Are you looking to turn up the heat at your next neighborhood barbeque or level up the competition at your next outdoor game session with friends? If the answer is yes, you’re ready to add an instant classic to your backyard game repertoire–Rollors. It’s an original game that combines horseshoes and bocce. It puts you on edge (literally) as you rely on your yard game skills (mixed with a little bit of luck) to roll your way to victory. If you’re anything like us, then this is the perfect game to add in with the games that we have come to know and love.
- Time to set up: This game shouldn’t take longer than 1-2 minutes to set up. First, set up the goals about 25 feet apart from each other! Then, all you have to do is break out the red and blue wooden disks and get things rollin’!
We don’t usually put another section for “time to put away” but we thought it would be appropriate because putting away Rollors can take longer than you’d think. Only reason being, is because it always comes down to the “one last round” mentality. 45 minutes later you finally have that last round and get the disks put away. This rule of thumb is especially true when you have a competitive group of friends who only call it quits when you can’t see the goal anymore—through the darkness of the night. - Duration of game: We learned early on that this game has a bit of a learning curve with the rolling technique. That being said, take some time to get used to, or practice rolling the disk before you start keeping score. Or else it might take a while to get the disk within a 5 foot radius
- . After we got the hang of rolling, each round lasted anywhere from 5-15 minutes. After a handful of rounds, you’ve got yourself an hour of fresh air fun.
- Number of players that are needed/can participate: According to the Rollors rules, you can play 1 v 1 up to teams of 3 v 3. If you’re competitive like us, then you’d prefer to be the captain of your own ship and not risk any bad throws from team members. That also requires going down with the ship if you play terribly by yourself.
- No one to blame but yourself! But, we always recommend recruiting some friends to play and get everyone in on the fun—the more the merrier! We also found that it was fun to do mini tournaments if you have a larger group of people who want to play. You can anxiously wait your turn to play, or get in the zone by playing bocce while you wait for your next opponent on your journey to becoming the Rollors champ.
- Where can it be played? We’re all about playing our games and making sure that they are well-loved—although there’s a difference between loving and abusing your game. Make sure that you have plenty of room when you play and no concrete or hard objects that could potentially ding the nice, wooden pieces. You need about 25 feet of space between goals, but it’s best to have more room just in case your throw rolls away. A park with lots of room, a big backyard, or the beach is optimal.
- How to play? Their website boasts a perfect summary: “Each player or team of 2-3 players uses one color set of rollors in the first round of play with blue going first. Standing behind the red goal, the blue player/team rolls one rollor at a time to their blue goal. The rollor should be rolled on the edge, with a wind-up and release as in bowling. The rollor must touch the ground within 4 feet of the release. Once the blue player/team has played, the red player/team takes a turn” (Rollors).
Scoring
Each round, only one of the players or teams can score. Who scores? The person or team with the roller that is closest to the triangular goal. Also, your rollor has to roll between a 5 foot radius of the goal in order to score points. Like bocce, if your two or three rollers are closest to the goal, then you receive points for all your rollors! The handy dandy measuring cord included can help measure out close calls, and measure the 5 foot radius requirement described above. If by some miraculous occurrence your uber competitive group can’t decide who is closest, then call it a tie and neither team gets points.
Remember: Only one color can score per round, and only those within a 5 foot radius of the goal score points!
Ultimately there are three different ways to count the points once the rollors have stopped a rollin’.
- Land on their side – you get the number of points showing face up.
- Standing on it’s edge – add up points from both sides!
- Standing against the goal – double the points of the number showing
The wonderful photo below also describes what our words may have failed to do.
Now you know how to play, but the real question… how do you win? First team to 21 points or more (must win by 2).
Backyard Buffs’ Rating: 17
Creativity/Originality: 5. This game is as creative as it gets. They combined some of the most classic games like horseshoes, bocce, and add twists like point values on both sides of the disk, upping the stakes for each throw. Rolling the disk on the edge is like throwing a frisbee. Some throws fly straight and perfect, and others catch and begin to hook (just on grass… instead of air). With some practice you get the hang of things and figure out how to use the hooks to your advantage.
Durability (packaging or game pieces): 4. The game did quite well in this category. A perfect score in durability is hard to come by. Rollors comes with a carrying case that has cardboard shell inside to help the bag maintain durability and keep its shape. We would recommend keeping the cardboard in there just to keep everything protected and sturdy. The case comes with a zipper and it has held up really well. We’ve had the game for a couple weeks now and the pieces have proven to be very durable. If you stay away from cement and hard surfaces, then you shouldn’t get any dents or dings in your disks. We have mostly been playing at the park or in the backyard on the grass. One thing we’ve noticed with this is that the rougher edges of the disks (the disks are wood and some of them aren’t completely smooth where the knots were) have been stained green just after a few plays. Besides that, this game is top notch and some minor wear and tear won’t stop you from playing this awesome game for years to come.
Friendly for all Ages/Skill Levels: 4. Don’t let our comments above about the learning curve fool you. Mastering the game may come with lots of practice, but that won’t stop newcomers from joining in on the fun. We haven’t played with many little kids, but like most games, there are appropriate handicaps that you can add to make it fun. Obviously younger children can stand closer to the goal or you can turn a blind eye when scooting grandma’s disk a little closer to the goal. Overall, we thought that it was appropriate for most all ages and skill levels.
Fair Pricing: 4. Rollors stands middle of the pack as far as price point goes. For $49.95 you get a well-built, quality backyard game. You might find other games out there for cheaper, but I can almost guarantee you that they won’t have nearly the quality that you get with this game. It’s sure to be a game that will be with you for years to come. If by chance, a piece does break, they sell replacement parts so you don’t have to buy a whole new game. (LOVE THAT.)
Conclusion: There you have it folks. Rollors is a force to be reckoned with in the backyard game world. They are growing like crazy and we hope that they remember us one day when they are famous.
Just some thoughts as we wrap this review up: if you’re a school teacher or camp leader, Rollors has discounts so you can bring the fun to your classroom and summer camps. Hopefully you don’t have any questions after this review besides, “where do I buy it?” but if you do, then you can visit their awesome website. Which also happens to be the place where you can buy it! We have nothing but good to say about this instant classic, but don’t just take our word for it. Order yours today and enjoy the fun for yourself!
