The simple rules of Sticks
This is one of the ways we hope this land gets used someday — neighbors and friends, out in a clearing, playing something a little silly together. Here's how, word for word as it's played here.
Setting up the range
With a stick, mark two circles in the dirt about 56 (est) feet from one another. Distance is completely arbitrary. Size of the circle is arbitrary.
Three Y sticks are constructed into a tripod / castle / patriarchy inside each circle.
Throwing sticks
Stand behind one circle and throw a stick at the further castle. Do not step past the invisible line created by the back of the circle.
If the thrown stick does not make it half-way, the stick thrower must go to the middle and sing "I'm a Little Teapot" — no recording allowed. The lyrics begin "I'm a little teapot, short and stout..." and go on to further describe the appearance and actions of the singer-as-teapot. The song must be accompanied with actions: extending one arm in a curve like the spout, placing the other arm like the handle, and bending sideways to pour.
Points
First person to 20 (with a knockdown/smash) wins. You are responsible for remembering your own points. No teams.
| 1 | Inside — for landing inside the circle (the thrown stick is then locked in and cannot be moved until that castle is knocked down) |
| 2 | Touch — for touching the castle without knocking it down. The person who built the castle gets a Patriarchy/Engineering point and gets booed for Upholding the Patriarchy. If you built the castle that you touch, you still get booed, but you don't get an Engineering point because there's a No Touching Yourself in Public rule. |
| 3 | Under — if any part of your stick is underneath the triangle formed by the three legs of the tripod. |
| 5 | Knock Down — for knocking over the castle with a stick that touched the ground before knocking over the castle (the castle is down if more than three points are touching the ground, or any leg outside the circle). |
| 6 | Smash — for Smashing the Patriarchy. A direct hit. |
| ⅕ | Tree-Trimming Point — for clipping any overhanging branches or leaves. |
| +1 | Splitter — if a stick breaks into multiple pieces, one point for each piece inside the circle. |
| −1 | For getting hit with a stick. If there is blood, the person who threw the stick gets a Blood Point. |
| −5 | Jason Sine Rule — for knocking down the castle on your own side. |
Ninja Rule: if you catch a stick thrown from the other side, and throw it back in a ninja-like motion and knock over the far castle, you win the game.
30 Point Rule: if any player gets to 30 points without winning the game, the game wins.
Turns
Whoever arrives first goes first. Then everyone on that side goes in order of points, lowest to highest. Once everyone on one side has thrown (if no one gets a knockdown) then it is the other side's turn to go.
Retaliation
If the patriarchy is smashed or knocked down, the first person on the other side of the range to yell "retaliation" gets a chance to throw (if it is unclear who called retaliation first, the conflict is decided by rock paper scissors). A retaliation smash gets 5 points, a retaliation knockdown gets 4 points, and the person they are retaliating against loses one point either way.
Twofie / Thrice / Quatro
Once retaliation has happened, the person who got the knockdown can switch sides with someone on the other side if they choose, and if they choose to stay on the side, someone else switches. At that point the person who just got a knockdown goes first on their side, for their twofie or thrice or quatro (unless they are in range of winning, at which point they go in order of points). We try to keep people who are in range on opposite sides of the course.
Catch phrase
To "call" a stick that is not being held by someone else, you say your catch phrase, which must be more than three syllables — at which point you don't have to worry about someone grabbing it before you.
Stick names
To name a stick you must get a knockdown with that stick to christen it. You may write the name on it in sharpie.
Names of points
| 0 | a nut |
| 1 | a stick |
| 2 | tulip |
| 3 | tree |
| 4 | forest |
| 5 | knockdown |
| 6 | sticks |
| 7 | seven-eleven |
| 8 | ape |
| 9 | nien |
| 10 | tent |
| 11 | 11:11, make a wish |
| 12 | fuck 12 |
| 13 | stink hole |
| 14 | tent in the forest (at which point you are in range, and other players may make animal noises to distract you while you throw) |