The Original Baggo™
The home of the famous game on the web
Laws of the Game
1. Preamble
Look, mate, it's quite simple: bag. hole. Get it in there!
The Original Baggo™ is an artistic synthesis of tennis, badminton, bowling and cornhole. Fundamentally on a very real and very human level it is a game of luck, skill and love: the so-called "Spirit of the Game".
Competitors aim to score the highest total points in games of three alternating throws, using both the badminton net and the abuse of their peers to their advantage. The winner of the match claims the coveted title of The Bad Wizard.
2. Definitions and Equipment
2.1 Court
- An indoor or outdoor area of at least 3x3x3 metres
- With firm even surface of grass, clay or hard type
2.2 Bags
- Three bags of the player's assigned colour - red or blue - available for each player's use per game
- Bags shall consist of corn or comparably humble material ("beads"), each with a weight of approximately 200g
2.3 Board
- A rigid immovable board of width 300mm ±10mm, length 510mm ±10mm
- The front/player-facing edge shall lie on solid ground
- The rear/net-facing edge shall be raised to an angle of 20° ±5° in a rigid fashion
- Board should be manufactured from solid wood, plywood or MDF with a low friction water-resistant coating
- The board should feature three clean-cut circular holes - pockets - of equal size of 100mm diameter
- The pockets should be vertically centered on the board inclusive of a 50mm ±10mm margin between holes
- The pockets shall be marked in the below order with the first pocket closest to the front/player-facing edge:
- Luck: 1 point
- Skill: 3 points
- Love: 5 points
2.4 Net
- A badminton or equivalent net with high tension
- Positioned 100mm ±10mm behind the rear/net-facing edge of the board
- Bottom edge of the net raised to the height of the rear/net-facing edge of the board
2.5 Toe line
- A clear, straight, immovable line shall be placed 2000mm in front of the front/player-facing edge
2.6 Players
- One blue player, one red player
2.7 Match
- A match comprises at most five games, and is won by the player first to reach three game wins, inclusive of tiebreak wins
2.8 Game
- A game comprises three turns per player, alternating, for a total of six turns
- A game is won by the player that accumulates the most points
- In the event of a game tie, a tiebreak is conducted
2.9 Turn
- A turn begins when the previous throw, if any, is stationary, and the umpire has declared "Go Bag Go"
- A turn ends when the player releases the bag for their throw, or forfeits
- The short period between the release of the bag and the bag becoming stationary is referred to as "Wizard's Limbo"
- The first turn of each game is determined in the tennis tiebreak style "ABBA": "blue-red-red-blue"
2.10 Spirit of the Game
- The Spirit of the Game is to be interpreted at the sole discretion of the umpire guided by the following:
- adherence to the core principles of luck, skill and love
- interference with an opponent's throw
- player attitude
- inappropriate clothing
3. Throwing
3.1 Method of throw
- Throws must be made underarm
- A player's feet must be entirely behind the toe line during the throw
- A player's throw may only be taken during that player's turn
- Additionally the throw may only be taken after the umpire has called "Go Bag Go" during that player's turn
3.2 Scoring throws
- The pocket score of a throw is the score corresponding to the pocket it enters, if applicable, before any modifiers
- A throw is considered pocketed if it enters one of the three pockets on the board:
- The pocket score of a throw that does not enter a pocket is zero (0)
- The pocket score of a throw that enters the luck pocket is one (1)
- The pocket score of a throw that enters the skill pocket is three (3)
- The pocket score of a throw that enters the love pocket is five (5)
- A clean [C] throw is one that enters a pocket directly without external influence
- A slimey [S] throw is one that enters a pocket after dragging or sliding along the board
- A popped [P] throw is one that enters a pocket after bouncing off the board
- A baggo [B!] throw is one that enters a pocket after bouncing off the net, and is awarded double points value
- A bagpuss [BP!] is the result of a bagpusser that has been pocketed by another throw. Points are always awarded to the original thrower of each bag
3.3 Non-scoring throws
- A bagpusser [BP] throw is one that lands and comes to rest on the board with the potential to be pocketed (intentionally or not) by a future throw
- A missed [X] throw is one that lands neither in a pocket nor in a bagpusser position
3.4 Fatbag
- A player may declare "fatbag" [FB] once per match at any point during their turn before their throw
- The bag to be thrown should be referred to as the fatbag for the remainder of the match
- A fatbag scores double points value for the resulting score if any
- A fatbag bagpusser ("fatbagpusser") retains its potential to score double points until the end of the game
- The double points value retains its applicability in a baggo throw (a fatbag baggo), for a maximum multipler of 4x
4. Umpire and conduct
4.1 Umpire gameplay responsibilities
