<DIV>Cris</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>You might be interested to compare the game called 'Devil among the Tailors' where a spinning top is used to knock down skittles. It is described in Joseph Strutt's book, <EM>Sports and Pastimes of the English People, </EM>first published in 1801:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>There is a childish pastime which may well be inserted here, generally known by the ridiculous appellation of the Devil among the Tailors; it consists of nine small pins placed like skittles in the midst of a circular board, surrounded by a ledge with a small recess on one side, in which a peg-top is set up by means of a string drawn through a crevice in the recess; the top when loosed spins about among the pins and beats some, or all of them, down before its motion ceases; the players at this game spin the top alternately, and he who first beats down the pins to the number of one-and-thirty is the conqueror. This game, I am told, is frequently to be seen at low
public-houses, where many idle people resort and play at it for beer and trifling stakes of money</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Adrian<BR><BR><B><I>Cris <cris@pastymegames.com></I></B> wrote:</DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name=GENERATOR> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=644020816-08022006>I have recently obtained a game called Holzroulette. <SPAN class=644020816-08022006><SPAN class=644020816-08022006>One of game's instructions called the game Deutsches Roulette, but the packaging is calling it Holzroulette. No indication that either name is a proprietary or trademarked name. </SPAN></SPAN>It's a small (about 10"), rougly square plate, with a concave round "dish" cutout where a top can be spun inside. Tiny balls are struck by the dradle-like nib of the top and flung into divits and "pockets" that each score differently. There is a red ball,
a blue ball, and four white balls. All of the packaging is in German, but I have a friend who is fluent in German. There are game instructions roughly as follows:</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=644020816-08022006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=644020816-08022006>One to four persons play to a set number of points (typically 1000). The red ball scores double; the blue score is minus the score it lands in. The remaining points are as-is. If you pocket every ball, you get to spin again, otherwise, play goes to the next person. If you have over 900 points, only the red ball counts as a score (no word on whether the blue ball still subtracts points). Balls that leave the field are dead for that spin.</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=644020816-08022006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=644020816-08022006>What I would like to know is: how old is this game? Is
it really of German origin? I assume it to be a relatively modern game (at least late 19th century) and a variant of the standard roulette game, but I am only basing that on intuition. I can find no documentation covering this game.</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=644020816-08022006></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=644020816-08022006></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=644020816-08022006></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=644020816-08022006>An image of the game can be seen here: <A href="http://woodexpressions.com/499009.jpg">http://woodexpressions.com/499009.jpg</A></SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2>~Cris</FONT></DIV> <DIV align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM>It's okay to let your mind go blank, but please turn off the sound...</EM></FONT></DIV>
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