Category Archives: Other Games

William- Marbles are…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
Original author: kenmoose [e-mail]
 

William- Marbles are making a comeback for several reasons. A lot of the collector interest is driven by middle aged people trying to get back the stuff their mother’s threw out while they were in college or lost to the neighborhood hustler (haha,but true). There is a tremendous resurgence in art marble making. From West Virginia to California, the furnaces and torches have been fired up. Many of these studios are offering classes in marble making. Wheaton Village in Millville, NJ has a Marble Weekend following the National Marble Tournament, which is held in Wildwood, NJ. My family went last year and met a lot of the young artists that have led the new wave. The game of marbles is starting to make a comeback because it is so basic and simple. Since marbles are one of the oldest toys, and is the oldest mass produced toy (see the Akron marbles website),it seems only natural that “what was old is new again”. It is a game of skill that can be played under any conditions and modified with mutually agreed rules. It can be played for fun or keeps. There are no flashing lights, inappropriate violence or language (unless you miss) and does not become obsolete when a new gaming platform comes out. It still teaches hand/eye coordination, fine motor skills and sportsmanship without the possiblity of physical retaliation during the match. As far as glass verses stone, stone marbles make better shooters than glass due to better density and hardness. Glass marbles are fine to learn on, and many players use them successfully in tournament play. My daughter has shot in the National Marble Tournament for the last four years, representing Perry Hall, MD. Most upper rung players shoot with agates. Some have used other stone marbles- some are more brittle and chip/crack. You can find agates and other stone marbles on e-bay and other websites. You can find some bargains, if you look. For the game of ringer (the National Tournament game), the largest shooter you can use is 3/4″. The rules can be found on the tournament website (among others). Good luck with you daughter-

I was raised and taught…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
Original author: rich grome (gromes) [e-mail]
 

I was raised and taught skellies on Jerome Ave in the Bronx and later moved to West New York, NJ where with the best friends a guy could ever have played this game from morning to night. The rules were standard but like Eric from WNY we also used the “P” for pit around the 13 box. We played on 64th Street between Broadway and Dewey Ave.’s Carlos, China(edwin), Danny(Brigs), Ralph and Henry(Littleman). The Kelso’s got in a few rounds of play as did others from around the neighborhood but mostly it was just us. One of our favorite rule variants was called Downtown. A true rule breaker if ever there was one. If a players cap started to roll, anyone playing could yell out the words “Downtown!” or (my personal favorite) Hoboken!!! Then proceed to kick the rolling cap as far away as possible. Brig’s cap once landed in front of Saint Josephs on the corner of 64th & Palisade (Google earth this to get an idea of the distance, its 2.5 blocks, but the last block is all up hill and probably close to 300 yards by itself!) I live down the Shore now in Silverton, and have 2 teenange boys of my own. It’s their turn to learn now. Thanks for the memories. Hey guys, if you ever come across this message, bro, I don’t care if your 90 years old, look me up.

Victoria, boy does that…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
Original author: Pat Harris (westsidegirl) [e-mail]
 

Victoria, boy does that bring back memories. I taught this to my grandson when he was younger and he loved it along with hit the stick (bouncing a spaldeen between two cement boxes in front of my house)as Therese says she did with her grandson. This goes to prove that kids of all generations enjoy the simple games that kids have been playing for years. Isn’t this a great website?

Is there a good discussion…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
Original author: William [e-mail]
 

Is there a good discussion about why glass marbles are so popular today? I’m interested in teaching my daughter about marbles and I thought it’d be nice to get her some real stone marbles to play with. Is this a bad idea? Would stone chip and break? Is glass preferred? Thanks!

I HAVE DEVELOPED AN INSIDE…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
Original author: WILLIAM L. CONNER [e-mail]
 

I HAVE DEVELOPED AN INSIDE BOARD GAME THAT FUSES TOGETHER CHESS, CHECKERS, CARDS, DICE, MONOPOLY AND USES A HIGHLY MODIFIED SKELLY BOARD FOR THE FUSION OF ALL OF THESE ENTITIES. AS A KID I LOVED THE GAME OF SKELLY, I LOVED IT SO MUCH AS WELL AS OTHER GAMES THAT I DEVELOPED THIS GAME. THE GAME PLAYES SIX PLAYERS AND CAN ALSO BE PLAYED IN TEAMS. THE GAME CAN NOT BE MASTERED AND CAN BE PLAYED FROM AGES 5 THROUGH ADULT. ALL OF THE MOVES THAT YOU DO IN SKELLY OUTSIDE CAN BE DONE WITH THIS GAME INSIDE. THE GAME HAS THREE DECKS OF CARDS, THREE PAIRS OF DICE AND THE GAME PIECES RESEMBLE THE PAWN AND THE KNIGHT USED IN THE GAME OF CHESS. IF YOU LOVE SKELLY YOU WILL LOVE THIS GAME (SKILLNOPOLIT). THE GAME IS PRESENTLY IN THE MARKETING STAGE, LOOK FOR IT SOON, IT

I am stumped as to why no…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
Original author: Allen Levy [e-mail]
 

I am stumped as to why no one has mentioned “Hit the Penny”, which was a popular, if rather sedate, street game when I was growing up in Brooklyn. It used the sidewalk blocks, and between two blocks (on the line) you put down a penny, nickel or quarter—and then you stood at the edge of the two blocks and hit the penny. If it turned over, you got two points—first one to twenty one wins. The catch—when either player reached twenty, they had to back up one block, thereby making it harder to hit the target. What’s the deal—how come nobody even mentions this game. I play it with my son now in LA and we have a great time.

We never played the games…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
Original author: Red Hat Avon Lady
 

We never played the games with Chestnuts (which we called horse chestnuts), but we did throw them at each other. We would collect them in a bread bag, take them home, and pour them in the milkbox that sat on the porch. My mom said when they started getting wormy, she would throw them away. Don’t know what the milkman did with the milk during chestnut season!!