Crokinole

From: Crokinole Depot Designers: N/A List Price: $240 Players: 2-4 Playing Time: 15-60 minutes Type of game: Dexterity Skill level: 10 Complexity: 2 Reviewed by: Peter Sarrett, Issue 27, Summer 2002

Thousands of games have come and gone in the past hundred years.  Some catch on and become part of the cultural landscape, while others fade into oblivion.  But some games refuse to disappear, kept alive by small pockets of enthusiasts who pass on their love of the game whenever and wherever they can.  The internet has made that evangelism easier, and no game has benefited more than Crokinole.

Crokinole was invented in North America in the late 1800’s, with the oldest known boards dating from 1860s New York state.  Its recent surge in popularity can be traced to Glenn Kuntz’ appearance on The Board Room, Bob Schwartz’ now-defunct board game show which was streamed over the internet.  Mr. Kuntz, a Crokinole enthusiast and retailer, demonstrated the game and sparked enough interest to generate sales from all across the country.  That began a domino effect as new Crokinole owners introduced their friends to the game, igniting more interest.  Enthusiastic reports of the game started to appear on the internet via rec.games.board and mailing lists.  Crokinole had never been played at The Gathering of Friends, yet this year it was one of the tournaments.  The game’s sudden popularity shows no signs of abating.

Crokinole is a tabletop game of strategy and dexterity.  It can be played with 2-4 players.  The World Crokinole Championships (June 1 in Tavistock, Ontario) seem to favor the two-player game, but recreationally the partnership game is much more fun and is the game described here.  A Crokinole board consists of a circular deck on which the game is actually played, a surrounding ditch to catch pieces sent out of play, and an encircling rail to prevent stray discs from hurtling off the table.  The deck contains three concentric rings and a central hole.  The inner ring is studded with eight extremely elastic posts essential to the game’s success.  The center hole is worth 20 points, with the value of the other rings dropping by five as they progress outward.

Partners sit opposite each other and take turns flicking (or to use the technical term, filliping) discs onto the deck.  A player’s shot can start anywhere along the baseline of the 90^O  arc directly in front of him.  If there are no opposing pieces on the board, the disc must stop inside or touching the ring of posts.  If enemy discs exist, however, a player is obligated to hit at least one of them, either directly or in combination with other discs.  Failure to do so results in the new disc being removed from the board.  Worse, any friendly discs it touched are also removed!  This can make a poorly-aimed shot disastrous.

Once each player has exhausted his six discs, the higher-scoring team scores the difference between their score for the round and that of their opponents.  The first team to reach 100 wins.

Carabande, the disc-flicking race game, is an entertaining diversion but not something I play very often.  I didn’t expect Crokinole to hold much interest for me.  I was wrong.  The game was immediately compelling on a number of levels, from the strategy of disc placement to the tactile satisfaction of the fine wood components.

A new player typically passes through a few phases.  First is the gee-whiz factor of the board itself, a large furniture-quality item.  Games don’t often get such treatment, so right away there’s the promise of a rare delight.  Then there’s the awkward phase of learning how to fillip properly and get your disc to go where you want it to go.  It’s frustrating enough to flick too hard or too softly.  Throw the supernaturally-elastic posts into the mix and it’s a nightmare!  Not only do they block your path to the disc you’re aiming for, but when you hit them your disc goes careening in a seemingly random direction that’s invariably bad for you.  With a bit of trial, error, and patience, players begin to develop the flicking skill at the core of the game.  Then the real fun begins as the game’s strategic scope opens up.

At first, all players care about is knocking their opponents’ discs off the board.  Then they start to focus on keeping their own on at the same time.  Then comes the realization that knocking the other guy’s disc off isn’t necessarily as good as caroming off of them and into a higher scoring ring.  And somewhere along the line, they realize that it’s sometimes better to aim at a lower-scoring disc if it means leaving a tough shot for your next opponent, or an easier one for your partner.

Like billiards, Crokinole is a game of angles and finesse.   A Hail Mary powershot, with the random ricochets it creates, is rarely the best choice.  Nothing’s as heart-wrenching as accidentally knocking an opposing disc into the center hole and handing 20 points to the other side.  Partners are free to discuss strategy with each other, and this over-the-board planning is one of the game’s more endearing aspects.

Crokinole is a social game.  Great shots earn kudos all around.  It’s become a popular session-closer for us, a great beer ‘n’ pretzels activity in the wee hours.

The price, however, is more then beer and pretzels.  Boards range from el cheapo $20 sets to deluxe $750 models.  The most popular boards seem to be Fillip & Carom’s Heirloom and Mr. Crokinole’s Grey Owl models, both of which sell for around $200.  That’s a lot of money, but you can expect either of these boards to stay in your family for generations.

I own an Heirloom and I’ve been extremely happy with it.  The materials are of excellent quality, all solid hardwood throughout. Friends on the east coast have Grey Owl boards, which they claimed played “faster” than the Heirloom.  I haven’t had a chance to compare the two models unaltered, but I did recently get to try some Grey Owls which had been waxed or varnished by their owners.

There are a number of aesthetic differences between the two models.  The Heirloom’s rail is octagonal, while the Grey Owl’s is circular.  I definitely prefer the circular rail, which makes it a breeze to slide discs through the ditch to your partner— something that’s not really possible on the Heirloom— but the seam where the two ends are joined is unsightly.  I didn’t like the particle board ditch of the Grey Owl, which looked unprofessional and unfinished compared to the Heirloom’s birch.  The decks of the two boards seemed quite similar, although the Grey Owl’s deck appeared to be slightly larger— specifically, the outer ring was a bit wider.  Had someone not held the two boards together to compare, I’d never have noticed.  I don’t think this makes a difference in gameplay, especially if your board is waxed.

I didn’t think wax would make much of a difference to me.  I was perfectly happy with the way my board played unaltered.  Then I played on a waxed board and became Enlightened.  It’s the same game, and yet it’s totally different.  And better.  With the judicial application of a fine, particulate Carrom wax, discs glide over the surface like pucks on ice.  Delicate, previously unimaginable caroms become possible.  The finesse/power balance tips even more toward the former.  Everyone who has played on both my waxed and unwaxed board has said the wax made the game even better.  In my mind it’s not even an optional accessory.  If you get a board, get some Carrom wax too— you won’t regret it.

It’s amazing how long Crokinole’s been around, and yet it was completely unknown to me for most of my life.  Thankfully that’s been rectified.  What about the high price tag?  A quality Crokinole board is unquestionably worth the money.  I expect to be playing on mine for decades to come.     A