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Need input for archery billiards target face :-)

1.3K views 15 replies 5 participants last post by  Warbow  
#1 · (Edited)
I'm working on a novelty target loosely based on straight pool. I'd like the game to have some of the flow and occasional randomness of straight pool, including streaks, dropping in your opponents balls by accident, scratches and such and I'd like input on how I could improve the idea.

So far I have a stylized target. The idea is you call your shot (ball and pocket) and then have to shoot the rectangular target zone for the ball and pocket with separate arrows. You can continue if you make your shots. Liners count. You can sink your ball in one shot if you can hit the line between ball and target and even sink more than one ball if you can hit the line between balls. Likewise, a liner on your opponents ball also sinks it for them. However, a liner on scratch is a scratch.

Other ideas I have would be make the pockets bigger and the balls smaller, make it so you have to shoot the pocket first so that you have a more random flow to the game (that way if you shoot your opponents ball it goes in rather than you deliberately missing the pocket), adding more miss zones or scratch areas, make the borders between balls more zigzaggy to encourage more liners and randomness, add a bunch of really tiny balls for a "break", or some such.

I thought about having to shoot a "cue" ball as well, but I thought that a system that required 3 arrows per ball would slow the game play down too much.

(I've made the "balls" with straight lines to add some more randomness and to make layout easier since I'm probably going to just lay this out on cardboard with lines and some target dots with the ball numbers on it so that I can make the target larger than I can easily print at home.)

Any ideas?
 

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#2 ·
For the break, incorporate a round target which the first shooter shoots. on it you have it split into quarters. the quarters that are opposite each other will match, so there will be two with solids and two with stripes. the shooter going second will place the "break target" in any positoin (example of this would be they can shoose to have stripe up or solids up) and they cover it up so the shooter cant see which designation he is shooting at. whichever one he shoots, he continues to shoot just as in pool, if he hits the line, it acts as if no balls went in on the break and the next shooter goes. this targert would only be used for the break.

how is that?
 
#3 · (Edited)
the shooter going second will place the "break target" in any positoin (example of this would be they can shoose to have stripe up or solids up) and they cover it up so the shooter cant see which designation he is shooting at.
I like the idea. Covering the target helps give it that randomness you get from a break. I suppose part of the trick is to keep the game going so you don't have to go to the target to check every shot, since I guess that binoculars won't be sufficient to rule on every shot.

One thing I haven't figured out how to do is how to make a way of having to "pick your shots" based on their position to the pockets, to make some shots easier than others. I've tried to to that a little bit by making the balls get smaller and smaller, but there is still no advantage to shooting any pocket that is further away from the ball--balls don't currently "get in the way." But, I have a few main goals, the game should play quickly, have elements of skill and luck and be reminiscent of pool. If I try to get too clever the game will get too slow and too complicated.
 
#4 ·
maybe you can have another target that is set up with a bullsey, which is you sank it the next ring is a miss and all the rings out from there alternate. that can add a small aoutn of luck and skill to it.
 
#5 ·
That could work.

I'm toying with the idea of oddly shaped target areas to make randomness harder to avoid:
 

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#7 ·
Of course not! I'm just making these for fun not for business, so anyone is welcome to print them out and give them a try.

On the puzzle one, I think putting the 8 ball in the middle might be good. I've printed out an outline version so you can number it however you want:

http://aycu34.webshots.com/image/43953/2001754049805876660_rs.jpg
 
#8 ·
Warbow

I like your idea for incorperating billiards and archery. I think you might find it hard to make straight pool work. If you were to go with 9 ball than it would be a little easier. A couple of quick ideas would be to have a pack of random ball targets. This way each game would be different. The shooter will have to run out the numbers in order. You could possibly allow one combo on the nine per game per shooter. You could place random cue balls in the picture. If these where shot that would be a scratch. When a player scratches that would be a ball in hand situation. That would be a good time to allow the opponent to attempt a combo on the nine. The games would move fast and percision would be required in order to run racks. Breaks would be a coin toss, winner breaks (continues the run out) or loser breaks to keep it fun.

