Castle Croquet

July 18, 2011

Louis Carroll’s two-ball croquet game made playable.

Before you begin: Take a game like golf — simple, easy to explain; hit the ball toward a hole, hit it again to get closer, putt when you’re close enough to the hole you’re trying to get the ball into, repeat for the next hole. Simple — but then there are also those special rules for what to do if this happens and that happens. Castle Croquet is also simple, but there are a lot of “what if…?” situations, hence what looks like long rules; and with new terminology, it looks a little daunting. It’s not. You have two balls. All you’re doing is hitting your Guard ball first and then your Knight ball. Hitting one into the other to move further, and avoiding or hitting opponent’s balls. You defend your own territory while at the same time visiting all the other three territories. The one who gets home first wins. But there’s a lot going on, and strategy is probably more important than dexterity. And the game changes on every surface — forget the manicured croquet field and play on a bumpy backyard lawn for the most frustrating fun. Just read on….

Castle Croquet is a croquet variant devised by Lewis Carroll, in which each player controls two balls. An intriguing recreation that rewards strategy in addition to dexterity, Castle Croquet was first published anonymously by Carroll (according to one source) as “Croquet Castles” in 1863, or in 1866 (according to Edward Wakeling in the book, Rediscovered Lewis Carroll Puzzles [Dover, 1995]). The game proves to be an interesting, themed variation of the classic game of croquet. These rules have been revised by games historian Bruce Whitehill, with the intent of preserving Carroll’s original concept while clarifying certain instructions and making modifications which would enhance game play. Castle Croquet is for two to four players, but is best with four. There is also an eight-player team game. (See special rules for other than four players.)

THE THEME:

You are a Knight living in your castle (your knightdom), but concerned about freedom and justice in other realms. At great risk, you leave your safe haven and pass through Open Land to visit each of three neighboring castles, then try to return home safely. Your only protection is your Guard, who is responsible for safeguarding the castle in your absence, but who will have to leave the castle unguarded if endeavoring to assist you on your journey.

OBJECT:

To be the first Knight to return home after visiting all other castles.

COMPONENTS:

4 mallets (8 in team play) 8 balls: the 4 Knights and the 4 Guards
10 wickets (also called hoops): the 4 archways and 4 gates (plus 2 in Open Land)
4 stakes (pegs, 1 with rings of color designating the order of play): the towers
Optional marker boards and/or clips (Dead Board; Visitation Board; Locator Board or Clips)

Note: Until some company decides to market a “Castle Croquet” set, players need to combine two standard croquet sets for play at home, so each player has two balls of the same color, one of which should be marked to differentiate the Knight from the Guard; we suggest using stripes to designate all Guard balls.

SUMMARY:

Instead of one or two stakes on a rectangular field in a typical, American or British croquet game, there are four stakes placed near the corners of a square playing field. Each player’s home territory, or castle, consists of a stake and the two wickets closest to it; two additional wickets crisscross in an “Open Land” area in the middle of the field.

Players have two balls: a Knight and a Guard. The object is for your Knight to visit each of the other castles and then return home. The strategy is in determining how to use your Guard: the Guard can help the Knight move along faster (in the same way you get extra strokes for hitting a ball in regular croquet), or the Guard can remain in the castle to ward off intruders; if your Knight is captured, your Guard may be the only way to get your Knight released.

TERMINOLOGY:

THE KINGDOM: The CASTLES and OPEN LAND; ARCHWAYS and GATES; THE TOWERS

The kingdom (the entire playing area) consists of five territories: four castles and Open Land. (See illustration.) Each castle consists of a tower (the stake), an archway (the wicket closest to the stake), and the gate (the wicket furthest from the stake). The area in the middle of the kingdom, between all the gates, is Open Land.

THE PLAYERS: KNIGHTS and GUARDS; INTRUDERS

A Guard in his own castle is said to be “on duty”; the Knight in his own castle is said to be “at home.” A Knight or Guard inside an opponent’s castle is called an “intruder.”

A TURN: STROKES and STRIKERS, STRIKING and HITTING

The shot you take on your turn is called a “stroke”; you are said to “strike” your ball, and the ball that makes contact with your mallet during your turn is called the “striker.” Players “strike” a ball; balls “hit” other balls. Your turn consists of one stroke on your Guard and one on your Knight, with additional strokes allowed (under most circumstances) for passing through wickets and hitting other balls.

“DEADNESS”: When a striker hits another ball, that ball is “dead” to the striker only–the striker can not hit that ball again until the striker passes through an appropriate wicket. (See also “Dead Balls.”)

