Cones – File under sports

Updated Scoring Rules. See below.

So we’ve developed a new game to chase away the boredom. We call it Cones. It’s basically a quieter version of horseshoes that you can play indoors (or outdoors). It works great in the long corridors between our cubes. It uses those 6 inch orange cones that you can get from sporting good places. We happened to have some here at work from the now-defunct softball team that used to play years ago.

Here are the rules so far:

• There are two players using 3 cones each for each round.
• 2 additional cones are placed on the ground in front of each player and used similar to stakes as in horseshoes. These are the cone stakes. These should be placed from 6 feet to 12 feet apart. (NOTE – In our building, one carpet tile = 1.5 feet)
• Players take turns throwing cones at the opponent’s staked cone in an effort to have their cone land perfectly on the staked cone. This is called a "flight."
  
• A staked cone that is knocked down from a flight must be set back up. However, a staked cone with additional cones already on top of it is left alone until the round ends.
• You cannot move your opponents cones once they have landed in your own pre-flight area. This can be used as a defensive measure by players when they land a flight in the area where their opponent likes to use for flight approaches. All cones are picked up at the end of each round (ie, after both players exhaust their cones via flights)
  
• Games are played to a previously agreed upon point total. This varies largely by the amount of time you have to waste.
• If someone in management walks by, goad them into playing by saying something like “I bet you can’t get one on!” This prevents them from yelling at you and instead garners additional support for the game

Scoring:

• Landing a cone perfectly on top of the opponents staked cone results in three (3) points. This is a ringer.


• Landing a cone on top of the opponents staked cone but having the staked cone topple over results in two (2) points. This is a half ringer. Otherwise knocking over the staked cone is worth 0 points. (use some duct tape on the front edge of the cone to prevent easy knockdowns)

  a half ringer

• Landing a cone that leans on the staked cone is a leaner and is worth two (2) points.

  a leaner

• Landing a cone that is touching the staked cone results in one (1) point.
  
• Games are played to a previously agreed upon point total. This varies largely by the amount of time you have to waste.

Fouls:

• Moving an opponents cones (even by accident) that are in your pre-flight area. Results in loss of flight.
• Stepping beyond the diamond of your own staked cone is an approach foul and results in the forfeit of that flight.