Spinball

If you’ve read reports about The Gathering of Friends, you’ve probably seen cryptic references to something called Spinball.  The comments were typically short on details about the game.  At the time, Spinball was an unpublished prototype, and discussing such things outside of the Gathering is taboo.  Designers want to protect their work, and if the details of a game get blabbed around the net, someone unscrupulous might beat them to a sale.  Gathering attendees were so enthusiastic about the prototype, however, that designer Aaron Weissblum decided to produce the game himself.  With the gag order thus lifted, we can now tell you about this clever yet simple dexterity game.

Spinball is a two-player contest played on a large railed board similar in size to that of Nok-Hockey.  A small wall occupies the center of the board between each player’s scoring hole.  Players take turns trying to sink a ping-pong ball into their opponent’s hole.  Since that hole is on the other side of the wall, getting there requires the judicious use of backspin.

The shooting player can position his yoke— a wooden fork to hold the ball— anywhere on his edge of the board.  A wooden, rubber-tipped “shooter” is then pressed against the top of the ball.  By pulling down and back, the ball is propelled forward with sufficient backspin to send it returning in the opposite direction.  The idea is to combine aim, force, and luck to guide the ball into the hole on its way back.

When a player scores a goal, he chooses from three actions.  He can score a point (5 wins), or he can place or remove a blocker.  Blockers are copper tubes which can be placed anywhere outside the crease (a shaded area around the goal), becoming obstacles for opponents’ shots.  Blockers are what really make the game work.  Without them, a player need only master one kind of shot.  Once blockers enter the game, players need to adapt and experiment with new angles and rebounds. 

A player can take up to five shots on a single turn, as long as the ball returns to his side of the board and he doesn’t score.  Well-placed blockers can really slow down an opponent’s progress, not just by preventing goals but by stopping balls from returning to the shooter.

There’s no back wall, so falling off the edge is a danger.  Even more so because of the added incentive to make a shot which crosses a bonus line near the edge.  A goal scored after crossing beyond that line earns a player two actions instead of one.  The 2-pointer has great allure and is well worth perfecting.

Games can be over in five minutes or can stretch longer, depending on the skill and style of the players.  Some players prefer direct out-and-back shots, others bank off a rail, and some (like myself) favor the double-bank.  Spinball rewards repeated play as you develop skill at making a variety of shots.

Spinball isn’t just a game— it’s art.  Each Spinball board is a unique work of art, hand-painted by Weissblum (who doubles as an artist when he’s not designing games).  And since each board is hand-made, these are very limited-edition collector’s items.  I mention this merely to help you rationalize spending the big bucks, if owning a terrific family game you’ll be playing for years to come isn’t justification enough.   A