Carrom Review & The World of Wooden Board Games!

[@bangboom123]

Can't remember the last time SU&SD threw such shade onto games. Amazing. I feel blessed to have lived so long.

[@mkaiww]

they do it all the time on the podcast

[@Sotanath86q]

I think it's just this particular company sucking up to them with overpriced lame games

[@kaladze93]

etherfields

[@notgeoff799]

And yet, that Carrom board and smooth flicking action made me want to tune Quinns out and just own the pretty pretty thingy.

[@cractor6307]

it is a really pretty board, i would buy it as a coffee table lol @@notgeoff799

[@MonocleTopHats]

the glimpse of True Tom brought me such a great deal of joy. The Tom Quinns chemistry is electric

[@Skycroft1000]

As an Indian, Carrom is one of those games that is just all over the place. It's not something you buy, but something you inherit. Like Crokinole in Canada judging by all the comments on the Crokinole video lol. I've never been very good at it, but my mother is very good and my aunt has won some championships so the skill is there in the blood it just bypassed me I guess.

[@mistertea603]

I love games and peices like that with a history!

[@schistopatel]

The first time I saw crockinole, i thought it was like a mini carrom lol. Cool to see SUSD cover a classic Indian game.

[@drop2vishnuvardhan]

Crokinole is like Azul - it is accessible for everyone and you can see everyone playing it having fun and want to play more Carrom is like Brass, it is much more complex and not everyone loves it, but once you start playing it, you know it is absolutely a beast. Plus, it is an emotion in Indian households. almost every middle class family has a carrom board.

[@Spearca]

"Divorced dad energy," says Quinns, some time after giving up on shaving.

[@alexeikieran2112]

they have matching beards omg

[@lilsheba]

That mustache and the rest of it are desperate to connect yet cannot seem to manage it, sadly.

[@clunette]

Really? Guess you can’t come up with a better comment? You empty

[@Derek-cw4xr]

As a divorced dad, this cut me a bit 😂

[@jaspermooren5883]

Growing a beard is not giving up on shaving! A beard is stylistic. And if you do it well, it isn't even less work, just more concentrated.

[@TheRatedOniChannel]

I love those little 'out of script' moments you guys keep on the video, it makes the review as a whole feel less structured, more real in a way, the combination of Tom and Quinns is delightful.

[@keios]

My old man loved Carrom, and being a carpenter by trade, made more than a few boards over the years. He also collected different rule sets for it. Apparently the variation he preferred (cue puck played from where it lies except in the event of a foul, queen can only be scored between 2 consecutive pots of your colour) was more popular in Kerala.

[@CardboardBones]

Yeah, I definitely feel like carrom is less "it's a worse game" and more "this specific production from this company isn't great and it's harder to get in to at first" from what I can tell

[@mikewicked.x]

My grand-dad had a variant called Karona (I think). Used cues to launch the puck too, and you scored only in the pockets on your side of the table, so you had to bounce the puck off the opposite face first.

[@BG_44]

⁠@@CardboardBonesthis specific production IS Carrom.

[@mattcurr9931]

@@mikewicked.x yeah the cue version is brilliant, flicking pucks is just so imprecise for hard shots

[@CardboardBones]

@@BG_44 I see! I apologize for my confusion!

[@stephenberg6438]

I discovered Carrom on a family trip to Sri Lanka and I have to agree, it's a fantastic game. The only disagreement I have is when you called it expensive. A really high-end board is definitely on the pricey side, but you can get a good-enough board quite affordably! When we got back to the US, we bought a smaller board for maybe $30 and had fun with it for years. I checked online today and found some decent-looking boards at a similar price point -- which should be unsurprising, since Carrom is quite a popular working-class game in its home region.

[@somedude15231]

Nice to see Quinns rocking the "we roleplayed the end of the world with 4000 other people" beard for this review

[@YoJesusMorales]

I forgot about that video, thanks. The algorithm popped it up a few days ago but I forgot.