BALLS HITTING BALLS: The CROQUET; THE CONNIVANCE and THE CONFLICT

A “croquet” is a shot in which a player whose striker has hit another ball, places the striker next to the hit ball and moves both balls by striking the striker again. When one of your balls hits into your other ball, it is a “Connivance”; when your ball hits an opponent’s ball, it is a “Conflict”; both allow you to take an extra stroke(s) and/or a croquet.

(A1) THE SET UP: (See illustration.) [Want to draw an illustration? Contact us!]

The course is set up as square as possible, with boundaries clearly marked or agreed upon. Ideally, the court should be 40’ x 40’ (12 x 12 meters). A stake (tower) is placed in each corner of the Kingdom, one mallet-length away from the corner, along the imaginary diagonal line between two opposite corners. In each castle, a wicket (the archway) is placed along the imaginary diagonal, toward the center of the Kingdom, two mallet lengths away from the stake, so the two “legs” of the wicket are in line with the stake (a 90 degree difference from the wicket placement in standard croquet). A second wicket is placed further away from the stake, along that same diagonal, two mallet lengths from the archway and perpendicular to it, so that the center of the wicket is on the diagonal; this is the gate to the castle. Two wickets are placed in the center of Open Land, one over the other at 90 degrees; players are not required to pass through these, but get an extra stroke if they do, and get cleared of any “deadness.” If you are using wickets with a short distance between the “legs” so that a ball could not pass through crossed wickets, then place the center wickets perpendicular to one another, with two of the legs touching. (You can play with whatever space allows, but the minimum distance from one gate to the opposite gate should be 18 feet [5.5 meters]; the stake and wicket placement should be adjusted for smaller or irregular playing areas.)

(A2) Order of Play: To determine who plays first, place any four croquet balls near one of the stakes. Each player hits a ball toward the stake at the opposite corner of the field. After all four balls have been played (it is permissible for one player’s ball to strike another’s), the player with the ball closest to the stake goes last, the second closest goes third, the next closest goes second, and the farthest away goes first; going later gives you the advantage of seeing what strategies other players may use for their Guards, and which castles their Knights are headed for. Players now select the color mallet and two balls that correspond to the order of play according to the colors shown on the stake. The player to go first chooses any castle, the second player takes the adjacent castle going clockwise from the first, and so on.

Place your Knight one mallet length from your tower.

Place your Guard inside your castle one mallet length from your gate.

(A3) THE CASTLES and OPEN LAND:

Your castle consists of your tower, archway, and gate. The area between all the castles is Open Land. A player is said to be in a castle until passing through the gate in the proper direction into Open Land, and is said to be in Open Land until passing through a gate in the proper direction into one of the castles.

(A4) THE KNIGHT:

Each player has a ball representing the Knight. To leave a castle, the Knight must pass through the archway in either direction, then pass through the gate, in the direction moving away from the tower; to enter a castle, the Knight must go through the gate in the direction moving toward the tower; the Knight must pass through the archway in either direction en route to the tower. The Knight gets an extra stroke after passing through any archway or through any gate in the proper direction, or through one of the wickets in Open Land. If a Knight who has passed through an archway en route to a tower is croqueted or hit through the gate (out of the castle), the Knight must pass through the archway again after re-entering to the castle; if a Knight has visited the tower and leaves or is forced out of the castle (through the gate) before passing through the archway, the Knight must return to the castle and pass through the archway.

Your Knight must enter and leave each of the other three castles, going through each gate (in the proper direction) and archway (in either direction), and reach the tower (touch the stake). The Knight gets an extra stroke after reaching the tower.

Your Knight may visit other castles in any order. After visiting the other three castles, your Knight must return home, passing through the gate and archway, and reach the home tower (touch the stake).

(A5) THE GUARD:

Each player has a ball representing the Guard. Your Guard serves four purposes: to guard the castle against intruders, to speed up your Knight’s journey, to protect your Knight against foes, and to rescue your Knight if held captive.

The Guard knows secret passages within all castles and does not need to pass through archways when going between the gates and towers; the Guard does not get an extra stroke for passing through an archway, and does not get cleared from any “Deadness” (see “Dead Balls”). The Guard takes an additional stroke after passing through a gate in the proper direction, or through one of the wickets in Open Land. The rule of travel through the gates is the same for the Guard as for the Knight.

Your Guard is “on duty” when he is inside your castle, and “off duty” when outside your castle (whether in Open Land or in another castle). While “on duty,” your Guard may capture any intruder Knight in the castle. While “off duty,” your Guard may free your Knight if your Knight has been captured. At all times, your Guard may speed up your Knight’s journey and may enter into conflicts with other Guards and Knights in order to slow them down or keep them away from your Knight or from your castle or your tower.

