Methodology

How we choose rules, check the references and handle corrections.

Choosing the rules

Each game page names the rules it follows. Where organizations or equipment makers differ, we keep their formats separate so you can match the setup, turns and finish to your game. Source links identify the document and help you check a ruling in context.

See About for who publishes this site and how its pages are written.

What the source labels mean

Each cited document carries one label. An official source is the governing body’s own current rulebook. An organizer source is a league or tournament committee’s published rules for its own events. A manufacturer source is the equipment maker’s printed instructions. A reproduction is a republished or archived copy of a rulebook we could not retrieve directly from its publisher. A secondary source explains or summarizes a game without being the rulebook itself, and we use it only where no closer source exists. The source lists below link to the evidence for each game.

Checking measurements and diagrams

We draft the rule summaries with AI assistance, bind each numeric claim to a cited source, and a person reads every page against those sources before we publish it.

We record measurements and scoring values with their sources. The page tables and court drawings use the same records, which helps keep them consistent. Automated checks catch missing references and some mismatches. We also compare the wording with the source: passing a check does not establish that a rule summary is correct.

For each governing body or organizer, we open its own rules index and confirm the edition listed there matches the one we cite before publishing. A record links to that index and shows the date we last checked it. Where a body publishes a newer edition, we hold the change for review rather than update the page automatically.

Corrections

Report an error through our contact page. We compare the report with the source before changing the rule or its review date.

What the dates mean

  • Published: when the page first appeared.
  • Modified: the latest substantive change you can see, including wording, data or a diagram.
  • Reviewed: when we last checked the game’s facts or a sourced reference page against its material.
  • Retrieved: when we obtained the cited document.

A wording or layout edit leaves the review date unchanged unless we check the facts again. Rebuilding an unchanged page leaves all dates unchanged.

Reusing diagrams

See Terms & conditions for printing and diagram reuse permissions.

Technical details of the checks

Each game has a structured record for its equipment, layouts, scoring and rule summaries. Evidence entries connect fields to source documents and page or section locators through JSON Pointers. Derived values record how they follow from sourced values.

The validator checks references, evidence chains and selected numeric relationships. It can catch a missing pointer or a cycle, but cannot judge whether a paraphrase is faithful or a source supports the claim.

Pages insert quantities from the records through data components. A claims check looks for typed quantities in prose and metadata that bypass those components; it cannot detect every way to write a number. The diagram builder uses the same records for screen, print and thumbnail drawings. Tests check generated-file references, since shared data alone cannot prevent a stale drawing or an incorrect transformation.

Sources

Each game’s source list identifies the documents behind its rules and dimensions.

Game sources and review dates
GameReviewed
American Six-Wicket Croquet
Bocce
Cornhole
Horseshoes
Kubb
Ladder Toss
Nine-Wicket Croquet
Outdoor Shuffleboard
Table Shuffleboard
Washer Toss

The rulebook editions we cite, and when we last checked each publisher’s index:

Rulebook editions
RulebookEditionEdition checked
ACA rulebookRevised September 23, 2023 (105744/RevG)
ACL rules2026/2027; page updated 2025-10-24
ACO rulesUndated current web rules page
Arizona 2025 codeDecember 6, 2025
CBI Raffa rulesRev 1, approved 22/05/2026, effective 01/08/2026
CCB construction manualPublished 21 October 2019; modified 19 November 2020
FCRV washer rulesUndated two-page National Adult rules
Federation general rulesUndated live page
Federation Horse Collar rulesUndated live page
Federation table spec2024 Edition, February 1, 2024
FIB impianti (Italian)D.C.F. n. 31/2024
FIPJP petanque rulesApproved by the FIPJP Executive Committee, December 2020
Florida 2025 rulesEffective October 1, 2025, with amendments through October 18, 2025
IAWP glossaryUndated page; HTTP Last-Modified 2003-06-23
IAWP rulesUndated page; HTTP Last-Modified 2006-10-03
MCA rulebook2018 edition
NHPA backyard pageUndated live page
NHPA court specsJanuary 2016 RGS specifications PDF
NHPA judging pageUndated live page
NHPA playing rulesPDF revised 2013; official RGS wrapper labels January 2016
NSA 2025 rulesRevised 1997, updated January 2005, January 2023, and January 2025; web file published February 10, 2025
NYSA rulesVersion 2.0, approved June 9, 2025
SO 2024 rulebookSeptember 2024
U.S. rules v4Version 4.0
USBF court rulesUpdated March 23, 2023
USCA rule synopsisUndated live page
USCA six-wicket rulesRevised 2024
WCF Association laws7th Edition, approved January 24, 2021
WCF Golf Croquet rulesSixth Edition, February 2022
World Kubb rulebookEnglish translation 1998, updated 2003
World Kubb rulesUndated current World Championship web rules