📖 Cardinal Ball – How to Play 🚶

🛠️Step 1: Gear Up & Set the Field!

First things first, let’s get your playing area ready.

• Gather Your Equipment: Make sure you have your 2 Poles, 2 Target Balls, 1 Throwing Ball, and a Measuring Tape. (And drinks, if you’re playing that version! 🥤)
• Pole Placement: Stand your two poles upright, parallel to each other.
• Measure the Distance: Use your measuring tape to set the poles 14 feet apart (from the front of one pole to the front of the other).
• Ball on Top: Carefully balance one Target Ball on the top of each pole.
• Player Positions:
  • 2 Players (1v1): Each player stands behind their pole.
  • 4 Players (2v2): One player from each team stands at each pole. This means you’ll have an opponent next to you, and your teammate will be at the other end!

🪙Step 2: Who Goes First?

• Coin Toss: Flip a coin to decide which player or team gets to make the first throw of the game. Good luck!

🎯Step 3: Taking Your Turn (The Throwing Phase)

Alright, it’s action time! Each team gets 3 throws per turn.

• Player Ready: The designated thrower steps up behind their pole line. Remember, you can lean, but don’t step over the line before you release the ball!
• Choose Your Throw: This is where strategy comes in!
  • Mandatory Bounce Throw: The ball MUST bounce once before hitting the target. This is your standard, reliable throw.
  • Optional No-Bounce Throw: Feeling bold? You can throw directly at the target. High risk, high reward!
• Make Your Throw: Aim carefully and let it fly! Try to knock the Target Ball off your opponent’s pole.
• Repeat: Your team takes a total of 3 throws. In a 4-player game, if you’re at one end, you’ll take all 3 throws for your team from that end before passing the ball to the opponent at your end for their turn. (Your teammate at the other end will do the same when it’s their turn to throw).

💥Step 4: After the Throw (Outcomes & Scoring)

What happens after the ball is thrown? Let’s break it down:

• If You HIT the Target Ball Off:
  • Bounce Throw Hit: 1 POINT! 🎉
  • No-Bounce Throw Hit: 2 POINTS! 🎉🎉 (Awesome!)
  • Reset: The defending team puts the Target Ball back on their pole.
  • Drinks (If Playing): The opposing team takes a penalty drink.
• If You MISS the Target:
  • Bounce Throw Miss: No points. The throwing team retrieves the ball (unless it’s the end of their 3 throws).
  • No-Bounce Throw Miss: No points. The thrower must retrieve the ball. If playing with drinks, that thrower also takes TWO drinks. Ouch!
• Ball Retrieval: Generally, the throwing team retrieves their own misses (except as noted for a missed No-Bounce throw).

✨Step 5: The “Clean Sweep” Bonus Round!

• Triple Success: If your team manages to knock the Target Ball off with ALL THREE of your regular throws in a single turn…
• BONUS THROWS: You get 3 MORE THROWS immediately! Keep the streak alive!
• More Points & Drinks: Scoring and drinking rules apply to these bonus throws too.

🏆Step 6: Continuing & Winning the Game!

• Alternate Turns: After one team completes their 3 throws (plus any bonus throws), the other team takes their turn.
• Keep Scoring: Continue playing, accumulating points.
• First to 7 Wins: The first team to reach 7 POINTS is the winner!
• Win by 2: But wait, there’s a catch! You must win by at least 2 points. If the score is 6-6, the game continues until one team has a 2-point lead (e.g., 8-6, 9-7).

👍Quick Recap & Have Fun!

That’s Cardinal Ball in a nutshell! The most important part is to understand the throwing options, keep score accurately, and enjoy the friendly competition. Good luck, and may your aim be true!