Croquet: A Cardboard Game

Croquet: A Cardboard Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Components

1 game board (the garden where the game is played)
74 cards
4 rule cards (a short summary of the most important rules, kept in front of each player during play)
4 balls, one in each of 4 colours
4 hoops (buer)
2 pegs (pæle): a start peg and a goal peg
1 "troublesome tree" (trælst træ), an obstacle piece

Setup

Place the two pegs at opposite ends of the course. They mark where the game starts and ends.

Set up the four hoops between the pegs as shown in the setup picture. The hoops must be shot through in the correct order and direction to complete the game.

The troublesome tree lies in the middle of the course in the standard layout. Players go around it or shoot over it.

Shuffle the cards and deal six cards to each player. Place the remaining cards face down in a pile where all players can reach it.

The player who is most "blue" takes the blue ball. The other players take a colour of their choice.

The blue player starts by placing their ball on a field next to the start peg and takes the first turn. Turn order then continues clockwise. Each next player places their ball on the start field and takes their turn.

Each player has a rule card in front of them during play. The ball's position on the board shows where it is in the garden.

For alternative setups and variants, see "Other Versions of the Game" below.

Playing a Turn

On your turn you may:

Play one green card from your hand.
Play one or more additional green cards if you get an extra shot or need to croquet (see below).
Play as many red and blue cards as you want.

When you are finished, draw up to six cards and pass the turn to the next player.

Green Cards (Shot Cards)

Green cards are shot cards. You may play one shot card from your hand during your turn.

When you play a shot card, declare a direction, for example north-west, as shown on the diagram. Turn the shot card so the direction arrow points in the declared direction on the compass rose on the board, then follow the instruction on the shot card.

Some shot cards show the ball in the air for part of the shot. The ball is in the air on the blue fields of such a card. A ball passing over the blue fields while in the air does not hit hoops, other balls or obstacles.

It is often a good idea to shout "FORE" when the ball takes off.

If you have no more green cards, you must shoot a "Little Quiet One" (see below). You may play red or blue cards from your hand before you choose to discard your hand to play a Little Quiet One.

Shooting Through a Hoop

If your ball passes through a hoop, or is reflected through one, you get an extra shot. If you pass through several hoops, you get one extra shot for each hoop.

A hoop must be shot through from south to north. You must pass through the hoops in the order shown under setup.

When you have shot through a hoop, take your extra shot immediately. You do not draw new cards until after the extra shot.

A "Little Quiet One" (Lille stille en)

If you have no more green cards, you must shoot a "Little Quiet One". Discard all your cards and declare a direction.

Then move your ball exactly 2 fields in the declared direction, no more and no less. You draw new cards only when it is your turn again.

If a Little Quiet One passes through a hoop, or is reflected through one, draw cards immediately for your extra shot.

You may also use a Little Quiet One to croquet. You may therefore shoot into another player's ball and croquet it without holding any green cards.

Red Cards

A red card may be played when another card it affects is played. Red cards may be played even when it is not your turn, and of course also on your turn.

Blue Cards

A blue card may be played at any time, including on your turn.

Some cards have special rules for when they may be played. If so, this is written on the card. If nothing is written, the card may be played whenever you like.

Ending Up Outside the Course

If, through a mistake, through croqueting, or because of effects from red or blue cards, your ball ends up outside the course, you use your next turn to retrieve your ball from the hedge and place it on the field where you left the course. You lose your shot in that round, as you spend the turn searching the hedge for your ball.

If you end up in the hedge on a shot after shooting through a hoop, you may use your extra shot to retrieve the ball from the hedge.

Reflection

If your ball hits a hoop, a peg or the troublesome tree along the route the shot card shows, the ball stops on the field where they meet and is reflected to another field. Draw a card from the pile and place the ball the number of fields, in the direction shown on the card, away from the obstacle. The card is then discarded.

If you hit another ball, first draw a reflection card for your own ball, then one for the ball you hit, as shown in the examples.

If you hit the troublesome tree, turn the reflection card until you get a direction that is possible. You cannot reflect through the tree. It is possible to reflect along the tree.

Reflection Through a Hoop

Reflecting through a hoop gets you through it. You must be on a field south of the hoop you want to reflect through. The field does not have to be directly south.

When reflecting against a hoop from the one side, there are only two reflection directions that take the ball through. In the example, these are north and north-west. If you hit the other side of the hoop, the directions that take the ball through are north and north-east.

If your ball is reflected through a hoop, you get an extra shot as normal.

Croqueting

If your ball hits another ball, it stops on the same field as the other ball. Reflection cards are drawn for both balls. When both balls have been moved, you may choose to croquet. If you do not choose to croquet, the balls stay where they are and your turn ends.