(A6) WINNING THE GAME:

The first player whose Knight reaches all the other towers (touches all opponents’ stakes) and returns home and reaches his or her own tower (touches the home stake) while the Guard is “on duty” is the winner.

(B1) THE MOVES:

Players take turns in clockwise order; use the order of colors on the stake(s) to guide you. On your turn, first play your Guard, then play your Knight (unless the player incurs a penalty, or the Knight is held captive). If you strike your Knight before striking your Guard, you lose the opportunity to strike the Guard on that turn.

You get to strike each ball once, unless you are allowed additional strokes from passing through archways and gates, reaching a tower, or hitting other balls.

You get an extra stroke if your Knight passes through any archway in any direction, or if your Knight or Guard passes through any gate in the proper direction, or through one of the wickets in Open Land. (Each is cleared of deadness when passing through an appropriate* wicket.) A Knight or Guard passing through a gate in the wrong direction is penalized (see “Penalties”).

When your Knight reaches an opponent’s tower (touches the stake) for the first time, you may strike the Knight again.

Once your ball has passed through a wicket, that ball is free to hit any other ball. (See “Dead Balls.”)

All balls remain where they come to rest except when a player chooses to croquet, or when a Knight is captured, or when a ball goes out of bounds or a penalty is incurred.

*An “appropriate” wicket refers to any gate or wicket in Open Land if your ball is in the same territory or passing from one territory into an adjacent one, or, for the Knight only, the archway within the same territory as your Knight.

(B2) CONNIVANCE, CONFLICTS AND CAPTURES:

A Connivance occurs when your Knight and Guard conspire to assist each other by hitting one into the other to get additional strokes. A Conflict occurs when your ball—either the Knight or Guard—hits an opponent’s ball. A capture occurs during a Conflict when an on-duty Guard touches an intruding Knight.

(B3) THE CONNIVANCE:

A Connivance occurs when your Guard (“on duty” or “off duty”) strikes your own Knight, or vice versa. When this happens, you may take two additional strokes by the striker, or take both a croquet and one additional stroke by the striker. After a Connivance, neither ball may touch the other (each ball is “dead” on the other) until one of the balls (either one) has gone through an appropriate wicket.

(B4) THE CONFLICT:

A Conflict is engaged in when one player’s ball touches an opponent’s ball. When you strike a ball into an opponent’s ball, you may either take two additional strokes with the striker, or croquet the opponent’s ball; if you choose to croquet an opponent, you do not get another stroke (see “The Croquet”). The exception: if an on-duty Guard touches an intruder Knight, the Conflict results in a capture (see “The Capture”).

(B5) THE CAPTURE:

If an on-duty Guard touches an intruder Knight (even if the intruder accidentally touches, or is hit into, the Guard), the Knight is captured. The capturing player places the captured Knight one mallet-head length from the tower in any direction, and places the Guard one mallet length from the tower in any direction. The player does not take an additional stroke on the Guard. If an intruder Knight hits or is hit into a captive Knight, the intruder is also captured.

When your Knight is captured, it is cleared of any deadness (see “Dead Balls”).

Remember, if the castle of an “off-duty” Guard has been invaded, the Guard must reenter his castle through the gate before hitting the intruder.

(B6) FREEING A CAPTIVE KNIGHT:

The captured Knight is freed if the Guard goes “off-duty” (even if the Guard later returns to duty), or if any Guard enters the opponent’s castle and hits the Knight. A captive Knight is freed even if hit accidentally by the on-duty Guard. If a Guard frees a Knight, the same rules apply as for any Connivance or Conflict.

If a Guard frees his own Knight, normal rules of “Deadness” apply; his Knight may move when the Guard’s move is finished; as with any Connivance, “Deadness” must be cleared by either ball passing through a wicket before the Knight and Guard can make contact again (see “Dead Balls”). The stake does not clear a ball of “Deadness.”

If a Guard’s hitting any ball results in a chain reaction (balls hitting other balls), any captive Knight that is a part of that chain reaction is freed.

If a Knight in his own castle hits (or is hit into) a captive Knight, the captive Knight is freed.

A Guard must never hit an opponent’s tower; hitting the Knight, not the tower, effects a rescue. If a Guard accidentally hits an opponent’s tower, the player’s turn ends. If a Guard, in one move, hits his own captured Knight and the opponent’s tower, the Knight is freed, but the player’s turn ends. If the Knight reached (hit) the tower before being captured, and the Knight’s Guard hits the captured Knight into the tower a second time, the turn ends.

