I like a lot of dexterity games, more than other people tend to. But one game that most people tend to like is Crokinole. It doesn’t matter what companies board you have, though you can buy fancy boards, the game is going to be the same. So what is Crokinole and is it the best dexterity game like people claim it is?

How To Play Crokinole

Crokinole is a two player, mainly, flicking game. You can play with four on teams, but let’s talk about it in it’s primary form, with two players. You take turns flicking discs back and forth across the board. Ideally not the whole way, though, because, there are a few rules to think about with Crokinole.

Firstly, the first person to shoot shoots to hit the middle, 20 point, spot on the board. If they sink it, the next person can also shoot for the middle. But once one disc is left on the board, and stops in the 15 point circle, now the other player needs to hit that disc first before trying to bounce their disc into the middle, if they can. So basically, you shoot for the middle unless your opponent has a disc on the board, then you need to hit that first.

At the end of a round, and there are a few more rules as to when discs get removed, you tally up the scores in a chase to 100. But if I score 65 and you score 40, I get 25 points, the difference between the two. So it isn’t like, if I manage to land 5 discs in the middle, that it’s over already. The scoring is done on a difference basis. So if no one is at 100, you set-up, and now the other player shoots first.

What Doesn’t Work?

There is some minutia to the rules. And it isn’t that it doesn’t work, it’s just that it takes a simple flicking game and adds in more rules. I can still sit down and teach the game in five minutes. But there are going to be edge cases that I need to cover, either in the moment or when the situation arises. At the core, the game is simple, so those rules can seem out of place for someone who wants a really casual game.

The other thing, and this is true with most flicking game, if you get good at it, your skill level will be above your opponents. Now, Crokinole is simpler to get good at than something like Ice Cool in my opinion. That has more with how you might want to spin your penguins. Here you shoot in straight lines, but if I am better at that than you because I play more, I will win most games.

What Works?

Now, I complained about how there are some more rules, or at least called out how they exist. I think it’s worth noting, though, that for the most part Crokinole is a simple game. If one person knows the rules, they can mention them when a situation might occur. Such as, you need to land a disc in the middle or 15 point circle if your opponent doesn’t have a disc on the board. Or you lose discs if you hit your own and not your opponents on a shot. Things that I am hopefully playing right.

The speed of game is also really good. Each game is fast to play, and turns, for obvious reasons, you are flicking one disc, go fast. Sometimes you might need to double check an angle on a shot. But that is about it, normally you set down a disc and go.

Who Is It For?

This is a trickier question. I think for a lot of people because it is that pretty collection piece and abstract versus an Ice Cool it is going to be a whole lot better for them. On the flip side, Crokinole boards aren’t cheap. Mine is cheap and I paid $100 for it. You can pay probably over $500. And I think $300 is probably around the average. So if you get one, it is going to cost some money.

For that reason, I think the game play is for everyone. But the game itself, well, that is going to be harder to say. You almost know you need to like it in order to buy it. I assumed that I would, and I didn’t grab a high end board. So consider before you buy.

Final Thoughts on Crokinole

I really enjoying playing Crokinole. It has just enough rules to make it feel more like a gamers dexterity game than a lot of dexterity games. And I think it is a game that most people would try. Even if the game isn’t for them, it looks pretty and impressive.

That said, I also get why it won’t climb into the Top 10 on Board Game Geek ever. It’s hard for enough people to own and play a ton. And it doesn’t have that disadvantage of a skilled player will win. So the more you play, the bigger the gap between you and the people you play against.

That said, it is still a lot of fun. It is a good time challenging yourself as you game to improve. For some people, it might come to slowly, but for me, it’s that right weight of dexterity, like a PitchCar or Ice Cool. Is it better than them, the question I teased at the top, at two players, it is the best two player flicking game I have played. With more, I prefer the other two and both of those can play up to 8, so easy picks a lot of the time over Crokinole.

My Grade: A-
Gamer Grade: C
Casual Grade: A

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