How to Play Archboard Marbles

Archboard, which originated in ancient Rome, is one of the oldest marble games ever played. If you don't have an Archboard, you can make your own. Follow these steps to play this classic game of marbles.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Purchase an archboard in a marble's game pack or make your own out of a shoebox. Set the shoebox on its edge and cut six arches from the bottom of the box up about 2 inches or so from the floor and make them an equal distance apart. Give each arch number value by writing these numbers over the arches in this order: 3 2 1 0 2 3.

2. Choose one person as the "bridgekeeper." All other players will be shooters. The bridgekeeper takes marbles that don't score points and hands out the number of marbles the shooter wins by getting a marble through the arch.

3. Distribute an equal amount of marbles to each shooter.

4. Have shooters scoot back about 5 feet from the archboard.

5. Take turns shooting marbles toward the archboard one at a time when it becomes your turn.

6. Win the number of marbles over the arch if you get your marble through it, plus receive back the marble you shot. If you get your marble in the 0 slot, win no marbles, but get your original marble returned to you. If you don't get your marble through an arch, the bridgekeeper takes your marble and you gets nothing.

7. Drop out of the game when you run out of marbles. Win the game by being the last shooter remaining.

Tips & Warnings

• To make the game more challenging, you can make the holes that pay out more marbles smaller than the ones that pay out lesser amounts of marbles.