[@Pud26]

It's easy to lap praise onto our new lad Tom (who's great obviously), but Quinns is just sensational, I've been a fan since his pathologic review and I think his talent for the written (and spoken!) Word is second to none. Great review guys 👍

[@orlandonerz2999]

For me Quinns was always the Paul McCartney of board game journalism. And Matt is definitly John Lennon. Sadly, Tom won't fit into my frame, because he is neither a Ringo nor a George, beacause he ist not boring enough. Maybe he's a young Bob Dylan?

[@senditkitecoaching]

I lived in Sri lanka for 7 years and played a ton of Carrom with the locals. The skill issue could be a problem if you mind getting smoked by Suji's granddad repeatedly, but it was always a nice social experience there to sit outside rhe roti shop, eat some nice food, play and chat

[@sortius_]

When I was growing up in The Maldives, we used to play carrom all the time when we'd visit the islands. It was the most popular game there, and you'd regularly see a carrom board on a small table, with a pair of stools, next to shops, beside pools on the island resorts, wherever.

[@htspencer9084]

I'm half Sri Lankan and over there people are bloody bonkers for Carrom! Everyone has their own board and talcum powder (and obscure rules for whether you can backshoot or not! 😂).

[@ChristopherZAR]

That ending just made me so happy that I'm now a backer and I can feel even a tiny bit like I contributed to this

[@vauxhallprefect6847]

I've whiled away many an afternoon through my childhood playing carrom at my grandparents house (on a lovely custom board they had made with pool table style netted pockets in the corners). It certainly has nostalgia on its side, but even after getting my own boards for both as an adult I've still enjoyed carrom a lot more than crokinole. That said Pitch car has gotten a lot more play than either. And while the box is pretty big it's easier for storing or transporting too.

[@joelface]

I think Carrom is a GREAT game, but certainly less accessible than Crokinole or Klask. But it's a really great game that takes things way deeper and plays for much longer, so it's a more robust experience in some ways. Plus I highly recommend watching some Indian championship games on KZbin... they have absolutely INCREDIBLE plays. So the skill ceiling is very high.

[@uutarn]

No-one stares into the middle distance better, than Tom.

[@Solid_Fuel]

I was not aware you could play Carrom like this. the 50 year old set we have at home has small cue sticks, so thats the way i have always played it. (not that i have played it much) Also that board seems WAY more smooth and nice than the one we have! great video as always tho ❤

[@Codex_of_Wisdom]

Carrom has a nice nostalgia for me. My great grandparents had a board and we would play when I stayed over as a child. When you did the video on crokinole, I kept thinking about carrom.

[@willtuck]

"Hey, should we send our game to SUSD?" "You nuts? Did you *not* watch the Carrom video?"

[@Halen524]

Every Carrom board I had growing up also had Crokinole on the backside, along with checkers and like 3 other games. I mean they weren't as nice, but they were a lot cheaper

[@BG_44]

That’s because those weren’t carrom boards. They were “American carrom” boards. Aka junk.

[@ChairmanAntelope]

If you have crokinole on the backside, please see your doctor.

[@toddzerker]

I remember playing Carrom when I was young and because I love board games so much I was able to keep it. That board and others I've seen have a net in each corner (think fancy pool) for the discs to land into. They are much larger than the tiny holes in this board and easier to score, and make the game faster to play. I remember liking it and would play it at a family reunion if asked, however I wouldn't play this version. Those tiny holes you're trying to hit the discs into is maddening. This was a hilarious video btw. Loved it!

[@airtonmbrasil]

This will be a certified SUSD classic, just by the intro alone

[@squee147]

My elementary school had carrom boards out for recess, but they had way bigger pockets and we used wooden cues. It was really fun. That and four square were how I spent most recesses.

[@DrMcFly28]

"We'll send'im three lovely games he's bound to recommend at least one... right? Right? RIGHT????"

