Listed below are the playing instructions and rules for Table Skittles, otherwise known as bar skittles, pub skittles, devil amongst the tailors and devil among the tailors. The rules are sealed onto the underside of the storage box lid – so you don't have to remember where you put them!
- Place the board on a table.
- Screw the two mast sections together.
- Screw the mast onto the brass screw at the side of the main board.
- Insert the swivel, at the end of the chain attached to the ball, into the hole at the top of the mast. The ball should hang so that it's just brushing the top edge of the frame next to the mast.
- Place the nine skittles on the brass markers on the raised platform.
- Swing the ball to the left of the mast, so that it swings around in an arc to strike the king-pin from the rear and just slightly off-centre. Ideally the ball should knock down the skittles on one side and the flying king-pin should clear the remainder. But it's a lot easier to say than do! Skill, not force, is required. The ball should only swing around the mast once – the player should catch it to prevent it going around again.
- Each player takes three swings of the ball.
- If all the skittles are knocked down on the first or second swing, they should all be replaced on their spots for the next swing.
- Individual games of three swings for each player can be played, the winner being the one who has knocked down the greatest number of skittles. The highest possible score over three swings is twenty-seven.
- For a longer sequence of games a Cribbage-style scoreboard with pegs is provided inside the storage compartment. The length of a game can be up the board (30 points) or up and down (60 points). Each player uses one row of holes and two pegs. The two pegs are used in a leapfrog manner to keep count of the player's total score.
This game of Table Skittles is not suitable for children under 3 years old. The skittles and small scoring pegs present a choking hazard, and the chain, swivel, and ball could cause injury to a very young child.