How do you play Race to the Center?
1. Introduction and needed items
First hearing about it from from my 7th and 8th grade years, the rules of this game are still remarkably remembered in tact. The rules are rather simple, but the gameplay is intense and fun. Unlike most of my other games, this game is designed for multiple players (or multiple teams). I do, however, have a way to play it solo (see section 3, variations, for details).
Needed items:
8+ arrows (without the sharp tips) for each player or team (two for backup in case they break or get lost).
1 target with at least 4 rings per player or team
1 bow to shoot the arrows (obviously; one per player or team)
1 wall or net (to prevent lost arrows or arrows that drift too far away)
1 room or space with at least 25 feet of length (up to 85 feet for masters)
2. How to play
Game setup
This game has a short and simple setup. For beginners at archery, stick with at least 20 feet of space between you and the target. For advanced, go with 40 feet of space, and for experts, go with 60 feet and with masters, go with 80 (or 100) feet. The target design must have a minimum of four rings, the bullseye and at least 3 more rings outside. All targets must be exactly the same for each player or team. A sample of what a target like this might be (with five rings) is this:
Count out 6 arrows for each player and team member. (3, 4, or 5 may be used instead of 6) Be sure to have spares on hand in case one breaks or gets lost. Also, for safety reasons, make sure that the sharp blades at the tips of every arrow are removed as well. Finally, place the targets so that they are against a wall. If you don't have any walls available, use a net instead. Although even the net isn't required, it helps to find arrows that miss the target. Finally, gather one bow for each team or player so you can shoot the arrows. From here, get back from the target. Everyone must be the same distance from the target. If most of you are beginners, stick closer to the target, 20 feet minimum. If you're experts or masters, use a greater distance.
Game play
This game's rules are quite simple. First, after you get positioned where you need to be, you each aim for the outer-most ring. Each player must shoot all of their arrows. If one finishes before another, they must wait until everyone has used up their arrows. After this, go up to the target and give a score for each ring. Each arrow into the outer most ring scores one point. Misses and hits in other rings don't count. After each round, the shooter must go retrieve their arrows and place them back in their stock. If you have teams, the next team member goes. If it's just a one-member team, that player just continues going.
If you score 6 points in the outer most ring (you may adjust this as you see fit; the higher the number, the longer the game), you start aiming for the next ring inward and get 6 points here. After that, you continue to the next ring inward for 6 points and continue on until you get to the bullseye. After 6 points in the bullseye, you win! You must score 6 points in a ring before you can move on. If you're in the middle of your shots, and get one easily noticeable, you just continue to the next inner ring. If the arrow is questioned and looks too close to call, all firing must cease while the judge goes up and checks it. If, at any time, an arrow is right on the halfway point (half of the tip is on and half of it is off), it is counted as a hit and you move on. If the arrow is slightly in the the targetted ring, it counts as a hit and you move on, but if the arrow is slightly into a neighboring ring, it's counted as a miss and doesn't give you any score. That's all there is to it.
3. Variations
There are a few variations of this game that I can think of. One is obvious: start from the bullseye and work outward instead of the other way around. Another variation is to set a number of rounds to be played. For example, if you choose ten rounds, the one who gets the furthest after the ten rounds will be the winner. A final variation that I can think of is to set a time limit. If you choose, for example, one hour, play as many rounds as needed, but when the time runs out, the current round will continue until all arrows are used up. From here, the one who gets the furthest wins. If, in any circumstance, that you get past the bullseye's needed scoring, just start from the outer edge again and work inward. Don't forget to mark that you've maxed out the bullseye!
For solo play, the rules are basically the same but with one small addition. You get 15 arrows per ring on the target (10 if you're an expert, 20 if you're a beginner). A 5-ring target means you get 75 tries (4 rings mean 60 tries, 6 means 90, etc.). What you are to do is successfully score the 6 points needed for each ring before you run out of tries. If you make it, you win, if you fail, you lose. A variation is to try to accomplish this in as few as tries as possible. You win if you are 3 tries over your best record or less (2 for experts, 1 for masters).
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