You've got a stone in your hand, the yellow Mark is down the course, and someone asks whether it's your turn. If you're new to Stones, this is probably the bit worth sorting out first. You don't just take turns with the other team until everyone's finished.
Here's an example to keep in mind for your first game.
Say your team throws the Mark and gets it in bounds. Your team throws the first stone too. If that stone stays in bounds, the other team starts throwing. If it doesn't, your team keeps going until you establish one in bounds.
Now look at who's closest to the Mark. The team that's farther away keeps throwing, one stone at a time, until it gets closer or runs out of stones. Within each team, the two players alternate their throws. Each player gets two stones per round, so that's four per team and eight altogether.
Suppose your first stone is sitting a foot from the Mark. The other team's first stone stops two feet away. They throw again, because you're still closer. Their next stone lands six inches away. They've taken the lead, so now it's your team's turn.
That little change is worth watching. Before you reach for another stone, check the closest one and check with your partner. It saves everyone stopping to work out whose throw it is.
Having the last throw is an advantage: you get to see where everything has landed before you choose your shot, and the other team can't answer it afterward. If they're out of stones and you still have one, you can try to take the point, add another scoring stone, or move the Mark. It doesn't guarantee anything, but it's a good reason to keep track of what's left in each team's hands.
You also don't have to aim at exactly the same patch of ground every time. Contact with another stone or the Mark is legal. You can try to get closer, move their stone, or move the target. Those are choices to talk through with your partner, especially when your team is down to its last throw. Knocking the Mark out of bounds cancels the round, so a harder throw has a different risk from simply landing nearby.
Once all eight stones are thrown, leave them where they are until the score is agreed. Only the closer team scores. It gets one point for each of its stones that's closer than the other team's nearest stone. Two closer stones means two points. Get all four closer and the two-point sweep bonus makes it six. An exact tie between the closest opposing stones means nobody scores.
For a first round, that's plenty to pay attention to: who's closest, whose team throws, and how many stones you have left. The full rules cover moving through the five stretches, the X and the water hazard. You can get into those as you go.
Read the full rules at pittsburghstones.com/howtoplay before you play. And if you've already had a game, which part took the longest to click?