I designed a table-tennis dice and card game — Table Tennis Shot Builder®

[Emma_TT]

Hello everyone,

I recently joined TableTennisDaily and would like to share a small independent project that brings together three things I enjoy: table tennis, mathematics and game design.

Table Tennis Shot Builder® is a tactical push-your-luck game inspired by the construction of shots and the changing possibilities within a rally. Players roll eight custom dice showing Force, Topspin, Backspin and Sidespin. They use the results to claim cards from a shared Rally and combine those cards to build named table-tennis shots, such as a Push, Flick, Drive, Chop, Smash or Loop.

The card number represents how difficult the card is to claim, while the symbols show how it contributes to a shot. Players must decide whether to stop and claim a card or continue rolling and risk losing the turn. There are also two shared Counter-shot opportunities during the game, adding interaction between players.

The game contains:

• 8 custom dice
• 16 numbered Shot Cards
• 6 scoring and shot-reference cards
• 2 shared Counter-shot cards
• A compact Quick Guide

No previous knowledge of table tennis is required, although players who know the sport may enjoy recognising the different shot combinations. The game is designed for 2–5 players, ages 6+, and combines probability, mental arithmetic, tactical decisions and table-tennis ideas.

I am the designer and currently make the sets by hand in small numbers. I would be very interested to hear what table-tennis players think of the concept.

If the moderators are happy for me to share it, further information and photographs are available here:

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/477372/table-tennis-shot-builder

 

[golden_son]

I'm not sure I ever would have thought to turn TT into a card game, but I would definitely give it a shot. I do think the naming could use work... "Table Tennis Shot Builder" sounds more like a phone app than a quick, family-friendly card game. It doesn't sound evocative or, frankly, fun. It would work fine as a subtitle though. I'd lean into the theme. Some free ideas:

• Smash!
• Loop or Push?
• Rally

I like the last one but it may be copyrighted already.

I also took a look at the samples on BGG. Some of the shot names are...unusual. What, for instance, is a "wiggle"? A "fast topspin fade"? Where's the (banana) flick, strawberry, snake, etc.?

In all it's a fun, unique idea but it needs some polish. To be blunt, it feels like it went straight from AI to product without much editing by an actual TT fan. But the potential's there.

 

[Emma_TT]

Thank you for taking the time to examine the game and offer such valuable feedback.


The concept comes from the notation system developed in my book, Spin, Speed and Strategy: A Mathematical Guide to Table Tennis, which also defines strokes such as the Banana Flick and Strawberry: https://link.springer.com/book/9783032255174


In the game, 1 represents Hitting Force and 11 represents Power Force; θ, σ and ∂ visually represent Sidespin, Topspin and Backspin. Therefore, ∂1 defines a Push. The conventional shot name becomes secondary because the notation itself describes how the shot is constructed—and this is what makes the card game possible.


I agree that some of the displayed shot names would benefit from further refinement. Thank you again for your thoughtful comments.

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

actually i have a japanese card game of TT. its hidden somewhere in my stuff at home. never played it. i bought it on kokusaitakkyu

 

[Emma_TT]

That’s interesting! I hadn’t heard of the Japanese game. If you find it, I’d love to know its name and see how it approaches table tennis.

Shot Builder uses dice, cards and symbolic notation, and requires no previous table tennis knowledge if you treat the spin symbols as geometric patterns rather than the three spin types. I have also designed a separate 52-card tactical table-tennis game, for 2 to 6 players. That game requires much deeper table-tennis knowledge, and I hope to release it later, after this dice-and-card game.

 

[Takkyu_wa_inochi]

That’s interesting! I hadn’t heard of the Japanese game. If you find it, I’d love to know its name and see how it approaches table tennis.

Shot Builder uses dice, cards and symbolic notation, and requires no previous table tennis knowledge if you treat the spin symbols as geometric patterns rather than the three spin types. I have also designed a separate 52-card tactical table-tennis game, for 2 to 6 players. That game requires much deeper table-tennis knowledge, and I hope to release it later, after this dice-and-card game.

here is the link to purchase

その他 | 国際卓球株式会社

卓球用品「その他」の通信販売は品揃えも豊富な国際卓球株式会社をご利用ください。

www.kokusaitakkyu.com

the name of the game is TToTT
they have cards, a special mat, there is a basic version and an advanced version (extension)

 

[Emma_TT]

Thank you! I found it. It is TToTT: Table Tennis on The Table: https://www.kokusaitakkyu.com/shopbrand/017/X/
It looks interesting and appears quite different from Shot Builder, which uses dice and notation symbols to claim cards and construct shots. I would still be interested to hear what you think if you eventually play your copy.