[@yarondavidson6434]

This is the absolute best Pringles stacking review I have seen. Now I'm waiting for the followup, with more details on the 16-19 range, and effects of different flavor on recommended stack sizes. I do appreciate the subtle snark in hinting how Pringles taste like wood, though.

[@cheddaz86]

3:15 - love how happy Quinns is with that high five It was a good high five

[@RyanEdwardsVA]

Oh man the banter in this one was hilarious. Best in a while, I had to rewind several times because I laughed over several paragraphs of review.

[@RustalWolf]

Wow, Tom really attempted the legendary Twenty Stack Pringle Challenge? Truly unhinged.

[@joemacleod-iredale2888]

I get that same look of poor-life-choice-ennui whenever I eat Pringles.

[@martymcfly7077]

He also attempted Sixty Two Stack Pringle Challenge, as you can see on the board. Unsuccessfully, sadly

[@gillcaz]

Too bad he put them in his mouth upside down

[@LizT-qx3xl]

But he got the 35 challenge? I can't handle it.@@martymcfly7077

[@huskyspade3461]

Love seeing Quinns in a new SU&SD video! Great work guys!

[@bazh6041]

Ok, a few notes from someone who is *really* into medium/large wooden dexterity games (I own versions of all mentioned here except Pitrush).... 1) I think the guys are a little harsh here on Sling, though (sorry Wodestic), they would've been better off with the superior production of Pucket by ET Games (though both those and the other cheap version pictured are all reimplementations of an old French game called La Passe Trappe). Pucket pucks are just that much more satisfyingly chunky, the 'bridge' is chunkier too, so missed shots sound satisfyingly disastrous, and you can 'tune' the tension in the flicking elastic to your taste using little wooden pegs which sounds superfluous but is actually extremely satisfying. Obviously it's not the most cerebral dex game in the world, but it shines as a party tournament game. Of course the other missing element not mentioned in the review (perhaps not in the Sling version of the rules) is that you play to a 1 minute timer, with the winner in the event of a time out being the player with the least pucks left on their side - that completely eliminates the impasse situation. Last and not least, ET Games also do 'Awkward Pucket' - an expansion pack with pucks that are, frankly, ridiculous. As soon as you have players that are getting a bit too big for their boots, throw in some awkward pucks and hilarity (plus swearing) usually ensues. Also my kids love it, so there's that. 2) Though I agree with everything said here about Carrom, and would 100% point anyone to Crokinole before it, criticising Carrom for difficulty feels a little like criticising Pool, or Snooker, or Tennis, or... Rock Climbing? for being too hard. They're all just kinda.... sports?... not wanting to put the hours into a sport to be good at it, or even to make it fun for you, it totally fine. I have no desire to be a world champion clay pidgeon shooter, or diver, or pickle ball player.... But it just kinda is what it is.... for some folks those things will be their life. What I'm really trying to say is, go watch some pro Carrom players doing their thing on KZbin. It's amazing. 3) I hope Quinns gets a chance to check out Carrooka at some point. What it is is kinda given away in the name - a hybrid of Carrom and Snooker. Sort of. But it has one truly glorious selling point, which is that the whole board is one giant (about the same size as Crokinole) lazy suzan. So you and a friend can sit and chill and casually rotate the board to line up your shot... it's just lovely. Like Carrom, it's not easy, but it's not *as* hard either, especially when played with the optional pool pieces as a straight up Pool analog. It also has extremely satisfying 'round the cushion' shots, which are kind of that satisfying thing you mention from Crokinole, but actually as part of the game. 4) Finally, there is a game I would rate just a tiny step below Crokinole (actually in terms of general practicality I think I love it even more). That game is JamSumo. I guess the easiest way to describe it is a hybrid of tumbling dice and miniature Crokinole for 2-6 players.... though that really doesn't do it justice. It's actually 2 games on one board, and you play rounds of both to determine an overall winner. Both game formats are equally brilliant, maddening, and laugh out loud funny. It's easy for anyone to sit down and play, but you can for sure get better at it. I just love it to bits, with the 4 and 6 player versions being the pride of my collection. The bad news? The fella who makes them doesn't make many, and he doesn't make them often, and the Kickstarter for the latest version finished a month ago... Sorry! He does UKBGE so may be catchable there, or else just keep an eye for the rare example on the second hand market. It's worth it.