If the captive Knight did not touch the tower before being captured, the freed Knight must touch the tower before leaving the castle in order to get credit for having visited the castle; if the Knight is hit into the tower by his Guard or an opponent, that counts as well.

The freed Knight may not be recaptured while still in the castle. If the freed Knight and the on-duty Guard touch while the intruder is still in the castle, neither player takes any additional strokes, but there are no penalties, and the balls remain wherever they come to rest. The on-duty Guard is allowed to hit the Knight out of position. The on-duty Guard is allowed to block the archway or gate, and the Knight is allowed to hit the Guard in an attempt to move it.

Remember, to leave the castle after the freeing of a Knight, the Knight and Guard must pass through the gate in the proper direction; the Knight must first pass through the archway (in any direction).

(C1) THE CROQUET:

A player may take a croquet under certain circumstances (see “The Connivance” and “The Conflict”) when one ball hits another. The striker–the ball that initiated the hit–is picked up and placed next to (touching) the ball that was hit (the second ball is not moved from where it comes to rest after being hit); the striker may not touch any ball other than the one being croqueted. The player then hits the initial ball, driving both balls; a good croquet can send the two balls in the same direction or can send each ball in a different direction; no part of the body (e.g., the foot) may touch either ball. Once a ball is “in hand” (touched or picked up) it must be played as a croquet.

Only the striker may receive extra strokes; if a ball hit by the striker goes through a wicket or hits yet another ball, it is not subject to additional strokes. If a ball is croqueted through an archway or a gate (in the proper direction), then that ball is considered to have passed through that archway or gate–this can work for or against a player (see “Strategies”).

(C2) WHAT HAPPENS WHEN BALLS HIT OTHER BALLS AND BALLS PASS THROUGH WICKETS:

Only the last action counts: The last action of the striker is the one that determines additional moves or deadness with respect to that striker. You may not add up extra strokes beyond the last event which would allow for extra strokes; therefore, you may never accumulate more than two extra strokes. For example, if your striker hits two balls on the same shot, you can take a croquet only on the last ball hit (though all balls hit are allowed to remain where they come to rest); if you have two strokes and then go through a wicket on the first stroke, you have only one stroke left (the one for passing through the wicket); if your striker passes completely through a wicket and then hits another ball on the same stroke, you have two strokes coming; if your striker hits another ball and then passes through a wicket, you get only one additional stroke (the last action is passing through the wicket). The player may continue to take strokes if the player continues to pass through wickets or hit other balls.

Let resting balls lie: When one ball strikes one or more balls that it is not “dead” upon (see “Dead Balls”), all balls are allowed to remain where they came to rest (provided they did not go out of bounds). If an opponent’s ball is hit indirectly, it is not considered dead to your striker, and remains where it comes to rest; if it was propelled through a gate, it is considered to have passed into a new territory. If the striking player is allowed additional strokes, those strokes must be taken from where the ball lies. Only if the striking player chooses to croquet (see “The Croquet”) does the striker get picked up and moved.

Croqueting through wickets: You may strike one of your balls into another ball, then croquet both balls through an appropriate wicket (they are both now cleared), then strike the other ball again with your striker to earn additional strokes. If you croquet only your striker through a gate, your striker is cleared and you get another stroke on the striker. If you croquet only your striker Knight through an archway, your striker is cleared to hit the other ball again.

Passing completely through wickets: A ball has not passed through a wicket until no part of the ball lies underneath the wicket. A ball must pass completely through a gate to be considered in another territory. If a ball passes completely through a wicket and then rolls back so that part of the ball is under the wicket when the ball comes to rest, the ball is NOT considered to have passed through the wicket, and the player does not take an additional stroke.

Hitting balls beyond wickets: If a striker on one side of a wicket hits a ball directly on the other side of the wicket (with no part of it resting under the wicket), the striker is considered (for the sake of argument) to have hit the other ball after having passed through the wicket, allowing you to take (an) extra stroke(s) and/or a croquet, as long as both balls have come to rest in the same territory.

Hitting balls under wickets: If, when passing through a wicket, a striker hits a ball with any part of it resting under or on the near side of the wicket, the striker is considered to have hit the other ball before having passed completely through the wicket, so the player gets one additional stroke only, for passing through the wicket. If a striker hits a ball with any part of it resting under or on the wicket, and the striker does not go through the wicket, the player gets two additional strokes, but is not allowed a croquet if the balls end up in different territories.

Ending up in two different territories: If your striker and the ball it hits wind up in two different territories (one in a castle, the other in Open Land), you may take one or two additional strokes (depending on whether the last action of your striker was passing through a wicket or hitting the other ball), but you may not croquet the other ball. This might occur, for example, if the striker hits a ball near or under a gate, propelling that ball into the other territory while the striker bounces back and remains in the original territory.