If you croquet, place your ball on a field next to the ball you hit. The placement of your ball determines the direction of the croquet. For example, if you place your ball on the field north of the other ball, the declared direction is south.

Then play a green card and move the other ball according to the shot card. Your own ball stays where it is. Your turn then ends.

If you have no shot cards, you must use a Little Quiet One to croquet. Discard all your cards in the same way as when shooting a Little Quiet One.

If the ball you croquet passes through a hoop, it counts as having passed through the hoop, but no extra shot is triggered.

Winning the Game

You win by being the first player to pass through all the hoops in the correct order, shown under setup, and hit the goal peg.

You may win by being croqueted or reflected onto the goal peg.

The other players decide whether they want to play on for second place, and so on.

Example of Play

It is Mette's turn. Mette plays the green card "Et lop" (A Loop) and says "direction north". The ball flies over a hoop, but Mette plays "Den gik da indenom" (It Went Right Through), which counts the hoop as passed, and Mette gets an extra shot.

Mette has no more green cards in hand, so she discards her whole hand and shoots a Little Quiet One. She again says "direction north". The Little Quiet One hits Mads' ball. A reflection card is drawn first for Mette's ball, then for Mads' ball.

Mette chooses to croquet. She places her ball north-west of Mads' ball and shoots a Little Quiet One to the south-east, since she still has no shot cards. Mads is croqueted out and ends up in the hedge. Mette draws no cards and passes the turn.

Pelle's turn. He plays the shot card "En krum en" (A Crooked One) and says "I play a crooked one towards north". Martin plays "Banen er ikke helt lige" (The Course Is Not Quite Straight). Pelle's ball is moved according to the shot card, then two fields south-west. Pelle draws up to six cards and passes the turn to Martin.

Martin's turn. He plays the shot card "En skævert" (A Skewed One) and says "I play a skewed one towards north." To stop Martin from getting through the hoop, Pelle plays "Den skal ikke nedad" (It Must Not Go Down). To cancel this, Martin plays "Argh!!! Jeg har en kølle!" (Argh!!! I have a club!). Mads plays "Det har jeg også" (I have that too). No more cards are played. Martin's ball goes nowhere. He draws up to six cards and passes the turn to Mads.

Mads' only action in his turn is to place his ball back on the course, on the field where he was croqueted out. Mads draws up to six cards and passes the turn to Mette.

Other Versions of the Game

Croquet can be played in many ways. Here are a few suggestions for varying the game.

Back and forth: You may also play back to the start peg. When you have hit the goal peg, you must go the whole course again, the other way. The player who first returns to the start peg wins.

Six-player version: Take two pieces from another game that can also be used as balls. Three players then play from the start peg and three from the goal peg, against each other. The winner is still the first player to reach the other peg, but now some players are shooting the other way.

Alternative hoop setup: The hoops can also be set up in a different way, as shown in the diagram in the original booklet.

Only imagination and beer limit Croquet.

Card Explanations

The card explanations are a summary of the red and blue cards and a few green cards. Each card is listed with its name, its printed text and its icons: the direction arrow (N, NØ, Ø, SØ, S, SV, V, NV) and the value.

Green cards

Lige i røven (Straight Up the Arse): A special shot card. The ball is moved like the card Et pænt skud, but six fields in the same straight line instead of five. Printed text: "Move the ball 6 fields in a straight line. Remember to declare direction." Direction N, value 1.

Baghånd (Backhand): The ball moves three fields in the opposite direction to the one declared. Direction N, value 3.

Et lop (A Loop): A flying card. The ball flies over all the blue fields. You can only score a hoop if you hit the hoop with the last green field and reflect through it. If the last green field lands on the troublesome tree, the ball may reflect in any direction, so it can slide off the trunk. Flying balls cannot be stopped by Der var sgu et hul. Direction S, value 2.

Afledningsmanøvre (Diversion Manoeuvre): The ball may move in any direction. The first move does not have to be in the declared direction. The ball may stand on the same field twice. If it hits something, the shot stops as normal and reflects. Printed text: "Move the ball 5 fields on a legal route. Remember to declare direction." Direction NV, value 1.

Backspin: The ball moves first two fields forward, then three back. If it hits someone on the way, the ball stops there and reflects as normal. Direction SØ, value 1.

Av min fod (Ouch, My Foot): Can be used when there is a croquet. Can be played just after the ball has been placed to decide the direction. If it is played before the player who croqueted has played a green card, that player does not lose a green card. Printed text: "Cancel croqueting. You hit your foot, and no balls move." Direction NV, value 3.

Du er jo en vatarm (You Are Such a Weakling): Cancels a shot card. The ball moves one field in the declared direction. Can also be used against croqueting. Printed text: "Cancel a shot card. The ball moves one field in the declared direction." Direction NV, value 2.

