There is a long tradition of recreating outdoor games with parlour game analogues, partly because people want to recreate the experience of a team sport they love, and partly because it helps them plan strategies.
While card versions of golf, cricket, and soccer abound, there is only one such version of croquet, patented in 1913 by John P. Beavens, of Burlington Junction, Missouri. His reason for inventing the game was "to provide an apparatus for playing the game of croquet by means of cards" and "to provide a game which is interesting and amusing and one the rules of which are sufficiently simple to enable both young and old to play."
His patent is drawn out in great detail, though in black and white, with hatchings to indicate colour, Our recreation of his vision is in full colour:
He is at pains to point out that all of the play is analogous to a real match of croquet, down to the possibility for a player to continue their turn for some time, and to stymie the opponent with a roquet (hence the name). There are special cards (Stake Roquet cards) for emulating a strategy in doubles play.
The game is made the more interesting by having a very large number of cards - 105 in all, making it possible for a continuous run that luck and skill can occasion on the croquet pitch on the right day. (If you haven't played croquet, you should. It combines the best elements of golf and billiards).
The game is explicit in adhering to the rules: "It will also be understood that the general rules covering the playing of croquet, as it is usually played out of doors, hold true in this game." We'll put the game play below for you to read.*
The scoring is maintained in the original by a large board emulating the croquet field. The cost of creating this may be a reason for its not coming to manufacture. As with the cards, we have made a colourised version of the board:
Since it is beyond our capabilities to provide an actual playing board, we have prepared printables in Letter and Tabloid (for the US gamers) and A4 and A3 for the ISO gamers. The larger size could be printed out and the scoring match the patent. Alternatively, you can grab the smaller one and mark the points on a tablet, then reuse. The image above is letter-sized, so you can also grab that. Links below here.
The game is available, printed on demand, here at Make Playing Cards.
If you want to read Mr. Beavens' patent, you can find it here at Espace.
What do we know about Mr. Beavens? Not a lot, for quite a busy life. He was born in 1886, and died aged 82, and was by turns a was a shoe and harness repair man, and a merchant. From 1922, he enlisted for 3 years in the National Guard. His father was famous to some degree in public life (two-column obit in the local paper), so he lived somewhat in his shadow. If anyone knows more, I will update this.
*The game is straightforward:
In playing this game, in which, as stated above, any number of persons from two to eight may play, the cards are first shuffled well and five cards are dealt to each player, one at a time. The deck of cards is then placed in the center of the table. It will, of course, be understood that the tally-board 2 is positioned on the table, nearby the players and each player is provided with a peg or pin. It will also be understood that the general rules covering the playing of croquet, as it is usually played out of doors, hold true in this game.
The first player to the left of the dealer starts the game by playing a “double arch” card or a “one arch” card, preferably the former, and if he has not either in his hand, he must play some other card and, under the latter conditions, of course, no score will be indicated. If the player plays a “double arch” card, he places the peg, which each player has at his disposal, in one of the openings forward of the double arch indicated on the tallyboard and if he plays a “one arch” card, the peg is disposed in one of the openings forward of the first arch from the starting point on the tally-board.
As soon as he has played his card, and indicated the play on the tally-board, he removes a card from the deck in the center of the table so that after each play, five cards remain in his hand. The first player continues to play his cards in such a manner as to complete the course through the arches and when no play can be made which will advance him toward the goal, any card from his hand may be played which will, of course, not count in scoring.
At a time when no card can be played which will advance the player, so far as the arches on the tally-board are concerned, the “position” card, if held, should be played, which, to those understanding the game of croquet, means that the ball is in position immediately in front of an arch or wicket.
When the first player has played his cards until no further play can be made by him, the second player starts as would be natural in the regular course of play in out-door croquet. Should, as just mentioned, the first player have ended his play by playing the “position” card and the second player had reached the point of position, it would be advantageous for the latter to play the “roquet” card which, as is true in the ordinary game of croquet, will dispose the first player out of position and places the second player in position, at the same time giving another play.
It will, of course, be understood, as is true in the ordinary game of croquet, that one player may not play more than one “roquet” card on another player prior to making an arch or rather playing an “arch” card. Each player plays in succession in a like manner, moving his talley peg forwardly or rear- wardly, as the case may be, until the complete course has been made, as would be true with the actual balls in the out-door game of croquet.
As will be seen from the foregoing, each player plays the card in his hand which will indicate an advance in the course of play, a card being drawn from the pack each time one card is played from the hand and when all cards have been drawn from the pack on the table, and no player is “out,” in other words, completed his course, the cards which have already been played, are again shuffled and placed in the center of the table, face downwardly to be drawn as in the first instance.
The suit of cards containing the words “stake roquet” is not used except when playing partners. In playing partners, as in the out-door game of croquet, when one player has completed the course, or, as is often stated, “has made all of the arches,” he is called a “rover” and may roquet another player as often as he chooses. In order to accomplish this, in this card game, however, it will be necessary to play the “roquet” card. If the opposite partner plays a “stake roquet” card, and calls the rover’s name, the latter is out of the game, but- said opposite partner does not win the game unless his own partner completes the course and plays the “stake” card prior to the rover’s partner.
From the foregoing description, the manner of playing the game will be thoroughly understood and it will be seen that I have provided a game which is simple, one which may be played by both young and old, and one which is both interesting and amusing.
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