Table Skittles

The ancient game of Alley Skittles or Nine Pins, the ancestor of ten-pin bowling in the United States, was transformed into a tabletop game in the 1700s so that no throwing alley or bowling lane was needed. The nine pins stood on a table, and players took turns swinging a ball on the end of a chain so that it swung away from the playing field, then knocked down the pins on its return.

Since this version could be played indoors, yet saved on pub space, it has been known as Bar Skittles. When in 1783, dragoons put down a riot (caused by a dramatic play insulting to tailors), newspapers described the dragoons as a ball going through skittles, causing the game to become known as "Devil Amongst the Tailors".

Many versions have been released in various languages over the centuries, then in 1967 a branded version by designer Derek A. Brand called Skittle-Bowl was released with set-up, rule, and scoring based on ten-pin bowling.