Axe Throwing Games!
Around The World
2+ Players
Start with breaking the group into 2 teams.
Once you have the teams set up. They will each take turns (as you see fit) attempting to work “Around the World”. Which means, hitting a 1, then a 2, then a 3, so on so forth, all the way up and back to one.
Basically looks like: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Teams are forced to hit whatever number they are currently on before being able to move on.
First team to complete the loop, wins!
Add Variety:
End with hitting the blue dot (Kill shot).
End with hitting the bullseye.
Each person can throw until they miss 2 times, meaning one person could run the board.
If playing alone, time yourself!
Count Down
2+ Players
Start with breaking the group into 2 teams. This can also be played with only 2 people.
Pick a number and count down to 0.
Using the numbers on the board 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 10 the number you choose with come down to 0.
First team to get out exactly at 0 wins.
There are many add ons to make this game more exciting and complicated.
It really depends on the group and how good they are.
Example:
1. you can make it so that every time they get to a 5, you add X amount to their score, if they get 15, you add 3 and make it 18.
2. You can do it so that if they are on 2 and hit a 3, they lose.
3. You can do it so they are on 2 and hit a 6, it means nothing they need a 2 to win.
Write Your Name Game
2+ Players, great for parties
This is a race!
Start with breaking the group into 2 teams. Once you have the teams set up. They will each take turns hitting the board to spell for the other team (use a company name, last name, etc. Must have the same number of letters).
When one team hits it on the board the other gets the letter, the game is done when one team has spelled your company name spelt out for them. The team to have it spelt loses.
Anywhere on the circle is 1 letter, bullseye is 2 and blue dots are 3.
Team A is aiming to spell out the name for team B & vice versa.
Darts/Cricket
2+ Players
This one is good for those that are having trouble aiming for the bullseye/blue dot, but you still want them to feel like they are contributing, and it’s also a good mix-up to teach people how to aim for specific numbers after the first warm-up game.
Start by writing out 4 (more or less based on group size) of each number (1, 2, 3, 4) and then include a couple bullseyes and blue dots based on the skill level of the group.
Each time a person hits a number, you wipe it off the board until the team has a clean board.
But, if the team has wiped off all their 2’s for example, and they hit a 2, they get nothing.
Blue dots count for bonus points (wipe whatever number you want), and you can also let people choose between two numbers if they hit a line.
There are a lot of strategies that can be born from this. E.g. a really good team can be stuck with all 1s, or assigning people to specific numbers based on what they are good at hitting.
It’s great watching them slowly figure out a strategy for hitting specific numbers or going for the blue dot to get a free wipe.
Cornhole
2+ Players, moderately difficult
Separate players into two teams. The objective for each team is to score exactly a set amount of points: usually 21 or 31, depending on group size and skill.
Each pair of players get 2 throws, and rotates out until one team wins.
All points are scored with Cornhole Scoring/Canceling Points.
- Example (Cornhole Scoring): Player A lands a 4, Player B lands a 1. The points cancel each other out, so Player A scores 3, and Player B scores 0.
The more closely matched the players are, the better and more competitive this game will be.
Try to encourage players to match themselves with opponents of equal skill: the best against the best, the ah.. struggling against the struggling!
This game, when played with a number of variations, is jam-packed with a TON of strategy and competition.
Simple to understand, but with plenty of depth and strategy.
Variations:
- Throwing Order: There is an advantage to throwing 2nd, instead of 1st. The team that scored most recently always throws first, even if they have a lower point total.
- DOUBLE OR NOTHING/Called Targets: A favorite variations! Allow players the opportunity to call their targets before their throw, if they so choose. On a successful called hit, they acquire double the points. If they miss their called target, however, they get zero!
- Example: A player calls a 4, and hits it. He scores 8 points! The second player calls a 4, and hits a 6 just barely. Even though he stuck a number, since he called the 4 he gets 0 points.
** This variation is what really makes Cornhole exciting. It allows confident/desperate players to make incredible and risky plays!