Another idea would be to play Banks. You could make the archer shoot an object ball, a rail pic and then a designated pocket. That would be a three shot routine similar to fita. You could arrange the balls in a column in corelation to a rail. The size of the balls, rail, and pocket could differ in order to make at least one aspect challenging. Whoever banks 8 balls first wins.

One pocket would be tough. Probably to complicated.

8 ball could work.

The one problem I see is, how many arrows will you want your players shooting per round. In the nine ball situation each player should have 9 arrows in order to run out and the game be over. If you kept it to three arrows per end, the opponent who is not shooting may become bored. But it could be a good training aid to some because you would have to shoot three arrows and then take a break until the line clears. That would give the non shooter plenty of time to try and get in the head of the shooter or put some presure on him/her. The good thing about nine ball is that it is mostly offense with a little defence.

When you have 15 balls to keep track of, it might be to long and drawn out. I wish you luck and sorry for the spelling errors. PM me with your number if you would like to brainstorm. I used to restore pool tables, was once told I was one of the best pool table mechanics around (I was doing a job in Boston at the time) and have quite a collection of billiard related items. Good luck.

Adam Ott
Lincoln NE
 
#11 ·
When you have 15 balls to keep track of, it might be to long and drawn out. I wish you luck and sorry for the spelling errors. PM me with your number if you would like to brainstorm. I used to restore pool tables, was once told I was one of the best pool table mechanics around (I was doing a job in Boston at the time) and have quite a collection of billiard related items. Good luck.

Adam Ott
Lincoln NE
I think you may be right about 15 balls. Since this is a novelty target I'd like it to have some pace to it and not be as long and drawn out as a day of FITA shooting. Of course, if a player gets on a run, you'll only need 8 arrows even with straight pool. I'll have to read your ideas more closely tomorrow when I'm awake :)

Ultimately, it isn't possible to have all the actions of pool in an archery target due to the physics involved--there is no interaction between arrows, no banking, etc, but I still think we can make something that is interesting.
 
#10 · (Edited)
Warbow

Cuthroat might be a good game to play. Three people could play. Each would get 5 balls (NFAA) Cointoss for break with random cue balls for scratch. Player shoots until he/she misses, or scratches. Player 1 would be 1-5, player 2 would be 6-10 and player 3 would be 11-15. Lines do not count.That way binos could be used. I think you could have that rule with the nine ball game also. Use random ball targets to make it different. Could make one of each of the 5 balls a little smaller. Or make them all progressivly smaller in order to make it harder. Just another idea.

Adam Ott
Lincoln NE
 
#13 ·
Warbow

Do you mean straight pool or 8 ball. Straight pool would be racks of 15 ran to whatever the final number would be. In some cases it would be first one to 125. 14 balls are pocketed with one remaining to be used in the next break. I bet you could make the eight ball more interesting if you had "bank" in a rectangle and had to hit that first to bank the eight and win.

Adam Ott
Lincoln NE
 
#14 ·
Do you mean straight pool or 8 ball. Straight pool would be racks of 15 ran to whatever the final number would be. In some cases it would be first one to 125. 14 balls are pocketed with one remaining to be used in the next break. I bet you could make the eight ball more interesting if you had "bank" in a rectangle and had to hit that first to bank the eight and win.

Adam Ott
Lincoln NE
Indeed, you are right. I'm being a little fast and loose with my terms :) Straight pool to 125 would be tedious as an archery game.
 
#15 ·
Darts

Have any of you tried the archery dart game? It is a regular dart board looking target and you can incorporate any dart game you can think of only using arrows instead of darts(duh). Our local shop had a double elimination tourney last winter and everyone had an awesome time. I believe we played cricket?? where you work for 3 or more of each number from 20 to 15 and then go for the bullseye. It is a blast!! Just wanted to give you another option for games if you haven't tried it.
 
#16 ·
Have any of you tried the archery dart game?
Can't say as I have, but darts are probably especially well suited for archery given the similarity. I don't actually know the rules for darts, sorry to say, but that sounds like a good idea.