MSP Babowlers
One table, every measurement: what the two games share and exactly where they part.
Put the tape measure on the lane and the games are identical: 60 ft (18.29 m) from the foul line to the head pin in both. The difference is in the deck - duckpin pins stand 18 in apart across the row where tenpin pins stand 12 in apart, so the same distance presents a much wider-spaced target.
The ball changes more than anything. A duckpin ball measures 4.75-5.00 in (12.1-12.7 cm) across and weighs 3 lb 6 oz to 3 lb 12 oz (1.56-1.74 kg). A tenpin ball is 8.500-8.595 in across and runs from 6 lb up to the 16 lb house ball - not quite twice the diameter and more than four times the weight at the top end.
On narrow screens, swipe or scroll the plate sideways.
The frame changes with the ball. Duckpin gives three balls per frame where tenpin gives two, and the duckpin 10th frame can hold three balls plus a fill ball after a strike or spare. The scoring bonuses, though, are unchanged: 10 plus the next two balls for a strike, 10 plus the next ball for a spare, and a 300 ceiling in both games.
The lane surface differs too. A 39-board lane is the tenpin norm; duckpin lanes run fewer boards. And the ball is drilled differently - duckpin layouts suit two-handed deliveries with three or four finger holes, against the standard three-hole tenpin grip.
What the numbers add up to: a game that looks like tenpin from the foul line and plays nothing like it at the deck. Wide spacing keeps splits - the 7-10, the 1-3 - on the table all night, and the small ball means the corner pins over the 3, 5, 7 and 9 carry the spare-shooting load. To see the frame arithmetic in action, see How to Score Duckpin Bowling Frame by Frame; to fit the small ball to your hand, see Choosing a Duckpin Ball: Size, Weight and Grip.
Further reading