- Go Bag Go (GBG) should be declared at the start of every turn. Any turn where a throw is taken before GBG is called is forfeited
- No Bag No (NBN) should be declared at the end of a tied game before the tiebreak is conducted
- A coin toss should be undertaken at the start of a match to determine the playing (bag) colour for each player
4.2 Fair play: forfeit of turn
- A player's current turn is forfeited at the umpire's discretion for the non-compliance of any Laws of the Game during the offending player's turn
- An umpire's decision of forfeit should be communicated as timely and as loudly as possible
- In the event of a throw being taken during a forfeited turn, the bag should be removed from the court
4.3 Fair play: issue of cards
- Additionally, a player's turns for the remainder of the game, if any, are all forfeited in the event of that player being issued a brown card
- Supplementary to forfeit of turn, the umpire may issue purple and brown cards for persistent or deliberate infringements of the Laws of the Game
- Cards may also be issued for breaches of the Spirit of the Game as defined above
- A purple card is an official fair play warning issued in addition to a forfeit, but does not carry other punishment in isolation
- A brown card is the harshest punishment available to the umpire and results in the receiving player's forfeit of the entire match
- A player that receives two purple cards in one match is additionally issued a brown card
- In the event of a player being issued a brown card, the other player must choose to either:
- immediately end the match on the current score
- continue to take their turns for the remainder of the match without the other player
- In the latter option above, the remaining player may request the removal from the court of bags belonging to the brown carded player
- A player's match fair play record will be taken into consideration in the event of a game tie (see below)
4.4 Tiebreak
- In the event of a game tie, a tiebreak must be performed
- The winner of the tiebreak wins the game
- The winner of the tiebreak is determined by the umpire through the following criteria that apply to only the game in question in order of decreasing priority:
- Most baggos
- Most 5-pointers
- Most cleans
- Fewest off-boards
- If a decision cannot be reached through the above criteria, the fair play record of the current match is taken into consideration
4.5 Pocket disputes
- The umpire's determination of the pocketed or bagpusser status of a thrown bag may be disputed by any player at any point before the subsequent throw: a pocket dispute
- The umpire is obliged to investigate a pocket dispute
- A disputed bag must satisfy at least of one the following to be considered pocketed:
- ≥50% of the bag is in the pocket
- two corners of the bag are in the pocket
- a majority of beads are in the pocket
- The umpire's determination and decision is final
5. Recording of results
5.1 Turns
- Fatbag
- Write FB if the fatbag has been declared
- Add an exclamation mark FB! if the fatbag scores a pocket score above zero, including when bagpussed
- Otherwise leave blank
- Throw
- Write the applicable letter from the lists of scoring and non-scoring throws
- Only add the exclamation mark to BP in the event of a successful bagpuss on a later turn
- Write F if a turn is forfeited
- Do not leave blank
- Do not strike through
- Pocket
- Write 5 / 3 / 1 / 0 as applicable to denote the pocket score of the throw
- A non-scoring throw should be recorded as 0 (zero), except in the case of an unresolved bagpusser where it should left blank until the bagpusser is resolved or the game ends
- Record the pocket score even if the turn is forfeited
- Strike through if the turn is forfeited without a throw being taken
- Sum
- Sum the score for the turn, taking into consideration any multipliers
- Sum is zero in all cases if the turn is forfeited
- Leave blank if the throw is a bagpusser BP until it is resolved
5.2 Games
- Calculate each player's game total by adding the turn sums for all three turns for every game
- Circle the player colour of the player with the highest game total
- In the event of a game total tie, run a tiebreak and circle the player colour of the player that wins the tiebreak
6. Reference
6.1 Other terms used in the game
- Fatbagpusser: a bagpusser with the heightened risk of it being a "live" fatbag
- Bagger's delight: a player winning a match in three straight games
- Slapper: a thrown bag that makes loud contact with the board
- The Bad Wizard: the match winner may use this title at their discretion until claimed by another match winner
6.2 Legal
- The pocket score of a throw that does not enter a pocket is zero (0)
- The pocket score of a throw that enters the luck pocket is one (1)
- The pocket score of a throw that enters the skill pocket is three (3)
- The pocket score of a throw that enters the love pocket is five (5)
- A bagpusser [BP] throw is one that lands and comes to rest on the board with the potential to be pocketed (intentionally or not) by a future throw
- A missed [X] throw is one that lands neither in a pocket nor in a bagpusser position
3.4 Fatbag
- A player may declare "fatbag" [FB] once per match at any point during their turn before their throw