[@ZeHamberglar]

Another honorable mention that's also more of a genuine board game like Flick Em Up is both IceCool games.

[@Banthagami]

Very surprised at the review of a game I've been playing since childhood on this channel! Yay for the exposure though a little sad at the recommendation haha! Having grown up playing Carrom, it definitely is a game moreso of skill and similar to pool it's enjoyment increases as you learn the tricks of how to play it. There are a slew of variations on the rules, some of which are easier/funner and definitely a game that plays well with 4 people (teams of 2 who sit opposite one another) as well as 2 or 3. Hope people do end up giving it more of a try 😁

[@PhotonBeast]

I have no idea how Tom didn't burst out laughing at the end there and spray chip shards all over.

[@HallowedError]

He might have actually been doubting the decision to commit to the bit

[@gillcaz]

Meh, it was the 20th take, he got over it

[@spectrumunit]

And it was Salt & Vinegar! The totally wrong sort of pringles! Holy smokes!

[@shelby142]

They're actually Sour Cream & Onion...and Multigrain? Didn't know that was a thing.

[@mathhits]

I was lucky enough to grab a free carrom board a couple of years ago and have since roped many of my daughters friends into playing. You’re not wrong at all, it is very hard, but the difficulty is balanced by the absolute pleasure of beaming a shot into the far corner or nailing a trick shot. I would love to find more players in Seattle! Also, no love for Catacombs as a wooden flicking game? I absolutely love the buildable characters and the different level designs with enemies of various powers, etc.

[@camyron]

> multigrain pringles Tom, show yourself some love, please.

[@tedelrick6455]

Congrats SU&SD, I knew it would happen some day, and this is it. It's the first youtube video to make me spit cereal at my screen. I don't know exactly what it was, but the high five just got me. Again, congrats. Well done.

[@coryhorton5837]

Love, “Flick Em Up.” Raided my kids’ wooden blocks and a princess carriage for a canyon walled stagecoach ambush.

[@cibelon]

Le Passe Trappe has small and large versions of “discs through a gate” - larger discs, smaller hole, and only 5 per side. I’ve taught it to at least 5 groups, who all loved it, especially as a starter game for the evening. The large version is the best. People who don’t like physical dexterity games won’t be won over, of course, but I think it’s a lot more enjoyable than the one you showed with the wide gate and 8 discs per side.

[@blacksheep9950]

Honestly this video mostly has me tempted to pick up a copy of Push It. I remember that being fun, and it's like £20 instead of £200.

[@stephen1896]

This crew is just brilliant. This whole channel, video after video... the comedy style never gets old.

[@LiamEvans-g4s]

Love the choices! You forgot, Push it! The tabletop flicking game, its a great one! Great for the pub!

[@xCriticalStrikex]

Company "lets send these really expensive games to SUSD, they'll love them" also that company... "oh..." rip

[@RynoKenny]

Tom taking on a stack of Pringles UPSIDE-DOWN was perfect finale madness

[@kenk7875]

Tom, so glad to see you went with the ACTUAL real answer, sour cream and onion. 👍

[@surtech5]

Unironically one of my favorite videos you guys have ever made!

[@iamjoris]

I was looking for a Crokinole board earlier today. I guess I should place an order soon or be prepared for long shipping time...

[@kenk7875]

Yep, it got the legendary “hug of Quinns”

[@msPacmanization]

not really, but then you'll have to get it from Canada. Got it in a week and I live in the Netherlands!

[@janebru3]

6:48 Tom’s obviously after a better Christmas present from me this year…Pringles?

