Gaye's brother Leigh and father Skip playing Arbles, January 2006
Updated March 2021!
How to play "Arbles"
A.K.A. "Mousetrap," "Marbles," or "Yarbles"
A game for 2-4 players
Written by Gaye Bullock, after consultation with many family members!
GAME SET UP:
Place 4 marbles of 1 color in the 4 matching color square-of-holes (start) for each player. For two players, use diagonal opposite corners of the board.
How the Arbles game board looks.
GAME PLAY:
To begin; each player rolls the die; the player with the highest roll gets to go first. Players proceed taking turns in a clockwise fashion. A roll of 1, or 6 (or a 2 used as a 1 or 6) is required to move a marble from the start square to the hole of the same color in the rest of the game board. Marbles move around the board, clockwise, until all 4 marbles are in the home line.
OBJECT OF GAME:
First player with all 4 marbles in the 4 home holes wins!
Die Roll = Action:
1 = Move (and say) "Man Out" (1 marble out) of a start hole, or move forward 1 space and say "1 cog."
2 = Move forward 1, 2, 3, 4 (backward only), 5 or 6. Say: "Deucey Wild!" ("Roll again", if 6 is chosen)
and "Man Out" (if appropriate) if 1 or 6 is chosen
3 = Move forward 3 spaces.
4 = Move BACKWARD 4 spaces! (unless in a "safe" home hole OR in center short-cut hole.)
5 = Move forward 5 spaces.
6 = Move a "Man Out," or move forward 6 spaces AND (say) "Roll again!"
RULES:
Roll to see who goes first-highest roll wins. Marbles move out of start when a 1 or 6 (or a 2 taken as a "1 or 6) is rolled.
Marbles of the same color may not jump over or on themselves!
If one player's marble lands on another's, the second marble is sent "home," to begin again (as in "Sorry"). When this occurs, you may sing: "Down, down, down marble went; back, back, back is where it's sent!" Then act like you screw the marble into one of it's starting holes, and say, "Nee-nee, Nee-nee, Nee, Nee!" (sung to the tune of Ring Around the Rosy)
In a back-up 4, the marble that is backing up sends marbles of other colors home just by backing up over them, even if they are not landed on. (Remember, you may not back up over your own color marble.) You may not move backward INTO home!
F YOU CAN MAKE A MOVE, YOU MUST! If no moves are possible, play proceeds to the next person unless a 6 was rolled and unable to move on. In this case, the player doesn't move, but rolls again anyway.
As the first marble comes all the way in home, you may say (as you pet the marble in it's hole) "1 in a row... 1 in a row..." and so on; as the second marble comes all the way in; and the third (as in "Three in a row"... As I recall, it's pronounced; "thwee in a woe, thwee in a woe...!" while stroking all three marbles...)
Once a player has a marble in 1 of the line of 4 home holes, the marble is "safe" and doesn't have to back up if a 4 is rolled. Because you may not jump your own man, if your 4 arbles are close to home, it may not be easy to move them in; you may end up needing to roll several 1's to move all 4 marbles safely in. In this case another player may say "Jammin at the gate!"
Entering and Exiting the Center Short-Cut Hole:
Players may only enter the center short-cut from the hole outside it with the matching color dots, which is 6 holes from the same color "Man-Out" hole. If this short-cut is passed, player must proceed around the entire board and surely someone must say "All the way 'round Robin Hood's barn!" as they go! (It is said that this phrase refers to old time LARGE advertisement of a brand of flour (Robin Hood) painted on the side of big barns, implying long distances.)
When a player chooses to land in the center short-cut, it is traditional to tap the said marble and say, in a teasing, song chant: "Mousetrap, mousetrap, mousetrap!" (or as Bill Craig says: "Mousey, mousey, mousey!") BECAUSE: TO GET OUT OF THE CENTER SHORT-CUT, player must roll a 1 (or a 2 used as a 1) which can take some time, so use with caution!
A marble in the center short-cut space may exit on any color's exit. When its player strongly wishes to roll a particular number, they (while shaking the die in their hand) should blow on that hand.
When stuck repeatedly rolling 3's and 5's when all marbles are still in start, pet the die several times while saying, "I repent!" LOL!!
*Of course all the "sayings" come from our remembrances of what Coy (Granddaddy) Craig would say when he played with us as little children. Thanks go to (Uncle) Bill Craig, Beverly Craig (Mom), Skip (Dad), Leigh (brother) and Petey (Bonnie, my seester) Waltz for helping with all the sayings! With love, Gaye (Waltz) Bullock :) (Jan 10, 2006; Inspired to writing out "How to Play"" by my husband's gift of a replica "Arbles" board at Christmas 2005.)
Added 05/12/17: Special thanks to (Uncle) Gary and (Aunt) Shirley Craig, and to (Cousins) Deena Craig and Kerry Craig for the laughter, new memories and added input on (and new!) sayings as well!!
*Of course all the "sayings" come from our remembrances of what Coy (Granddaddy) Craig would say when he played with us. Thanks go to Bill and Beverly Craig, Skip, Leigh and Petey (Bonnie) Waltz for helping with all the sayings! With love, Gaye (Waltz) Bullock :)