(C3) DEAD BALLS:

Hitting opponent’s balls: After a striker hits an opponent’s ball, the striker cannot hit the same ball again until the striker is cleared by passing through an appropriate wicket. The striker is considered “dead” on that one ball. For example if the Blue Knight hits the Yellow Guard, the Blue Knight is “dead” on the Yellow Guard and may not hit the Yellow Guard again until the Blue Knight goes through a wicket. However, the Yellow Guard is still free to hit the Blue Knight on Yellow’s turn, even if neither one has gone through a wicket. If your striker hits two balls on the same shot, without then going through a wicket, it is dead only on the last ball hit.

A ball is “dead” only to the player’s ball that hits it–other players may hit the same ball. In the first example (Blue Knight hits Yellow Guard), it is okay for any other balls to hit the Yellow Guard unless they too are dead upon it.

Hitting your own ball: In a Connivance, both balls are dead to each other until either one of the balls has passed through an appropriate wicket (NOTE: the Guard is not cleared passing through an archway). For example, if the Blue Knight hits the Blue Guard, neither ball may hit the other until either one of them has passed through a gate or through one of the wickets in Open Land, or the Blue Knight has passed through an archway.

(C4) GOING OUT OF BOUNDS:

Hitting out of bounds: If during your shot, any ball goes out of bounds, your turn ends. All balls that moved are returned to place.

(D1) ADDITIONAL RULES: (Violations of these rules, unless excepted or stipulated elsewhere, require that all balls be returned to their position before the shot, and the player’s turn on the striker ends.

1. Using your mallet: You may strike your ball only with the end of the mallet head, not the side of the mallet nor the mallet handle.

2. Playing out of turn: If a player plays out of turn, all balls are replaced to where they were at the beginning of the turn, but there is no penalty. If the fault is not discovered until an additional player has played, then play continues in the normal sequence, and the player whose turn was skipped forfeits that turn.

3. Struck balls that go nowhere: If you strike a ball and it does not move or moves and rolls back into the same spot, it is considered a stroke and counts as a move.

4. Starting out: Your Knight must pass through the archway before your Knight and Guard can make contact.

5. Going through wickets twice: You may not go through the same wicket with the same ball twice in one turn; this means, for instance, that you may not enter and exit (or exit and enter) a castle with the same ball in the same turn, and you can not go through the archway after hitting the stake of an opponent’s castle if you went through the archway in the same turn en route to the stake.

6. Ball in hand; obstacles and grounds: You may not touch a ball with your hands except to move a ball that is near an obstacle (other than a stake or wicket or another ball) or in order to place a ball for a croquet. Therefore, once you pick up a ball for a croquet, you can not change your mind. If you touch your ball with your hands for any other reason, your turn on that ball ends. If two balls end up touching (and you’re not going to do a croquet), or if your ball is resting against a stake, you separate the two balls or the ball and stake by sliding a mallet handle between them; you may NOT move a ball that is resting against a wicket, except to mark the ball (see below) or take a croquet. You may remove any debris (obstacle) that has fallen on the grounds; you may not flatten the grass area over which your ball will travel.

7. Marking balls: On your turn, you may mark an opponent’s ball (remove the ball and put a coin or flat marker in its place) if that ball is in the wrong territory and may interfere with your shot. For example, if you are trying to enter a castle and the gate is blocked on the inside by a ball that is actually in Open Land, you may replace that ball with a marker. If you do not mark the ball and you hit it, you will be penalized as per Penalty #11.

8. Hitting a stake: Your Guard should never hit an opponent’s stake (see “Penalties”). Your Knight may hit each opponent’s stake only once, taking an extra stroke after doing so. Hitting the stake does not clear the Knight of any “Deadness.” Hitting your own stake (with either ball) has no effect except in winning the game.

(E1) PENALTIES:

In all instances not specifically covered by these rules, the standard rules for croquet apply. The penalty, unless otherwise indicated below, is for all balls to remain where they came to rest, and for the faulting player’s turn (on both balls) to end; therefore, if the penalty is incurred while striking the Guard, the player (or team) loses a chance to strike the Knight. When the penalty calls for the ball(s) to be replaced, the non-affected players decide on where the ball(s) should be placed.

Penalties that cause your move to end on the striker only, and all balls to be returned to place:

1. Striking the wicket or stake: If, during your turn, your mallet, with or without striking the ball, touches one of the wickets or a stake, your move ends on that striker only; any ball that moved as a result of your hitting the wicket or stake is returned to place.

