What is Marble?
A marble is a small spherical object often made from glass, clay, steel, plastic, or agate. They vary in size, and most commonly are about 13 mm (1⁄2 in) in diameter. These toys can be used for a variety of games called marbles, as well as being placed in marble runs or races, or created as a form of art.
How To Play Marbles In South Africa
Draw a circle on the pavement in chalk. A traditional chalk circle should be around 3 feet (0.9 meters) across. This will be your marble ring during the game. Draw the circle as evenly as you can to ensure a fair game.
- Use string as an alternative if you are playing marbles indoors.
Choose a shooter marble. Your shooter (or “taw”) marble will be what you use to knock other marbles out of the circle later. Choose a marble bigger than all your other marbles so it has plenty of power. Qualities of a good shooter marble also include a heavier weight and balanced symmetry.
- Other names for the shooter marble include Aggie, boulder, Steele, king, and middleman
- Use a big marble as your shooter so it is easier to knock the marbles out.
Place ten to fifteen marbles in the center of the ring. Space the marbles so that they evenly fill the ring, but try to place the majority nearer to the center. How many marbles you choose depends on how large of a game you want. The more you place, the longer the game will last.
Decide whether you want to play for keeps. Marbles can be played either “for fair,” which means that every player keeps their marbles or “for keeps.” If you choose to play for keeps, marbles can be won by other players by knocking them out of the ring. Choose how you’re playing in advance so you know what to expect while playing
- Never let another person trick you into playing for keeps if you are a beginner.
What are the rules for the marble game?
Players take turns with their “shooters” (larger marbles) trying to knock one or more of the mibs out of the ring. They must shoot from outside the ring (hands and all body parts must be outside), but can shoot from anywhere outside the ring.
How many marbles are in a set?
Forty nine ordinary marbles are used, at a standard size of half an inch in diameter. In addition, each player has a “tolley”, a larger marble which may be no greater than three quarters of an inch in diameter. Play is within a marbles “ring”, six feet in diameter.