Stats:
No. of players: 2-4
Amount of time to play: 30 min
Age requirements: 8+
Set-up time: minimal

Crokinole is a dexterity game with aspects of shuffleboard and curling. You flick disks on a large wooden board and score points based on where they land.

Crokinole Description:

Crokinole dates back to the 1860s from Canada. The concept is simple but the game is hard to master. You start the game with 12 disks in a 2 player game (or you have two teams with each member getting 6 disks).

You flick your disks one at a time. If no opposing disks are on the board then you must touch the 15 point (innermost) circle. If there are opposing disks you must hit one with one of your disks. If you fail to meet these requirements your disk is removed from the board. If at any time a disk lies flat in the center of the board it is removed and score you 20 pts at the end of the round.

After all disks have been shot, you tally your points. From the center each line is worth five less points. The player (or team) with the higher total subtracts the other player’s (or team’s) points. That is their score for the round.

The game ends once one side reaches 100 points.

Quick Review of Crokinole:

Crokinole is a game of skill and can be fun for all even my young children enjoy it. There are variations on the rules above and you can even negotiate them to create a level playing field.

I am not a huge fan of dexterity games, but Crokinole is fun and can be played as seriously or light-heartedly as you like. The need to hit other player’s disks increases player interaction and keeps things interesting. You need to defend your disks yet still be able to hit your opponent’s disks which can be a hard balance to strike.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 3 out of 6
Luck 4 out of 6
Player Interaction 6 out of 6
Replay Value 4 out of 6
Complexity 3 out of 6
Fun 5 out of 6
Overall 5 out of 6

I recently got a Crokinole board from Mayday Games. The model is the Sapele Hardwood Tournament Board found here. I know there has been a lot of controversy over Mayday, their business practices and the quality of their boards. I wanted to address the board I just got as they have been trying to upgrade their quality control.

The board I got is not perfect, but the imperfections are minor at best. The biggest thing one might notice is that the ditch is not exactly even the whole way around the board. This has no affect on the game. The other flaw is a slight tiny scuff that may affect your shot a bit. While I hope that Mayday continues to work on their quality, I am not sure this flaw (pictured below) makes this board a bad purchase. Crokinole boards cost double the price of a Mayday board. I am not skilled enough nor do I plan to play this game at a high enough level to worry about the small imperfection.

If you plan to play on a tournament level and want a perfect crokinole board I think you should not buy a Mayday board. You should probably shell out the cash for a high quality one. If you are looking for an affordable board to enjoy with family and friends this could be the one. I understand $150 is a lot of money. I believe Mayday is continuing to make improvements in their process and if you want a higher quality board at this price point you may want to wait and keep an eye on their progress.