- The bag to be thrown should be referred to as the fatbag for the remainder of the match
- A fatbag scores double points value for the resulting score if any
- A fatbag bagpusser ("fatbagpusser") retains its potential to score double points until the end of the game
- The double points value retains its applicability in a baggo throw (a fatbag baggo), for a maximum multipler of 4x
4. Umpire and conduct
4.1 Umpire gameplay responsibilities
- Go Bag Go (GBG) should be declared at the start of every turn. Any turn where a throw is taken before GBG is called is forfeited
- No Bag No (NBN) should be declared at the end of a tied game before the tiebreak is conducted
- A coin toss should be undertaken at the start of a match to determine the playing (bag) colour for each player
4.2 Fair play: forfeit of turn
- A player's current turn is forfeited at the umpire's discretion for the non-compliance of any Laws of the Game during the offending player's turn
- An umpire's decision of forfeit should be communicated as timely and as loudly as possible
- In the event of a throw being taken during a forfeited turn, the bag should be removed from the court
4.3 Fair play: issue of cards
- Additionally, a player's turns for the remainder of the game, if any, are all forfeited in the event of that player being issued a brown card
- Supplementary to forfeit of turn, the umpire may issue purple and brown cards for persistent or deliberate infringements of the Laws of the Game
- Cards may also be issued for breaches of the Spirit of the Game as defined above
- A purple card is an official fair play warning issued in addition to a forfeit, but does not carry other punishment in isolation
- A brown card is the harshest punishment available to the umpire and results in the receiving player's forfeit of the entire match
- A player that receives two purple cards in one match is additionally issued a brown card
- In the event of a player being issued a brown card, the other player must choose to either:
- immediately end the match on the current score
- continue to take their turns for the remainder of the match without the other player
- In the latter option above, the remaining player may request the removal from the court of bags belonging to the brown carded player
- A player's match fair play record will be taken into consideration in the event of a game tie (see below)
4.4 Tiebreak
- In the event of a game tie, a tiebreak must be performed
- The winner of the tiebreak wins the game
- The winner of the tiebreak is determined by the umpire through the following criteria that apply to only the game in question in order of decreasing priority:
- Most baggos
- Most 5-pointers
- Most cleans
- Fewest off-boards
- If a decision cannot be reached through the above criteria, the fair play record of the current match is taken into consideration
4.5 Pocket disputes
- The umpire's determination of the pocketed or bagpusser status of a thrown bag may be disputed by any player at any point before the subsequent throw: a pocket dispute
- The umpire is obliged to investigate a pocket dispute
- A disputed bag must satisfy at least of one the following to be considered pocketed:
- ≥50% of the bag is in the pocket
- two corners of the bag are in the pocket
- a majority of beads are in the pocket
- The umpire's determination and decision is final
5. Recording of results
5.1 Turns
- Fatbag
- Write FB if the fatbag has been declared
- Add an exclamation mark FB! if the fatbag scores a pocket score above zero, including when bagpussed
- Otherwise leave blank
- Throw
- Write the applicable letter from the lists of scoring and non-scoring throws
- Only add the exclamation mark to BP in the event of a successful bagpuss on a later turn
- Write F if a turn is forfeited
- Do not leave blank
- Do not strike through
- Pocket
- Write 5 / 3 / 1 / 0 as applicable to denote the pocket score of the throw
- A non-scoring throw should be recorded as 0 (zero), except in the case of an unresolved bagpusser where it should left blank until the bagpusser is resolved or the game ends
- Record the pocket score even if the turn is forfeited
- Strike through if the turn is forfeited without a throw being taken
- Sum
- Sum the score for the turn, taking into consideration any multipliers
- Sum is zero in all cases if the turn is forfeited
- Leave blank if the throw is a bagpusser BP until it is resolved
5.2 Games
- Calculate each player's game total by adding the turn sums for all three turns for every game
- Circle the player colour of the player with the highest game total
- In the event of a game total tie, run a tiebreak and circle the player colour of the player that wins the tiebreak
6. Reference
6.1 Other terms used in the game
- Fatbagpusser: a bagpusser with the heightened risk of it being a "live" fatbag
- Bagger's delight: a player winning a match in three straight games
- Slapper: a thrown bag that makes loud contact with the board
- The Bad Wizard: the match winner may use this title at their discretion until claimed by another match winner
6.2 Legal
- immediately end the match on the current score