[@psnoob]

Would love to see SUSD review a classic Dutch wooden dexterity game called ‘sjoelen’! We still play it every Christmas with friends and family

[@yltraviole]

I was thinking about sjoelen all throughout this review! It was a classic during family reunions :)

[@marcokaisth8671]

Great work boys! FYI, as an Indian, I've only ever heard it pronounced Care-Rum, instead of Ca-Rom.

[@reedjos08]

It’s always so nice to see Quinn’s

[@violetto3219]

his what?

[@greggreg1948]

@@violetto3219 his Quinn’s

[@htspencer9084]

​@@violetto3219his Quinn's

[@maubunky1]

I waited for the perfect Crokinole board for 7 years. I played it and now I think I might have one for sale. It's got a pretty compass rose on it. It might be more fun hanging on my wall.

[@irongorillafederation1082]

Pit rush and Carrom look like games that with a bit of research and time I could make. I work at a summer camp for kids with chronic illnesses and rainy days suck more than traditional camp because it’s less magic for these kids. If I could develop a way to sort of assembly line Pit Rush I’d do it in a heartbeat because while it would be chaos having a room full of kids playing something like pit rush when faced with a rainy day otherwise would give most of that magic. Plus Carrom might be easier to store and the sort of teenage groups might get a kick out of it. So maybe not as good as Crockinhole but at the same time maybe a bit more attuned to other markets.

[@AdamR1977]

Humble brag here, but we used to play 'how many pringles can you eat in one go without dropping a crumb?', and I _still_ hold our group record. 25. You have to kinda unhinge your jaw like a snake, get one end of the stack in there, then twist them in. Amazingly enough, flavour matters. I did this with original, I couldn't do it with souir cream and onion, for instance.

[@andywlasniewski6810]

This entire episode is a beautiful train wreck and I will probably watch it again. It's like a Flying Circus outtake reel.

[@Leilataj85]

“It’s like Pringles. I don’t enjoy eating Pringles, and I definitely don’t enjoy having eaten Pringles…” 😂😂😂

[@Jagostekspade]

My therapist: "Quinns with a beard is not real, he cant hurt you" Meanwhile Quinns with a beard:

[@spaztekwarrior]

There’s also a dual layered mini curling/shuffleboard with not so much wood in it. You use plastic pucks with ball bearings inside. Kind of neat in a way. Also, there is Set And Match, a tennis simulator board game that’s pretty decent, especially with the larger neoprene court. :) And yes, the disc you flick (the ball) is wooden. :)

[@thomasrockhoff]

Genuine respect to any channel with integrity to negatively review a free product. SU&SD cannot be bought.

[@BBlueBBasterd]

This video had me genuinely uncontrollably laughing out loud at least 4 times, what a gem.

[@ohlenbusch]

Can I just say that Tom “sinking these shots like a motherf@$#r” made me laugh so hard. Wasn’t planning on watching the full 14 minute review but you guys are incredibly entertaining together. Thanks for another great video.

[@GadBoDag]

My grandparents had a carrom board but I was too young to be able to play with it... I was always so fascinated by it.

[@Undrave]

There's Pichenottes which is sorta like carrom but with actual pockets instead of a tiny holes.

[@allypearlman5569]

I feel odd disagreeing, but I bring a Slingputt like game to a decent chunk of parties and it's always a hit, people pass buy, play it for a bit, maybe the loser takes a shot, it's a great chill game to just be in the space, not one you gather people round to play

[@clarabatty8696]

Missed the opportunity to call the carrom cops the 'carozzers'

[@WeasleyDodds]

I wish pitch car were more available around the world. I would love to have one copy 😢

[@michaellopate4969]

I remember playing carrom in elementary school, except you didn't flick, you used miniature pool cues. Which was awesome.

[@nyekemball140]

How has carooka not been talked about? By far the best wooden flicking game it is the snooker to the pool of crokinole!

