are cleared from the field and the other team must attempt to land their own marble in the ring to keep the game alive.
In the event that the follow-up team succeeds in preventing the other team from winning outright, both teams are awarded 3 points (for landing the ring/knocking the ring apart from the marble), and the game continues. If the follow-up team fails, the round is won by the team that sunk the marble.
If a team reaches 11 points or more, the opposing team has the opportunity to tie the score or get ahead. The game ends once a team that has thrown second is at 11+ points, so teams always have one opportunity to keep the game alive.
Overall, this is a fun game to include in your marble repertoire. Sinking the marble is just challenging enough to be possible on any given shot, but difficult enough that playing to win by 11 is still a solid strategy. The game is never totally hopeless for a player that is down by many points, as they can always sink the marble. Plus, a good run of shots in the same turn making contact can swing the game quickly, especially if any of them are flippers. If the difficulty is properly balanced, depending on how the field is set up, the game will have stretches without scoring, some single point hits, and some seismic runs and/or sunken marbles.
Any ideas for how this game could be better? Let me know and I’ll try them out. Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ll give this game a try sometime
