This is an AutoGeneratedTextVersion of TabletopCroquet

Tabletop CroquetA flicking game for piecepack by Mark A. Biggar
Version 1.0, March 2003Copyright © 2002, 2003 by Mark A. Biggar2-10 players, 40-60 min
DescriptionThis is an adaptation of the lawn game Croquet to the piecepack game system
as a
tabletop flicking game. These rules are loosely based on the US Croquet Assoc.
officialNine Wicket Croquet rules.
DefinitionsFlick (verb) to propel a game piece (such as a piecepack coin) across the
playing area
with a single finger. A flick is not a sustained push, but a sudden snap. A properflick
is performed by resting a single fingertip on the playing surface with the
fingernail against the game piece, then either (1) straightening the finger with
thehand held motionless, or (2) straightening the whole hand at the wrist with the arm
held motionless.
Game setupSet up a croquet course using suit-side down tiles as shown in the following

 The two endposts are stacks of three tiles. The pairs of tiles that form the wickets
 shouldbe about 2 tile widths apart. The distance between the endposts and the closest
should be at least 3 tile widths, while the paired wickets (1 & 2 and 6 & 7) should be
1 ½to 2 tile widths apart. Build the course as large as you want, but I have found that
course about 4 feet long and half as wide makes for a good game (and also tends to fit
onthe table). You want to use a table surface that allows the coins to slide freely

Each player chooses a coin showing a unique face. This allows for up to 10 players (4
faces, and 6 non-suit faces.) Just like in lawn croquet, where the playing order
istraditionally determined by the color rings on the endposts, the players play in a
coin order: black, red, blue, green/yellow, blank, ace, 2, 3, 4, then 5. It is
suggested thatplayers determine a player order using some mutually agreed method and
then take the
coins in the order above.
Player turnsEach player, in the standard order, starts play by placing their coin
within one tile width ofthe left endpost, between that endpost and wicket 1, and then
taking their first flick. A
player’s goal is to flick his coin through the wickets in the standard croquet order
asfollows: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, hit the right endpost, 7, 6, 8, 4, 9, 2, 1, hit the
left endpost. The
first player to complete the course in that precise order wins the game.
A coin is deemed to have passed a wicket if the center of the coin passes the line
by the grid lines of the tiles forming the wicket and it goes through in the proper
directionof travel. The proper direction to go through a wicket is in the direction
toward the next
endpost to be hit by that coin; i.e., relative to the above diagram, until striking the
rightendpost, a coin must pass wickets from left-to-right, after a coin hits the right
(assuming it correctly passed wickets 1 through 7), that coin reverses direction and
nowmust pass wickets from right-to-left.
A player always gets one free flick on his turn. Each time the active player’s coin
passesthe next correct wicket, in the above order, the player earns an additional flick
for this
turn. Hitting the right endpost (after correctly passing wicket 7) also earns an
additionalflick. Passing a wicket in the wrong direction or out of order or hitting the
right endpost
out of order, does not earn a player an additional flick.
If the active player’s coin hits another coin, then the player earns two additional
The player must take one of the following actions:
1. Continue flicking his coin around the course from his coin’s current position.
2. Move his coin to any position not more than one coin width from the hit coin andthen
continue his turn flicking his own coin from its new position.
3. Use one of the earned flicks to flick the hit coin in any direction and then
his turn from his coin’s current position.
4. Move his coin to any position not more than one coin width from the hit coin,then
use one of the earned flicks to flick the hit coin in any direction and then
continue his turn from his coin’s new position.
Once a coin has been hit, a player cannot earn more flicks by hitting that same coin
againthis turn until his coin has successfully passed at least one more wicket or hit
an endpost.
There is no limit to the number of flicks a player can earn during a turn, but a player
mustuse all the flicks earned during the current turn; there is no carryover between
turns. Note
that if a player flicks or knocks another player’s coin through its next correct
wicket, then

this does count toward the other player’s completion of the course, but does not earn
extra flick for either player.
FoulsIf a player flicks his coin off the table, he looses any remaining flicks for the
current turnand just places his coin back on the edge of the table at the place it fell
off, one coin width
in from the edge. If a player knocks or flicks some other player’s coin off the table,
it isjust placed back on the table at the place it fell off, one coin width in from the
If a flicked coin causes one of the wicket tiles to be misplaced, the tile should be
restoredto its original position before the next flick. Coins must be flicked from
where they lie,
even if touching a tile or another coin. If a player flicks a coin that is touching
anothercoin and the other coin moves, this does not count as hitting the other coin.
WinningThe first player to flick his coin through the complete course in the given
order and hit the
left endpost wins the game.
Option rule: Team playWith 4, 6, 8 or 10 players, the game can be played in teams.
Choose up teams of equalsize then order the players so that players in different teams
alternate in the obvious way.
Play is as above with the following exceptions:
1. The first team with all members (including rovers, see below) completing thecourse
wins the game.
2. A player does not earn extra flicks by hitting coins belonging to teammates.
3. Once a player’s coin has passed the last wicket, he has a choice: either hit the
endpost and leave the game or declaring his coin a “rover”. A player with a“rover” now
plays to help his teammates and hinder his opponents under a special
set of rules:
• A rover earns an extra flick by passing any wicket in either direction, but
only once per turn per wicket.
• A rover earns the extra flicks for hitting opponent’s coins, but only onceper coin
per turn. He does get to make his choice of one of the four
actions above.
• Any player may use one of their flicks during their turn to flick a rover soas to hit
the left endpost and force it to complete the course and leave the
game, but may make only one attempt per rover per turn.
Optional Rule: Poison (for non-team play)Once a player has completed the course by
passing all the wickets and has hit the leftendpost, he must declare his coin “poison”.
His goal is now to eliminate all the other
players by hitting their coins with his own coin. Each coin he succeeds in hitting with
hiscoin is killed and immediately looses the game. The player does earn the two

flicks. Only the active player’s coin is “poison”, if it hits another “poison” coin,
only the
hit coin is killed not the active coin.
History20020914 0.5 mab Original version20021012 0.6 mab Clarifications and tweaks in
response to
  playtest comments 20030322 1.0 mab update for web page

Thank you for playing my game. Please report rules problems or variant
suggestions to
Copyright 2002, 2003 by Mark A. Biggar. Permission is granted to copy, distribute
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