2. Double tapping/pushing balls: If, during your turn, your mallet double taps the ball (hits it twice), or pushes the ball, all balls that moved are returned to their place before the fault, and your move ends on that striker only.

3. Touching a ball: If, during your turn, your body (for example, your shoe) or mallet touches a ball other than the striker, all balls that moved are returned to their place before the fault, and your move ends on that striker only.

Balls knocked and moved accidentally by players not playing their turn are replaced without penalty.

4. Striking an opponent’s ball: If your mallet strikes your opponent’s ball or touches it during a croquet, all balls that moved are returned to their place before the fault, and your move ends on that striker only.

5. Striking or croqueting balls that cause chain reactions into different territories–an indirect hit: If your striker hits a ball in your territory which in turn hits a ball lying in another territory, or if you croquet a ball into a ball lying in another territory, all balls that moved are returned to their place before the fault; your move ends on that striker only.

Penalties that cause your turn to end and balls to be returned to place (if the penalty is on the Guard, your Knight does not get to move):

6. Hitting out of bounds: If during your shot, any ball goes out of bounds, your turn ends. All balls are returned to place.

7. Hitting dead balls: If your ball hits a ball it is “dead” on, any balls that moved are returned to their position before the shot, and your turn ends.

8. Hitting balls in different territories–a direct hit: If your ball hits a ball that is in a different territory (for example, a ball in a castle hits a ball in Open Land or in another castle), any balls that moved are returned to their position before the shot, and your turn ends.

9. Hitting an opponent’s stake: If your Guard hits an opponent’s tower (stake), your turn ends. If your intruder Knight hits the same opponent’s tower a second time, your turn ends.

10. Going through gates in the wrong direction: If your ball goes through a gate in the wrong direction, any balls that moved are returned to their position before the shot, and your turn ends.

The penalty that causes you to lose the game:

11. Hitting your home stake too soon: If you have visited all the other castles and you hit your Knight into your tower before your off-duty Guard has returned to duty, you lose the game! (Being hit into the stake by another player does not count.)

(F1) REMINDERS:

Connivance vs. Conflict: In a Connivance (where one of your balls hits your other ball), you may take a croquet shot and play the striker again; in a Conflict (where your ball hits an opponent’s ball), you may take a croquet shot or play the striker again.

Balls hitting balls: The last action of the striker is the one that governs additional strokes or other outcomes. For example, if your striker hits one ball, bounces through a gate, and hits a second ball, only the second ball counts regarding deadness or croqueting (though you are credited with having entered or exited the castle).

(F2) ALLIANCES:

If one player is pulling ahead, other players may need to work together to hinder the progress of the lead player. If two Knights are held captive in the same castle, the two captive players may agree to have one Guard free both Knights. Players may form alliances with other players, if agreed upon (see “Etiquette”), but there is no penalty against players who do not honor their pledges.

(F3) ETIQUETTE:

Before the game begins, players should decide how much “court talk” will be allowed during the game, including whether players may offer strategy hints or reminders to other players (beyond the etiquette called for below), or whether players may openly form alliances and may openly discuss helping or hindering one another. In non-tournament play, we suggest players give strategy hints and remind other players of their shot options.

As in any “etiquette” sport, players should refrain from doing anything distracting during another player’s shot.

In order to make life easier for all the players and for the judges and the officials keeping the Dead Board or Locator Board, players should shout out the result of their shot if their ball hits another ball or passes through a wicket. When your ball hits another ball, shout the outcome, such as, “Orange Knight hits Red Guard,” which means that the Orange Knight is now dead on the Red Guard; when it passes through a wicket, shout, “Orange Knight clear,” meaning it’s now not dead on anything (even if you think it was not dead on anything in the first place); when it moves into a new territory, shout where it has moved to, such as “Orange Knight is in Blue Castle,” and when you’ve reached the opponent’s tower, “Orange Knight visits Blue Castle.”

When your turn is over, shout your color, and “Done,” such as “Orange done,” so the next player knows to start. (This is not, however, like taking your finger off a chess piece after you’ve moved–if you’ve said “Done,” but realize you have another stroke coming, you can still take that stroke provided the next player has not already taken his or her stroke.)

One more important point: the penalties in Castle Croquet are designed to clarify what happens when an infraction occurs inadvertently during play–penalties are not designed to be used as a form of strategy. Since keeping track of “deadness” and what territories balls lie in can be difficult, players should always be forthcoming with that information and warn other players before any infraction is likely to occur. For example, if you know that an opponent is about to strike a ball into a ball from a different territory or into one it is dead upon, you should tell the player before the shot. Similarly, if you see a player is about to send his or her Knight into an opponent’s tower before having passed through the arch, or if a player is about to hit the Knight out of an opponent’s castle before having visited the tower, you should remind that player; or if a player is about to hit the Knight into his or her home stake before the Guard has entered the castle, you should advise the player. Also, if you know a player has another stroke coming (after hitting the guard, passing through a wicket, hitting another ball, or taking a croquet), you should inform the player, and allow the player to take the shot even if the player has already said, “Done.”

