Dueling Boards
Everyone knows the game of cornhole, but only a fortunate few have ever heard of Dueling Boards. Originally invented as a, “personal arbitration device,” this game was intended as a civilized alternative to bloodshed and lawyers.
Read on below to learn more and then challenge friends and family to a duel of your own. Demand Satisfaction!
The Legend of Buford Bagger
In 1894, the small town of Orange, California was suffering through a drought. Since the town’s founding, the public consumption of liquor had been banned by law. That didn’t sit well with Buford Bagger, an eccentric gentleman farmer who owned a small orchard on the outskirts of Orange. Refusing to live any longer in a town without a tavern, he fixed up a bunkhouse and called it, “Buford’s”.
All were welcome, provided they, “act like damn gentlemen.” But tempers would occasionally flare, and arbitration would be required. So Buford invented a way for his patrons to settle things without the need for bloodshed or lawyers - a game he called, Dueling Boards.
The game quickly caught on, and soon disputes were being settled on Dueling Boards all over town. It was time to file for a patent, so Buford entrusted his brother, Ellis (an attorney of ill repute, but his brother nonetheless) with the paperwork. However, Buford soon found that Ellis had registered the invention in his own name, and owned the patent outright. Legally, there was nothing to be done.
It was at this point in the story that Buford began drinking heavily. Shortly before dawn, he appeared at his brother’s house with their father’s antique dueling pistols, demanding satisfaction of his perfidious kin. Ellis obliged, and in one of the final, deadliest, and most ironic duels in American history, the brothers Bagger shot each other dead.
After the funerals, Buford’s land was sold at auction and the Dueling Board was all but forgotten… until now.
The Proper Way to Duel
1. The distance of the duel is determined by the challenged party.
2. A duel is won by the best of seven rounds.
3. After each round, opponents switch sides, unless SECONDS are present, in which case members of opposing teams remain behind their original board throughout the course of the duel.
To Begin, each player stands behind their respective boards. The challenger, or loser of the prior round, throws all 3 of their shots first, thus establishing a round score between 0-12 that the other player must then best.
Now, the opponent must throw all three of their shots. If he or she gets more points than the first player, then they win that round. If they tie their score, then the round is “deflected” and counts for neither side.
The winner of the duel is the first to four rounds, i.e. best of seven.
When the dueling is done, the saddle stores your shots and binds your boards together for storage.
