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Bagatelle
1819
Rules assistance for Bagatelle
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with saved question history.
Rules assistant for Bagatelle
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Bagatelle is a board game released in 1819 for 2–10 players, 10–30 minutes per game, and ages 5 and up.
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About the game
A bagatelle board resembles a light, flat board with nails (pins!) in it and short raised sides to keep the ball on the playfield during play. Each ball is launched from some sort of spring-loaded 'shooter' or cue, to the top of the board, where it then rolls towards the player, bouncing off the pins or landing in any of several scoring pockets. These scoring pockets can be depressions in the playfield, nails arranged in a U-shape, or both. They are marked with various score values, with the higher values usually protected by more pins or tougher paths to reach them. By "shooting" the ball harder or softer, the player can try to control where the ball drops. A spring-loaded shooter is normally in the bottom right corner of the board. A ball is placed before the shooter mechanism. The shooter devise is pulled back and let go, with the aim to fire the ball up to the rounded end of the board and then to bounce around the nails or pins and, hopefully, land in a scoring area. A cue shooter is just a wooden object, rather like a miniature version of a Billiards cue. To launch a ball, the player merely shoots it by hitting the back of the ball with the cue thus sending it to the top of the board. Note that it is possible for a ball not to score at all. This usually means that the ball reached the bottom of the board without settling into a scoring pocket. Typically, a player might get 3 or more balls and a note of the total score achieved is taken. The first to reach a pre-agreed number of points, wins. Bagatelle sets can be made of wood, metal or plastic and they can be of any size (but it must be able to stand on an average table). They are often linked to a theme, really as an excuse to feature related graphics. The game is a direct ancestor of modern Pinball machines.
Artists
- Roger Hargreaves
- Eelco Martinus ten Harmsen van der Beek
- Alfred Bestall
- Julius Stafford Baker
Publishers
- (Unknown)
- Parker Brothers
- Brohm-Parker-Spiele
- Brio AB
- (Public Domain)
- Chad Valley Co Ltd.
- John Jaques of London
- Transogram
- House of Marbles
- Joseph Schneider
- Northwestern Products Co
- Steven Manuf. Co.
- Marx Toys
- Past Times
- Sears
- Micki Leksaker
- Gotham
- Casdon
- Gotham Pressed Steel Corp.
- Wolverine Supply & Manufacturing Co.
- Lindstrom Tool & Toy Co.
- Kay
- Corinthian
- Jotastar
- Hero Manufacturing Corporation
- Seaforth
- Harvey Company
- Reynolds
- T. Cohn
- M. Redgrave
- Madison Industries
- Durable Toy and Novelty Company
- Rich Manufacturing Co.
Questions and answers
Bagatelle supports 2–10 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Bagatelle is 10–30 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Bagatelle for ages 5 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Bagatelle has a complexity rating of 1.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Bagatelle belongs to these categories: Comic Book / Strip, Movies / TV / Radio theme, and Action / Dexterity. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Bagatelle and want something comparable for your next game night.
The catalogue lists Bagatelle as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.