- No Bust: Usually in games like these, coaches add a Bust element (If a team goes over the point value, they bust down to a lower value instead). However, it makes it more challenging and strategically dynamic if you do not allow for a bust--- If a team goes higher than the points they need, they stay at their current score.
- Example: In a game of 21 Cornhole, Team A has 19 points. They land a 4, Team B lands a 1. Team A scores 3 points-- which puts them at 22. So instead, they remain at 19 points.
** What this does, is makes the game harder to win the closer you get to winning. Teams often find themselves stuck at 19-20 points if they have the lead throw, and can only really get their best chance to win once the other team takes back the lead throw by earning points.
50/30
2+ Players, Easy Game
A relatively simple count up style game.
Teams throw until they reach 50 points exactly.
A bust will send the score back to 30 points for that team.
Each player gets two throws, both throws counting toward their team’s score.
Variants:
- Blue dots can swap scores if the team has a lower point total instead of being worth 10 points (choose upon hitting, or make this the default rule from the start). This can give the team with a much lower score the chance at a desperation play.
- Called Shots: If a player is confident/desperate enough, they can call their shot to score double the points. The risk being, if they miss their target, they get zero. This can add strategy to the end of the game as well, if they’re trying to get two points exactly and are worried about busting. Calling the one guarantees they will not go over 50.
King Of The Hill
3-6 Players, medium difficulty
This game is an individual game, pitting each player against the others to try to claim the crown as King/Queen of the Hill.
This game is best played when everyone is relatively equal in skill level.
Scoring: The only person that can score is the current King of the Hill.
This game uses cornhole scoring, where each player’s throws can cancel out the others.
For this reason, typically keep the point totals to 10.
Starting the Game: Determine a throwing order randomly.
Start by having the first two come up and throw once against each other. If they tie or neither can stick the board, you bring up the next two throwers until someone has a winning score.
This person becomes King of the Hill.
Once the King has been determined, they will continue to throw against the next players in the line up until someone can beat them in an individual throw.
Each challenger gets 1 throw to attempt to dethrone the King by beating their score.
If the King wins the throw, they score points.
If the challenger wins, they take the King’s spot and become King themselves.
The game continues until a King has 10 points.
Variants:
- Blue dots can be Assassinations instead of 10 points. If the Challenger hits the blue dot, the King does not get a chance to beat their score and is immediately dethroned.
If the King hits the blue dot, the challenger loses their next turn.
- Instead of going for points, you can go through the rotation of players a set number of times (2 to 3 times) and see who is king at the end of the game. If doing this version, give everyone two throws instead of the one.
Humans Vs. Zombies
5+ Players, Easy Game
This game functions with two teams: Humans and Zombie(s).
Every single player except for 1 person starts on the human team.
The lone player is the starting Zombie, or Patient Zero if you like some spice!
The object for the Human team is to score a set amount of points, using Cornhole scoring.
- Example (Cornhole Scoring): Player A lands a 4, Player B lands a 1. The points cancel each other out, so Player A scores 3, and Player B scores 0.
If at any time a Zombie player scores higher than a human player, that human player becomes infected and joins the Zombie team (Note: Ties score no points, but the human is safe)!
The objective for the Zombie team isn’t to score points, it’s to infect every last one of the human players! This is a great game for players who have a cutthroat, competitive edge, and allows for some players to really shine as the hardy Sole Survivor, or the lethal Patient Zero.
- Recommended Point Value:
7-8 players = 21 Points
5-6 players = 16 Points
(Play around with total scores, but don’t be too optimistic. With cornhole scoring/point canceling, points are a lot harder to come by!)
- Recommended Throws: Giving players just 1 throw each is the easiest way to do it. If you want to give players 2 throws, that’s fine-- but sometimes the human will get infected on his first throw, and that should be that!
** This game starts off with the Zombie player throwing a lot, until they can infect more players. It ends with the last 1-2 humans also throwing a lot, in a row.