(G1) DEAD BOARD:

To help remember what balls are “dead” to which player, a magnetic board, peg board, or erasable Dead Board is used (see illustration). When your ball hits another ball (your own or an opponent’s), shout it out; then someone should mark the Dead Board before you take the next move. When your ball passes through a gate, shout out the move; then someone should check the Dead Board and remove any “deadness” that may show on that ball.

(G2) CLIPS OR LOCATOR BOARD:

Players should use clips or a magnetic board, peg board, or erasable Locator Board (see illustration) to indicate where each Knight and Guard is located. During the course of play, a player may overshoot a gate, and it is easy to forget what area the player is supposed to be in (trust us….you will sometimes forget!); clips or a Locator Board help you recognize what area each ball is in, e.g., what wicket the ball has last passed through.

When using clips, each player has one colored clip for the Knight and one (with different markings) for the Guard. If a Knight or Guard is in Open Land, its clip is placed on one of the crossed wickets in the center of the kingdom. If a Guard is in a castle, its clip is placed on the archway; if a Knight is in a castle, its clip is placed on the archway or gate, depending on whether the Knight has passed through the archway: if the Knight has not passed through the archway, the clip is placed on the gate; if the Knight has passed through the archway, the clip is placed on the archway.

This means, for example, that when a Knight enters a castle, its clip is moved from the crossed wickets in Open Land to the gate of the castle; when it passes through the archway, the clip is moved to the archway; when it hits the stake (or if it is captured), the clip is moved to the gate; when it passes through the archway (attempting to leave the castle), the clip is moved to the archway; and when the Knight exits the castle, the clip is moved to the crossed wickets in Open Land.

(G3) VISITATION BOARD:

To help remember what castles have been visited by each Knight, players should use a Visitation Board. Similar to a Dead Board in set up, it is marked each time a Knight visits an opponent’s castle. A Knight is considered to have visited an opponent’s castle as soon as the Knight reaches the opponent’s tower (touches the stake).

RULES FOR TWO OR THREE PLAYERS, and RULES FOR FIVE TO EIGHT PLAYERS:

If Castle Croquet is played by only two players, then set up (or use) only two castles opposite one another. If Castle Croquet is played by only three players, then set up three castles on a triangular playing field. (A variation is to use the normal four castle areas, one of which is left unoccupied but still must be visited by each player.) If there are more than four players, any two players may play as a team, one player always playing the Guard ball and the other always playing the Knight ball after the Guard has been played. All other rules are the same as for the four-player game.

OPTIONAL SET-UP: If you have a way of marking the boundaries between castles and between each castle and Open Land, you may wish to play using those boundaries. Any ball that crosses such a boundary would be treated the same as a ball that has been driven out of bounds.

SUMMARY (Ten basic points, without the exceptions or special circumstances):

1. Hit your Guard ball first, then your Knight.

2. Move your Knight from your tower (home stake) through the archway in either direction, and out the gate.

3. Leave your Guard behind to guard the castle, or send the Guard along with the Knight to help and protect him.

4. Head for any castle.

5. Enter each castle by going through the gate in the proper direction; then send your Knight through the archway in either direction, and then hit the opponent’s stake. If you choose, use your Guard to run interference to lessen the chances that your Knight will be captured. Remember, Knights and Guards must pass through gates in the proper direction in order to get credit for having entered or exited a castle.

6. If your Knight is captured, send your Guard (through the proper gate) immediately to free your Knight; the Guard must hit the captured Knight, not the opponent’s tower. If your freed Knight did not hit the opponent’s tower before being captured, make sure the Knight hits the tower after being freed.

7. Aim to strike your ball so it hits into your other ball or into an opponent’s ball to entitle you to more strokes.

8. Take an extra stroke when your Knight goes through any archway in any direction, or when your Guard or Knight goes through any gate in the proper direction, or when your Knight hits an opponent’s stake. Remember, your Guard doesn’t need to go through any archways, but it gets cleared of deadness when it does.

9. When your ball hits an opponent’s ball, take two shots from where the striker ball comes to rest, or take a croquet: pick up your ball , place it against your opponent’s ball, and take one shot, sending both balls. If your ball hits your own ball, take two additional strokes on the striker or take a croquet plus one stroke.