- continue to take their turns for the remainder of the match without the other player
- In the event of a game tie, a tiebreak must be performed
- The winner of the tiebreak wins the game
- The winner of the tiebreak is determined by the umpire through the following criteria that apply to only the game in question in order of decreasing priority:
- Most baggos
- Most 5-pointers
- Most cleans
- Fewest off-boards
- If a decision cannot be reached through the above criteria, the fair play record of the current match is taken into consideration
4.5 Pocket disputes
- The umpire's determination of the pocketed or bagpusser status of a thrown bag may be disputed by any player at any point before the subsequent throw: a pocket dispute
- The umpire is obliged to investigate a pocket dispute
- A disputed bag must satisfy at least of one the following to be considered pocketed:
- ≥50% of the bag is in the pocket
- two corners of the bag are in the pocket
- a majority of beads are in the pocket
- The umpire's determination and decision is final
5. Recording of results
5.1 Turns
- Fatbag
- Write FB if the fatbag has been declared
- Add an exclamation mark FB! if the fatbag scores a pocket score above zero, including when bagpussed
- Otherwise leave blank
- Throw
- Write the applicable letter from the lists of scoring and non-scoring throws
- Only add the exclamation mark to BP in the event of a successful bagpuss on a later turn
- Write F if a turn is forfeited
- Do not leave blank
- Do not strike through
- Pocket
- Write 5 / 3 / 1 / 0 as applicable to denote the pocket score of the throw
- A non-scoring throw should be recorded as 0 (zero), except in the case of an unresolved bagpusser where it should left blank until the bagpusser is resolved or the game ends
- Record the pocket score even if the turn is forfeited
- Strike through if the turn is forfeited without a throw being taken
- Sum
- Sum the score for the turn, taking into consideration any multipliers
- Sum is zero in all cases if the turn is forfeited
- Leave blank if the throw is a bagpusser BP until it is resolved
5.2 Games
- Calculate each player's game total by adding the turn sums for all three turns for every game
- Circle the player colour of the player with the highest game total
- In the event of a game total tie, run a tiebreak and circle the player colour of the player that wins the tiebreak
6. Reference
6.1 Other terms used in the game
- Fatbagpusser: a bagpusser with the heightened risk of it being a "live" fatbag
- Bagger's delight: a player winning a match in three straight games
- Slapper: a thrown bag that makes loud contact with the board
- The Bad Wizard: the match winner may use this title at their discretion until claimed by another match winner
6.2 Legal
- ≥50% of the bag is in the pocket
- two corners of the bag are in the pocket
- a majority of beads are in the pocket
- Write FB if the fatbag has been declared
- Add an exclamation mark FB! if the fatbag scores a pocket score above zero, including when bagpussed
- Otherwise leave blank
- Write the applicable letter from the lists of scoring and non-scoring throws
- Only add the exclamation mark to BP in the event of a successful bagpuss on a later turn
- Write F if a turn is forfeited
- Do not leave blank
- Do not strike through
- Write 5 / 3 / 1 / 0 as applicable to denote the pocket score of the throw
- A non-scoring throw should be recorded as 0 (zero), except in the case of an unresolved bagpusser where it should left blank until the bagpusser is resolved or the game ends
- Record the pocket score even if the turn is forfeited
- Strike through if the turn is forfeited without a throw being taken
- Sum the score for the turn, taking into consideration any multipliers
- Sum is zero in all cases if the turn is forfeited
- Leave blank if the throw is a bagpusser BP until it is resolved
The Original Baggo™ is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Baggo Inc. or Bagpuss.
This concludes the Laws of the Game.
Get involved!
Grab your own starter set and play The Original Baggo™ at home. A basic board and net are available for purchase at "The Range".
Also help yourselves to our scoring resources below:
Interactive turn calculator
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Downloadable PDF scoresheet
Example scoresheet
| Game | Player | Bag 1 | Bag 2 | Bag 3 | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue | FB! | B | 3 | / | P | 5 | / | X | / | 17 |
| 12 | 5 | 0 | |||||||||
| Red | / | C | 5 | / | BP! | 5 | / | S | 5 | 15 | |
| 5 | 5 | 5 | |||||||||
| 2 | Red | / | S | 1 | / | X | / | / | X | / | 1 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| Blue | / | P | 5 | / | F | / | / | C | 5 | 10 | |
| 5 | 0 | 5 | |||||||||
| 3 | Red | / | C | 3 | / | B | 5 | / | S | 1 | 14 |
| 3 | 10 | 1 | |||||||||
| Blue | / | S | 5 | / | C | 5 | / | P | 1 | 11 | |
| 5 | 5 | 1 | |||||||||
| 4 | Blue | / | P | 3 | / | S | 5 | / | C | 3 | 11 |
| 3 | 5 | 3 | |||||||||
| Red | / | C | 5 | / | P | 5 | FB! | C | 5 | 20 | |
| 5 | 5 | 10 | |||||||||
| 5 | Blue | / | S | 3 | / | B | 5 | / | X | / | 13 |
| 3 | 10 | 0 | |||||||||
| Red | / | P | 5 | / | X | / | / | X | / | 5 | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||