The Basics
Crokinole is a dexterity/flicking game where two head-to-head players or four players on two teams try to best the opponent(s) with higher scores through skillful flicking.
Goal
The goal of the game is to get more points than the opponent(s). Points are awarded in four scoring zones on the board (5-10-15-20), but only high score for the round will score, and that side scores the difference between their high score and the opponent's score (e.g. Side A made 40 points, and Side B made 25 points, Side A scores 15 points for the round, and side B scores 0).
Gameboard
Many Crokinole game boards are custom-made, but all games feature the same elements. The deck is round, with three concentric circles evenly-spaced on the board. The outer circle is close to the rim of the board, the middle circle is approximately 2/3 of the way between the center and the rim, and the inner circle is approximately 1/3 of the way between the center and the rim. Additionally, there are radial lines in the space between the middle and outer circle which divide that area into quarters.
The innermost ring is studded with eight equally-spaced posts. The posts are spaced so that the middle of each of the defined quarters of the board has an opening between the pegs, like a flat side of an octagon. In some Crokinole games, these pegs are bare metal, in some they are covered with rubber for further bounce, and in some games they are plastic.
At the center of the game board is a hole that is slightly larger than the play discs. On some custom-made boards, there is a special mark within the hole to identify the board.
Outside of the outermost ring, there is a margin of playing surface, and then there is the Ditch. The Ditch is the area outside of the playing area that is lower than the playing surface. Generally, the deck of the game comprises one piece of wood, and the ditch is a bordering area around the deck. The edge of the deck generally drops off so that discs that fall into the ditch do not bounce off the edge rail and back into the game. Depending on the game board, the ditch area may be circular and follow the shape of the deck, or may be octagonal on traditional boards, or may be square on combo Carrom/Crokinole boards.
Game components
Outside of the board itself, the only other components are the discs. Each player or team is provided twelve discs of a color. The discs are round, and approximately 1 1/4" in diameter, and if they are solid may have two sides which can be used differently. One side will have a completely flat surface, which will create a lot of drag as the disc carries across the board. 214
The other side will have a raised bump or "nipple" in the center, which will leave less of the disc in contact with the board, thus reducing drag.
In addition, a Cribbage-style scoring track is sometimes used in Crokinole, though score could be kept on paper as well.
How to play
Crokinole is a very easy game to teach and play, and there are only a handful of rules.
1. A start player is arbitrarily chosen to begin the game. Play proceeds clockwise around the table. In a 1 v. 1 game, each player will have twelve discs. In a 2 v. 2 partnership game, each player will have 6 discs. After scoring at the end of a round, the player to the left of the player that started the previous round will flick first.
A player starts his or her turn by placing a disc somewhere on the base line. This is the outer ring closest to the player, and between the marks that delineate the quarters of the board. A player's disc must touch the base line, and may cross over the quarter-marks, but may not cross more than half-way over the marks.
2. A player moves his or her disc by flicking. This can either be a finger-thumb flick, or a Subbuteo-style press-flick. Players may not "push" a disc or otherwise move a disc without flicking. Only the disc that the player placed on the base line is flicked. Discs in the play-area are not moved or touched by the players until the end of the round, unless they are to be removed from play.
3. When a player is flicking his or her disc, he or she must flick his or her disc to hit the opponent(s)'(s) discs as follows:
a. If there are no discs of the opposite color, that player has a "free flick" and may flick his or her disc anywhere on the board.
b. 214