10. After your Knight enters each opponent’s castle and visits each opponent’s tower, get your Knight back to your own castle and hit your own tower; remember, you can’t win unless your Guard is in your home castle when your Knight reaches your tower.

Keep the list of Penalties handy so you can check when balls are replaced to their original position and whether the penalty ends your turn completely or ends just the move of your Guard.

SOME STRATEGIES:

Be cautions about trying to get through a wicket on one shot if your ball is far away from it or at a bad angle; use one shot to line up the ball and your second shot (next turn) to go through the wicket; overshooting the wicket requires a second shot just to get back into place; most “wasted” strokes are the result of overshooting wickets.

Choose the path of least resistance by heading for the castle that is unguarded.

Or go to the castle with lots of activity if you think the on-duty Guard will be busy trying to capture other intruders, or if you think you can use those intruders to get extra strokes.

Players may find it advantageous to keep their Knight and Guard near each other–even if it means leaving the castle unguarded–as the Knight is able to cover territory more quickly by hitting the Guard, and taking two additional strokes or a croquet and one stroke. Since the Guard moves first, it is often better to play the Guard to come to rest near the Knight (rather than having the Guard hit the Knight) so the Knight, on his move, may hit the Guard.

Use a Connivance and wickets combination for extra shots. Hit one of your balls into the other, then croquet the latter through a wicket; with your additional shot on the striker, send the striker through the wicket so it hits your other ball again, resulting in an additional two shots for the striker (or a croquet and one shot). Make good use of croquets to send both balls a long distance or through wickets to clear them, or to send balls through gates into different areas.

Practice placing and hitting croquet shots at different angles in order to learn how to send the striker and the croqueted ball in different directions.

Use your croquet shot to send an opponent’s ball to the wrong side of the wicket your opponent is trying to get through. This can be as effective as croqueting your opponent’s ball to the opposite end of the kingdom.

You may want to return an off-duty Guard to your castle after an opponent’s Knight has intruded, or to croquet an opponent’s Guard near or into his castle to facilitate his capture of another opponent’s intruder Knight.

In Open Land, you may strike your ball into an opponent’s Knight, and then croquet that opponent’s Knight into a castle in order to hasten the capture of the Knight by the on-duty Guard. You may hit your Guard into an opponent’s on-duty Guard, causing it to hit into a third player’s Knight (or vice versa), resulting in the capture of the opposing player’s Knight.

If your Guard is already in an opponent’s castle, you might want your Knight captured intentionally, in order to bypass having to go through the archway on the way in, hoping your Guard will free the Knight next turn. The on-duty Guard may want to hold off capturing such a Knight until after the Knight has reached the tower.

To free your captured Knight, you may strike your intruder Guard into the on-duty Guard, and then croquet the on-duty Guard through the gate (out of the castle), automatically freeing any captured Knights in that castle.

After freeing your captive Knight, you may want to then croquet the Knight into the tower (stake), provided the Knight didn’t reach the tower before being captured.

When hitting a tower, use good force and aim for the best angle which will allow the ball to ricochet off the stake and lie in the best position for your next shot.

If an opponent is heading to your Castle, by allowing that opponent’s ball to hit your ball in Open Land, and then on your turn striking your ball so that it rests in front of your gate, you can block entry to your Castle, since the opponent’s ball must first pass through a wicket, because it is dead on your ball, before it can hit your ball out of the way.

Using Boards: Making use of a Locator Board, Visitation Board and Dead Board makes it easier to keep track of what’s what, who’s where, and who has been to what castles, and makes it easier for all to see. We recommend using a magnetic board, as that’s the easiest; otherwise, an easy wipe-on, wipe-off board.

LOCATOR BOARD: Place a mark to indicate whether each ball is in a castle or in Open Land, and whether the Knight has passed through the castle archway.

VISITATION BOARD: Mark when a Knight has visited an opponent’s castle.

DEAD BOARD: Place a mark to indicate if any ball in the left column is dead on any ball along the top row.

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Thanks to regular playtesters Martha Folsom, Clark King, Stephen Rea, and Ed Wagner for their advice and continued support and participation, and to additional testing and opinions early on from Richard Andrews, Reneé Andrews, Greg Sampson, Art Muldoon, Sandy Baker, Wayne Saunders, and Cheryl Yehl.

Notice: These instructions for Castle Croquet are protected by law. No part of these instructions may be reprinted or photocopied without the express permission of Bruce Whitehill, whose name and copyright must remain clearly visible. Permission will be routinely granted to any individuals or groups wishing to have copies available for players and officials.

by Bruce Whitehill (The Big Game Hunter)

games at the big game hunter dot com [@, ., no spaces]