Tabletop games have been popular among the masses as a pastime activity for many years now. For those who do not know what a tabletop game is, any game played on a flat surface, primarily a table, is referred to as a tabletop game.
Over the years, many tabletop games have come and gone out of fashion. However, two games that have stood their ground in terms of popularity and recognition include carrom and crokinole. Although both games share numerous similarities, they are different from one another in numerous aspects.
This article will briefly cover what carrom and crokinole are and shed light on the numerous differences between the popular tabletop games. Let us dive right into it:
Carrom and Crokinole – A Brief Look
Carrom
Wikipedia describes carrom as a tabletop game that originated in India. The main aim of players in carrom is to flick discs and attempt to knock them into the board’s corner. The game is highly popular in the Indian subcontinent and is known by various names. Carrom can be played in two ways, i.e., using a physical board with actual discs and virtually, with the help of an online carrom game.
Most enthusiasts prefer indulging in online carrom since it offers them numerous benefits compared to the conventional offline mode. Moreover, to download carrom game online, individuals need to follow a few simple steps to get the job done.
Crokinole
Similar to carrom, crokinole is a disc-flicking dexterity board game. The game is believed to have originated in Canada. In crokinole, players take turns to shoot discs around the circular playing surface. Their main objective is to land the discs in the higher-scoring regions of the board, especially the center hole, which gives them 20 points.
Even though this tabletop game does not come close to carrom in terms of popularity and recognition, it still has many fans in different parts of the globe. Like carrom, enthusiasts can indulge in both offline as well as online crokinole games.
Major Differences Between Carrom and Crokinole
Despite both carrom and crokinole being tabletop games, there are numerous differences between the two. Here are some of the most prominent ones in terms of different aspects:
Gameplay Technique
The gameplay techniques required in carrom and crokinole are significantly different from each other. When it comes to carrom, it requires more technique and precision, i.e., players need to be competent with breaking and play trick shots like the mid shot or the side shot to pocket discs with finesse.
On the other hand, crokinole is the exact opposite of carrom in terms of gameplay technique. Players do not need to master a specific technique in crokinole. It requires players to casually pocket discs into holes. Hence, it is deemed a more casual game than carrom.
Portability
Portability refers to the ability to be easily carried around or moved. Even though both carrom and crokinole are board games, crokinole is more portable than carrom. The orthodox or classic offline version of carrom requires a large rectangular board, which is bulkier and, thus, harder to carry around.
On the other hand, crokinole is also played on a circular board. However, compared to the heavier carrom board, the crokinole board is smaller and more compact. Thus, carrying around the crokinole board and setting up an offline game of crokinole is much more easier as compared to carrom. Hence, it would be safe to say crokinole is more portable than carrom.
Accessibility
As mentioned earlier, enthusiasts can indulge in both carrom and crokinole in two ways, i.e., either in the offline or online mode. Since both physical crokinole and carrom boards are readily available offline and tons of online crokinole and carrom games are also present on the Internet, both of them are highly accessible to the masses.
However, when it comes to which one is more accessible, carrom is the definite winner due to multiple reasons. For starters, it is more popular in the Indian subcontinent than crokinole. Besides this, physical carrom boards and online carrom games are more abundantly available than physical crokinole boards and online crokinole games.
Experience
Carrom is deemed a game of logic, i.e., players need to be experienced enough to make the right decisions during matches. For instance, they need to think before breaking a cluster of discs. Moreover, they need to visualize the positions of the discs after they take a shot. Hence, carrom requires players to use their brains throughout a match.
When it comes to crokinole, players do not need to put so much pressure on their heads in matches. As mentioned earlier, it is a casual game wherein beginners can also perform well. The game is fast-paced, and thus, players do not need to think much before taking a shot. Overall, carrom requires more experience than crokinole.
Length of Matches
Carrom games can last between 5 minutes to around an hour, depending on how the players perform. For instance, if players cannot pocket discs easily, the game may last longer than anticipated.
Crokinole games are played on a timer, meaning that the tabletop game lasts for a pre-determined time. In most cases, crokinole matches are played for 5 to 10 minutes.
Carrom and crokinole are exceptional tabletop games that allow players to relax and unwind. Despite being different in multiple aspects, they share numerous similarities too. Any individual who wishes to indulge in virtual carrom or crokinole games can easily do it using online iterations of the games.
Krishna Murthy is the senior publisher at Trickyfinance. Krishna Murthy was one of the brilliant students during his college days. He completed his education in MBA (Master of Business Administration), and he is currently managing the all workload for sharing the best banking information over the internet. The main purpose of starting Tricky Finance is to provide all the precious information related to businesses and the banks to his readers.