[@thomasd.4820]

I have a carrooka board and this IS the answer for making Carrom more accessible and Casual Like crokinole. So maybe you "shut up und sit down": do your Homework and get an carrooka board 😂

[@Phox-in-a-Box]

Watching Tom sitting there, dissociating, is a mood.

[@phroexx]

But it was his job

[@ahagumbolt]

Carrom was like THE game we played when I was a kid. Tragically we haven't had a carrom board for a while. But I would play it in a heart beat.

[@Coloneljesus]

My dad has a Carrom board. I should play it with him this christmas.

[@jtjames79]

I should start making them. 🤑

[@littlemissevel3607]

sour cream and chive is the CORRECT pringle!

[@Maladjester]

"Stuff's just constantly moving in front of you, so it's sort of hard to complain." Also a perfect description of schlock cinema.

[@golgarisoul]

i sincerlyLOVED the just fucking around bits about chips lmao

[@klimatpsykologi]

Tom, your comedic genius peaked at the end of the sling review!

[@Harlizarrd]

I was lucky enough to grow up with both Carrom and Crokinole at home, both excellent games. Hard to beat flingin discs around a big circle though.

[@Ends_Of_Invention]

Oh hey Woodestic is where I got my Crockinole board after one of those 1 million views! It's a nice board!

[@vassilidario8029]

Oh no I feel bad for woodastic now

[@xfoolsgoldx]

I had a Carrom boardgame 30 years ago. I very much enjoyed it at the time.

[@moon7silver952]

Not even BBQ pringles at the end smh

[@henrikwakman7776]

The writing on this episode is quite brilliant.

[@AndyGoldman]

Companies having second thoughts about sending SUSD all their games now…😂

[@tvdavis]

Buuut...I already have two Crokinole boards, so maybe I DO need a fancy, over $800 (U.S.) Carrom board! Down with circles! Up with squares!

[@joshw5425]

Watching Tom absently watch while Quinns reveals the table gives me life.

[@sporkaccione]

I don't think they'll talk about carrooka unless they get hooked up with a free board

[@griffoncs6431]

"I think it was tryin to kill itself." You guys, I laughed so hard at that, I scared myself. 😂😂😂

[@dwareb]

Ok, I loved the gag at the end with the chips... However! Why not BBQ flavor? I feel weirdly chip denied on your behalf, Tom!

[@Ainar86]

I love how you completely flip around the sling opinion from @NoPunIncluded (they reviewed it in the air hokey video). Shots fired :P

[@rapturecase]

Tom Brewster can gob 15 saddle shaped chips in one go? Amazing!

[@rootleft7928]

Quin's break is the funniest five seconds you've ever published. Every frame is hilarious

[@mortenelgaardpedersen892]

How about Klask as a wooden boardgame? I know its not a directly flicking game as you are using a magnet, but kinda thought it might be mentioned. It also has a four player version.

[@wheeler68]

Good news! Matt already reviewed Klask

[@Tanks.With.Teeth.Malloy]

The bit at 2:14 has be rolling lmao. Never change

[@SmoggySandwich]

Tom now appears in every video and I'm all for it.

[@DanielSolis]

The hall of wooden dexterity games is my favorite part of a game convention.

[@seanfsmith]

You're both wrong, it's Sour Cream + Onion

[@MrPerez333]

omg crokinole 2

[@beakerkell]

I know some people had some issues with their boards, but I really enjoy my copy of Pathways! A really fun dexterity game with lots of ways to play.

[@ThirithCH]

In Switzerland pretty much every teenager in the 1990s had a Carrom board (the game was called Carambole here), had a friend with a board, or they made a shonky board in the obligatory handicrafts lessons we all did. Was/is it that widespread in other countries?

[@ape-in-a-tree9701]

pitchcar seems fun fr. I can see anybody get into this

[@JonTripp115]

I love how when Tom exits, the crokinole board is seen waiting... "I will always be here for you, Quinns," it says.

[@Arcadio89]

But(t)s! 😂 I'll add Carrom to my backlog of boardgames