Usually the last humans end up being good players, but the starting zombie can get stuck if they’re not able to stick their throws.
Try to choose a starting Zombie that can reliably hit the board. It doesn’t need to be the best player.**
Variations:
- The Blue Antidotes - Instead of scoring 10 points, the Blue Dots allow the Human team to choose 1-2 zombies (Group size depending), and bring them back to the Human team. They cannot bring back the starting Zombie.
- Exact Total Points - You can make the end of the game much more difficult for the Humans if you require that they score an exact amount, rather than just getting higher than a point value.
- Humans Throw First - This adds a lot of dread, and gives the advantage to the Zombie team. If the Human misses the board, all the Zombie has to do is stick it! Also, when paired with the Blue Dot variation, it makes it even more risky to try to “be a hero” with the Blue Dot. If the thrower misses the Blue dot, they are vulnerable to a zombie!
Killers/Cutthroat
5-10 Players, advanced difficulty
A Classic Cutthroat Party Dart game adapted to our Axe Targets! The Objective of this game is to be the last person remaining alive.
Each player starts with 3 lives. It can be played with every man for himself, or in teams, depending on the party size.
Pre-Game Throws Before the game begins, players throw for their specific number.
No two players can have the same number (Or if playing with teams, no two players on the same team can have duplicate numbers).
- Example: Bill hits a 3, his number now is 3. John hits a 1, his number is 1. Sarah hits a 3-- she cannot claim that number because it is already taken, so she must throw again. Do this until each player has a number (1, 2, 3, 4, or 6).
Give players 2 throws to claim their number, and keep rotating.
Once a player has a number, they can sit out until everyone has their number.
** Note: Sometimes players might have trouble hitting these pre-game throws, to claim a number. Feel free to just give them a number they were close to. Moving into the actual game itself is important.
Actual Game Start Now that everyone has a unique number, their objective is to knock each other out and be the last one remaining!
First, they need to hit their own number twice to become a killer.
Once they have this Killer status, they can start aiming for other people’s numbers.
Each time a Killer hits another person’s number, that player loses one life.
Each player has 2 throws, so it is impossible to knock someone out entirely in one go-- if a player singles out someone too obviously, he should probably expect some sweet, sweet revenge!
Variations:
- Blue Dots = Redemption: Instead of having a player sit out once they are eliminated (This can lead to a lot of unwanted down time for weaker players, or for players with easy-to-kill numbers), they continue throwing with regular rotations. If they hit a blue dot, they come back to life with all 3 lives, and even keep their previous Killer status if they had it! Some grudges last even longer than the grave…
- Self-Destruction: As comical as it is challenging, you can allow players to knock themselves out of the game! Once they have become a killer, if they hit their own number again they themselves lose a life, instead! This isn’t recommended if you’re playing with teams-- it wouldn’t make sense if both remaining players on each side had 4 as their number, and also knocked themselves out on their own number!
Important Note:
Group Size The biggest limitation with this game, excluding general player skill, is trying to figure out how to play it with different groups sizes.
The ideal number is 5, because there are 5 different numbers to hit: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6.
- If you have 10 players, you can have two teams of 5, each with their own number in the team.
- If you have 8 players, you can have two teams of 4. Some numbers won’t be chosen.
- If you have 6 players, you can have two teams of 3. Some numbers won’t be chosen.
- If you have an odd number of players, the maximum number of players you can play is 9. In this style of play, you separate the board into Left and Right sections. So the available numbers to choose become Right 1, Right 2, Right 3, Right 4, Bullseye, Left 4, Left 3, etc, etc. This does make the game more challenging, overall. It’s a smaller area to hit. But if a group is good enough, this can be a killer game. - (pun absolutely intended).
** Strategy Note** -- Choosing your number is an extremely important part of the game. 6’s may feel pretty cool at first glance, but in order to start taking down other players, you have to hit two bullseyes first! On the other hand, lower value numbers are easier to hit, so it’s easier to become a killer--- just like it’s easier for other killers to knock you out, too....