Crokinole

Players: 2–4 players
Play time: 30 min
BGG rating: 8.1

Crokinole is a traditional two- or four-player dexterity game, played on a circular wooden board, with 3 rings and an inner recessed 'bullseye'. A ring of posts is set around the inner circle, which functions as an obstacle to reach this area. Playing pieces are wooden circular disks similar to checkers pieces. Players take turns shooting disks across the board by flicking them with their fingers in an effort to land them in the highest scoring ring on the board, the highest score (20 points) achieved by shooting a disk into the centre, recessed hole. From the outside in, rings are worth 5, 10, 15 points. As a traditional game, there are often many variations played, but the following method is based on the National Crokinole Association's rules which also govern the World Crokinole Championship. Each disk to be shot must be placed on the outer boundary and within the shooting player's quadrant. If there are no opponent's disks on the board, the shot disk must land in the inner ring or it is removed. If there is an opponent's disk on the board, the shot disk must hit an opponent's piece, either directly, or by bumping another disk into it. Disks landing in the centre hole are removed and scored at the end of the round. Disks that lie outside--or are touching--the outer boundary after each shot are removed from play for the round. The player to score the most points wins the round and scores 2 points, and if a tie, each player scores 1 point. A "game" is usually played to four rounds. The number of "games" in a match is set by the tournament. Alternatively, play is to a set score, usually the first player or team to 100, and each round is scored by cancellation. For example if Player One scores 250, and Player Two scores 225, then Player One will add 25 to his/her game score.

How to play

Setup, how a turn works and how the game ends, summarised from the rulebook by Eko, Meepzy's rules assistant.

Here is a step-by-step overview of how to play Crokinole:

Setup

Place the Crokinole board on a table so that each player can comfortably reach their assigned quadrant (p. 6).
In a standard 2-player game, players sit in opposing quadrants and each receive 12 discs of a chosen color (p. 4).
Place a 20-bowl (such as a glass, cup, or bowl) on the table next to the board to hold 20-point discs (p. 6).
Choose a starting player by any drawing method (p. 6).

How a Turn Works

Players take turns alternately flicking one disc at a time with one finger from their shooting line (p. 4).
If there are no opposing discs on the board, the player executes a free-shot aiming toward the center hole or center scoring field (p. 4).
If the opponent has one or more discs in play, the shooting player must strike at least one opposing disc with their own (p. 8).

How the Game Ends

One round lasts until both players run out of their 12 discs (p. 3).
Scoring takes place after all discs have been shot by counting the values of discs within the shooting line plus any in the 20-bowl (p. 11).
Traditionally, to win the game a player or team must collect at least 100 points across one or more rounds (p. 9).

This summary was written by Eko from the game's own rulebook. It covers the essentials, not every edge case. For a specific rule, ask Eko and get the page it came from, or open the manual in the Archive.