Du skyder som en lille pige (You Shoot Like a Little Girl): Cancels a shot card. The ball moves two fields in the declared direction. Can also be used against croqueting. Printed text: "Cancel a shot card. The ball moves 2 fields in the declared direction." Direction NØ, value 2.

Banen er ikke helt lige (The Course Is Not Quite Straight): May be used after a shot card, but only after any reflection. Can also be used to move the balls after a croquet. Printed text: "After a ball has moved. Move the ball 2 fields toward SØ." Direction SØ, value 2.

Den skal ikke nedad (It Must Not Go Down): Cancels a green card. The ball is not moved. Can also be used against flying cards and croqueting. Direction SV, value 2.

Der var sgu et hul (There Was Damn Well a Hole): Played after a green card. Stops the ball on any field of the route the shot was following, and the shot card is not carried out. If used against Afledningsmanøvre, you may wait until the ball has finished moving, after which the ball may be moved back to a field on the route. If used against a flying card, the ball stops on the green field. Direction S, value 2.

Red cards

Ikke vores regler (Not Our Rules): Must be played just after the card you want to cancel. If a new card has been played, or a reflection or croquet has been carried out, it is too late. Printed text: "Cancel a red card." Direction S, value 3.

Argh!!! Jeg har en kølle! (Argh!!! I Have a Club!): Must be played just after the card you want to cancel. If a new card has been played, or a reflection or croquet has been carried out, it is too late. Printed text: "Cancel a red or blue card." Direction N, value 2.

Det har jeg også (I Have That Too): Must be played just after the card you want to cancel. If a new card has been played, or a reflection or croquet has been carried out, it is too late. Printed text: "Cancel 'Argh!!! I Have a Club!' or 'Det har jeg også'." Direction N, value 3.

Det er ikke din tur (It Is Not Your Turn): The player whose turn it is stops their turn where they are and draws up to six cards. If there is a reflection, it is taken. Any croquet is cancelled. Printed text: "The player loses their turn." Direction NØ, value 1.

Den gik da udenom (It Went Around): Cancels a passage through a hoop. The ball has not been through the hoop, so there is no extra shot. Can be used against Den gik da indenom. Printed text: "A player's passage through a hoop is not approved." Direction SØ, value 1.

Den gik da indenom (It Went Right Through): A ball that reflects on, or flies over, any part of a hoop counts as having been through it. There is an extra shot for this passage. Can be used against Den gik da udenom. Printed text: "Flying over or reflecting on a hoop counts as having been through the hoop." Direction NØ, value 2.

Blue cards

Det kan jeg også gøre (I Can Do That Too): Take a green shot card that has just been played by you or any other player and put it in your hand. You may play the new card immediately. Printed text: "Take a shot card that was just played and put it in your hand." Direction S, value 1.

Det' et godt tricks (That's a Good Trick): Take a card that has just been played by you or one of the other players and put it in your hand. You may play the new card immediately. Direction SV, value 1.

Hvem henter øl? (Who Fetches the Beer?): As soon as a player plays the card and says "Hvem henter øl?", the others must as quickly as possible say "Ik' mig" (Not me), including the player who played the card. The last player to say "Ik' mig" loses their next turn. Printed text: "Read the card title out loud! The last player to say 'Ik' mig' loses their next turn." Direction S, value 2.

Koncentration (Concentration): The card can be cancelled by other cards, but once it has been played, no red or blue cards may be played by you or anyone else. Printed text: "No red or blue cards may be played in your turn." Direction SV, value 2.

Av, den bliver svær (Oh, This Is Getting Hard): Limits the directions you may declare for the next shot. If it is played after a direction has been declared, it applies to the next shot, whether that is an extra shot after a hoop or the next player's shot. Printed text: "For the next shot card, only N, NV or NØ may be declared as direction." Direction SV, value 2.

Blev jeg ikke hoppet over? (Did I Not Get Skipped Over?): Play this card before or during your turn. Take an extra turn immediately after your turn, and draw up to six cards after each turn. Printed text: "Yes, take one more turn in your next turn." Direction N, value 2.

Lorte hund (Shitty Dog): Printed text: "A dog has taken your ball. You discard all your cards." Direction N, value 1. The ball stays where it is. If the card is played before a green card is played, the player may play a Little Quiet One.

Se! En lyserød elefant (Look! A Pink Elephant): Play this card, discard two other cards from your hand, and draw two new cards from the pile. Printed text: "Discard two cards from your hand and draw two new cards." Direction NV, value 1.

Credits

The booklet's credits page (designer, photographers, graphic designers, playtesters and models) is not transcribed, per house convention.