[I'm not sure if this belongs here, please move it to the right section if I messed up. Thanks.]
I've been tinkering with my own game since forever, just about, and I've finally arrived at a mostly complete set of rules
I've chosen to name it Snooker Ball because it's heavily inspired by Snooker, feel free to suggest a different name if you think Snooker Ball is a poor choice. There are still a few details I'm trying to get right, and I'm grateful for any feedback. I'm not seeking to conquer the world with this, it's just an enjoyable variant that I have fun with and like showing to fellow players. Response so far has been favourable, although it does not appeal one bit to players who dislike safeties.
My intentions with the game are three-fold:
1) Promote tactical thinking
I want to give the player a large number of viable options on each shot, making it difficult to pick the right one.
2) Reduce luck
I seek to do this by requiring players to plan out their run and end it with a safety, or suffer a minor punishment. The large amount of eligible balls on the table also further stresses the need to leave your opponent a good safety, or risk having him counter you with a high run.
3) Enhance player interaction
I've always enjoyed direct interaction between players in games. Games like golf and bowling do not appeal to me because there is no direct interaction, you cannot affect your opponent's game with anything other than minor mind tricks. In Snooker Ball, you will either enter the table with a lay that your opponent wanted you to have, or you will most likely have a decent opportunity available to you.
On to the rules!
Break: Same as the one used in Straight Pool
Racking:
- 1 in the front
- 2 and 3 in the corners
- 15 on the 8-ball spot
- 13 and 14 behind the 15
- rest placed anywhere
Objective: Score 60 points. Alternately, score x number of points over a series of games. The game lends itself well to handicapping, especially in single game matches. For those, make sure that the distance for both players adds up to 120. For fun, have the loser's handicap go up by 5 and the winner's handicap go down by 5 after a game.
Scoring: Each ball scores according to its value.
Calling: When entering the table, you must call your entire run, including pockets and ball order.
Continuing and ending play: If you complete your run, you leave the table at the end of the last shot of your run. You should make sure to leave your opponent with this last shot, of course. If you miss a shot *other* than your last one, you leave the table and the opponent gets the choice between BIH behind either string (and having to shoot a ball on the other side of the string) or taking the shot where it is. When missing the last shot of your run, no penalty is incurred. You may call a safety at any point during your run, aborting your run and avoiding the BIH penalty for missing your shot.
Respotting: All balls sunk on an incomplete run are respotted and not scored. The player who sank them gets to place them on the table. All balls respotted in this manner must be placed at a rail by any diamond on the table.
If I'm missing anything, please let me know. And as I said earlier, feedback is more than welcome. If you try it out, make sure to let me know what you think about it. I've been streamlining the rules so they're easier to remember, I hope they're not too convoluted.
I've been tinkering with my own game since forever, just about, and I've finally arrived at a mostly complete set of rules
I've chosen to name it Snooker Ball because it's heavily inspired by Snooker, feel free to suggest a different name if you think Snooker Ball is a poor choice. There are still a few details I'm trying to get right, and I'm grateful for any feedback. I'm not seeking to conquer the world with this, it's just an enjoyable variant that I have fun with and like showing to fellow players. Response so far has been favourable, although it does not appeal one bit to players who dislike safeties.My intentions with the game are three-fold:
1) Promote tactical thinking
I want to give the player a large number of viable options on each shot, making it difficult to pick the right one.
2) Reduce luck
I seek to do this by requiring players to plan out their run and end it with a safety, or suffer a minor punishment. The large amount of eligible balls on the table also further stresses the need to leave your opponent a good safety, or risk having him counter you with a high run.
3) Enhance player interaction
I've always enjoyed direct interaction between players in games. Games like golf and bowling do not appeal to me because there is no direct interaction, you cannot affect your opponent's game with anything other than minor mind tricks. In Snooker Ball, you will either enter the table with a lay that your opponent wanted you to have, or you will most likely have a decent opportunity available to you.
On to the rules!
Break: Same as the one used in Straight Pool
Racking:
- 1 in the front
- 2 and 3 in the corners
- 15 on the 8-ball spot
- 13 and 14 behind the 15
- rest placed anywhere
Objective: Score 60 points. Alternately, score x number of points over a series of games. The game lends itself well to handicapping, especially in single game matches. For those, make sure that the distance for both players adds up to 120. For fun, have the loser's handicap go up by 5 and the winner's handicap go down by 5 after a game.
Scoring: Each ball scores according to its value.
Calling: When entering the table, you must call your entire run, including pockets and ball order.
Continuing and ending play: If you complete your run, you leave the table at the end of the last shot of your run. You should make sure to leave your opponent with this last shot, of course. If you miss a shot *other* than your last one, you leave the table and the opponent gets the choice between BIH behind either string (and having to shoot a ball on the other side of the string) or taking the shot where it is. When missing the last shot of your run, no penalty is incurred. You may call a safety at any point during your run, aborting your run and avoiding the BIH penalty for missing your shot.
Respotting: All balls sunk on an incomplete run are respotted and not scored. The player who sank them gets to place them on the table. All balls respotted in this manner must be placed at a rail by any diamond on the table.
If I'm missing anything, please let me know. And as I said earlier, feedback is more than welcome. If you try it out, make sure to let me know what you think about it. I've been streamlining the rules so they're easier to remember, I hope they're not too convoluted.