GAME RULES
Welcome to the first yard game with a Splash! Here you will learn about the pieces, setup and rules about how to play Cannonball.
RULES (PDF): CANNONBALL | CANNONBALL JR.
The Game Basics
• Players: 2-8 players
• Winning Condition: First team to 11 points
• Game Length: Approximately 15 minutes
• Play Style: Standing preferred but not required
• Caution: Players may get splashed with water
Video of Cannonball's setup and rules
Game Items
• 8 Scorer Balls (4 Light, 4 Dark)
• 8 Cannonballs (heavier balls, black)
• 8 Gold Pieces (small balls used for the Treasure Chest)
• 3 Scoring Rings
• 1 Perimeter Rope
• 1 Treasure Chest
• 1 Rule Booklet
• 1 Kiddie Pool (3-5 feet in diameter, filled with 6 inches of water)
Game Balls
Scorers - Team balls used to target the Scoring Rings and identify sides. At the end of each round, each Scorer inside a ring scores 1 point.
Cannonballs - Heavier balls used to disrupt play, often for defense against Scorers. Players may legally knock other game pieces (balls or rings) out of the pool. Always throw with caution to avoid hitting players or nearby objects.
Gold Pieces - Each player has one Gold Piece per game. Once thrown, it is not returned. Gold Pieces are aimed at the Treasure Chest. If a Gold Piece lands in the chest’s cup, it is instantly worth 10 points and cannot be knocked out.
GAME SETUP
• Place pool in centered location, preferable on level ground, and fill with 6” of water.
• Set up Perimeter Rope 3 feet from edge of pool. Adjust the rope length according to your pool’s diameter (3–5 feet). Slide the rope to the marked size (see Perimeter Rope Length diagram) and place it around the pool.
• Divide players evenly into two teams. Each player receives one Gold Piece and one Cannonball. One team will play as the Light Scorers, the other as the Dark Scorers.
• Position players around the pool, standing behind the Perimeter Rope, in alternating order (e.g., Team A, Team B, A, B, etc.).
• Place a single ring in the pool center. All players throw their Scorers at the same time. The player whose Scorer lands inside the ring - or closest to its edge - becomes the game’s first Thrower. If there is a tie, repeat between tied individuals until single winner is determined.
• Once the first Thrower is chosen, place all three Scoring Rings and the Treasure Chest into the pool’s center as demonstrated in the Starting Configuration model (see page 1).
• Release the Scoring Rings and Treasure Chest and allow them to drift naturally. Do not touch them once released.
RULES (PDF): CANNONBALL | CANNONBALL JR.
GAME PLAY
• At each turn, the thrower will select which one of the three balls they wish to throw.
• Scorers and Cannonballs will be returned after each round. Gold Pieces are one-time use.
• Each ball can only be used for its intended use. Using a ball for its unintended purpose disqualifies the throw and more than two will result in a point reduction.
• Rotate clockwise around the circle with each person taking a throw of the ball of their choice.
• A round is complete after everyone has made a throw of one of their three balls.
• Each new round will begin with a new person as the lead thrower. It will rotate clockwise starting from the person who won the honor to start the game.
• Leave the rings where they end each round. Do not reset to starting configuration.
• If a Scoring Ring or the Treasure Chest are ever knocked out of the pool, finish the round, then reset the Rings and Treasure Chest to the Starting Configuration.
Scoring
• First team to reach 11 points will be declared the winner (not win by 2).
• Points will be counted at the end of each round after every person has had a chance to throw.
• 1 point for a Scorer in a ring. Multiple balls can be in one ring. See more details below.
• 10 points for a Gold Piece in the Treasure Chest (at any point during the round).
• If opposite colors are in the ring at the end of the round, no points will be awarded for that ring. This is regardless of the number of balls in the ring.
• If two balls or more balls from the same team end the round in a ring, a bonus point will be awarded (1 point for each Scorer plus an additional 1 point = 3 points total).
• If two rings stack on each other, and a ball is within both of them at the end of the round, teams will score points in each ring.
• Stepping over the Perimeter Rope while throwing will result in a 1-point penalty and the throw not counting.
Tiebreaker
• If both teams are tied at 11 following the conclusion of a round, the game moves to a tiebreaker.
• The pool and all game pieces will remain as they were at the end of last round.
• Only Scorers and Cannonballs will be used in the tiebreaker round.
• Each team will select a single thrower to start.
• Whichever team started the game will throw last in the tiebreaker.
• Both throwers will get a single toss of the Scorer or Cannonball.
• The team with the most points after both throwers have gone is the winner.
• If still tied, go to the next thrower. Everyone must go before someone can throw a second time. Repeat until the winner determined.
