Novuss game Rules

Here you will find latest version of rules developed and approved by national federations and released for international use. The Novuss Game Rules are based on rules of the Latvian Novuss Federation dtd. 28 December 2016 which came into effect on 1 January 2017.

Open

Preparation

The object of the game – to be the first who pocket all his/her game discs. The players themselves arrange the discs on the table. Game discs must be placed next and close to each other so that there is no gap between them, and close to the table edge.

2 or 4 players

Opponents stand on the opposite sides of the table and the player, who has the right to strike first, places the puck on the edge zone of his/her side so that side and end lines of the area are not visible through the hole of the puck and starts the game.

Winner

The winner of the set is the player, who is the first to pocket all his/her game discs.

Strike

A player who does not have the right to strike, removes the puck from table. During the game it is allowed to touch with hands or fingers only the edge of the table and not the table surface. The strokes counts if the cue touches the puck. After a successful stroke, when one or more of the game discs have been pocketed and no violations have been committed, the player continues with the series of strokes.

Direct- and backstrokes

The player may strike all his/her light discs with direct strokes, and when the puck touches any one of them, afterwards the puck can touch any of his/her or the opponent’s game discs.

The player may strike all his/her game discs with a backstroke.

Dark discs must not be struck directly. They can be struck only:

  • with a puck, which has previously touched the opposite edge;
  • with a puck that has previously touched its light disc;
  • with its light disc.

Losing the right to stroke

The player loses the right to strike:

  • if within the current stroke the player does not pocket any of his/her game discs;
  • if the player pockets the opponent’s game disc together with his/her own disc;
  • when making a stroke without any dark discs of the player on the table, the puck slides over the player’s own edge zone line within a backward movement, i.e., the line is no longer visible through the puck hole;
  • if as a result of the stroke a game disc of the player or the opponent jumps over the edge, lands on the edge or touches any object outside the table surface; (discs that have jumped over are placed in the center of the middle circle);
  • if a violation is committed, for which a penalty disc is placed.

Penalty disc

The player loses the right to strike and a penalty disc is placed for him/her in the following cases:

  • if the puck does not touch any of own game discs after a direct stroke;
  • if after a direct stroke the puck first touches the opponent’s game disc;
  • if after a backstroke the puck first touches the opponent’s game disc, while there are light discs on the table;
  • if the puck falls into the pocket;
  • if the puck jumps over the table edge;
  • if the player has only dark discs on the table, but when making the stroke, the puck does not touch the opposite edge, or if the puck touches only the side edge and does not touch the players’s own game disc in the middle circle.

The penalty disc is placed directly on the middle line of the edge zone, close to the edge on the opponent’s side. If this space is occupied, the penalty disc is placed as close to the middle line as possible without moving the other game discs. If the distance of the game discs from the middle line is the same on both sides, the penalty disc is placed on the side, where the number of game discs of the penalized player is less, or on the side, where the total number of game discs is less. If also this number is the same – on the side, from which the stroke is made. If two or more penalty discs are to be placed at once, the first is placed on the middle line of the edge zone and the rest – as provided above.

Special terms

„Dark area“ – means the bar along the edge on the players side, zoned off by the line of this edge zone, as well as the area inside the middle circle.

„Dark disc” – player’s game disc located in the dark area of that player, when the line that zones off the dark area is not visible through its hole.

„Light disc” – player’s game disc located on the game table, that is not the dark disc.