Bath Board Game
Log-end board from elm or poplar. Earliest documented use circa 1906. Historic regional variant.
At a Glance
Category
regionalMechanic
AccumulationDifficulty
Intermediate
Players
2–4
Estimated Time
~22 min
Board Type
other
Equipment
Bath board (log-end, elm/poplar)
Also Known As
Bath Dartboard
Board Coverage
High-value segments favored for maximum point accumulation
22 of 22 targets active
Your Compatibility
Set up your player profile to see how well this game matches your skill level.
Set Up ProfileQuick Rules
Goal
Score points using the Bath regional dartboard. The board design has been documented from approximately 1900, but the specific rules of play have been lost.
Win Condition
Victory conditions are unknown.
Objective
Score points using the Bath regional dartboard. The board design has been documented from approximately 1900, but the specific rules of play have been lost.
Setup
Requires a Bath dartboard — a regional board design dating to circa 1900. Like many regional boards, the Bath board featured a layout distinct from the standard London board. These boards are no longer manufactured and survive only as historical artefacts.
Rules of Play
The rules for the Bath board game have not survived in any known written record. Leading darts historian Patrick Chaplin has documented the board design but notes that the accompanying rules are lost. The board is believed to have been used in the pubs and clubs of Bath and the surrounding area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Scoring
Specific scoring values and mechanics are undocumented. The board layout differed from the London standard, so segment values would have varied accordingly.
Winning
Victory conditions are unknown.
Variations
No documented variations. The Bath board itself is a regional variant of the many dartboard designs that preceded standardisation.
Strategy & Tips
This entry is preserved for historical reference. The Bath board is one of many regional designs that illustrate the rich diversity of darts before the London board became the universal standard.
Related Games
Halve-It
Hit predetermined targets each round. Miss all three darts and your entire score is halved. High-stakes accumulation game.
Count-Up
Accumulate the highest score over 8 rounds. Perfect game = 1,440. The simplest scoring benchmark.
Fives
Three-dart total must be divisible by 5 to score. Score equals the total divided by 5. First to 50 wins.
Fifty-One by Fives
First to exactly 51 'fives.' Three-dart total must be divisible by 5. All three darts must score on the final turn.