Poleish
Players: 2 (or 4 players in teams of two)
You’ll need: Two poles that can stick into the ground, and two cans that can be balanced on top of the poles.
Setup: Plant one pole (with its can balanced on top) about 30-40 feet away from the opponent’s pole and can.
How to play: Team 1 throws their Frisbee toward the opponents’ pole and can, trying to knock the can off its pole without their opponents catching the Frisbee, the can as it falls, or both. The kicker: Players can only use one hand to throw and catch, which makes it all the more tricky – and fun!
Scoring:
- 2 points for knocking your opponent’s can off their pole if the can falls to the ground, uncaught.
- 1 point for throwing the Frisbee if it goes uncaught by the opposing team (but wild and uncatchable throws don’t count).
- 3 points for an uncaught Frisbee and uncaught can.
- The first team to reach 21 points (winning by two) wins the game.
Washers
Players: 2 (or 4 players in teams of two)
You’ll need: 3 washers for each player (each team should have a different-colored set), and two pits, each with a can inside. The cans could be a standard tin can, or a 4-inch PVC pipe. Pits are usually a 5’ x 3’ frame that the can sits inside.
Setup: Place the pits about 20 feet away from one another. Both teams start on one side, pitching their washers from behind the pit on that side.
How to play: Similar to horseshoes, players try to throw washers inside the can (or as close to the can as possible). The first player will throw their three washers all in one turn, then a player on the opposing team will throw their three washers in one turn, and so on (if playing in teams of two.) Once all the players have thrown their washers, the round is finished. Tally up the points, then switch sides.
Scoring:
- 5 points to a player who lands their washer in the can.
- 3 points to a player who lands their washer on the edge of the can.
- 1 point is awarded to a player who lands their washer inside the pit.
- The first team to reach 21 points (winning by two) wins the game.
However, this game uses cancellation scoring, which means if you score 5 points by landing your washer in the can, and then your opponent scores by landing their washer in the can, the two would cancel each other out.
Cornhole
Players: 2 (or 4 players in teams of two)
You’ll need: A cornhole set which consists of at least four small bean bags (or corn-filled bags – hence the name), and two inclined boards with a hole in the far end.
Setup: Set up the boards about 20 feet away from one another. Both teams start on the same side of their respective boards.
How to play: Players take turns throwing bags, aiming for the hole in their board. Tally up the points, then switch sides so everyone throws toward the other board for the next round.
Scoring:
- 3 points to the team that lands bags inside the hole.
- 1 point for every bag that lands on the board.
- The first team to reach 21 points winning by two wins the game.
Some groups use cancellation scoring, which means if you score 3 points by landing your bag in the hole, and then your opponent scores by landing his or her bag in the hole as well – the two would cancel each other out.
Tumbling Tower
Players: 2 to 4 players
You’ll need: 54 10½-inch 2x4 blocks, and a strong table.
Setup: On the table, line the blocks in rows of three, and stack them in alternating directions until they make a tall rectangular tower. (So the tower should be 18 stories high, each story being a row of blocks.)
How to play: Player 1 removes a wooden block from anywhere on the bottom or middle of the tower, and places it on top of the tower. Player 2 does the same, and places his or her block on top next to Player 1’s block. Continue, creating new rows in alternating directions at the top of the tower. Here’s the fun part: The more blocks you remove from the bottom of the tower, and the more weight you add to the top, the more structurally unstable the tower becomes. The object of the game is to make the tower as tall as possible without making it come tumbling down.
Scoring: Whichever player makes the move that causes the tower to tumble loses. (If playing with more than two people, the winner would be the player who successfully added the block without causing the tower to fall – before the turn of the player whose block made the tower tumble.)
