July game of the Month
Get outside, soak up some sun, and conquer the Kubb battlefield with strategic throws and epic victories!
KUBB
So, I don’t spend all of my game time at at table. On nice days it’s fun to venture out to the yard and play a game basking in the sunshine (with plenty of SPF 90).
One of our favorite yard games is Kubb! This is not me in the action picture. It’s my friend Ashleh who is by far the most competitive of our Kubb enthusiasts.
What’s the goal of this seemingly simple wooden block game? Be the first team to knock over the other team’s wooden kubbs and then the king…and you win! Then you must blow the horn of victory so all can revel in your success!! Ok, well the horn part might just be us, but you should definitely consider it.
Game setup
Use the 4 wooden stakes to make a 26×16ft field. The shorter sides of the field are the team baselines with the longer sides being the sidelines. Any kubbs that go beyond the field are considered out of bounds.
Evenly distribute 5 wooden kubbs on each baseline. Those are the wooden blocks.
Place the king in the center of the field. The king is the block with the crown. Obvious, yes, but need to make sure there isn’t any confusion.
How to play
A member of each team throws 1 baton (wooden dowels) towards the king. The team that is the closest goes first.
You may only throw the batons underhand and if you hit the king before all of the other team’s wooden kubbs, you lose the game.
Standing behind their baseline, the starting team will throw the batons trying to knock down the baseline kubbs on the other side of field.
Once all 6 batons have been thrown, the opposing team will toss back the wooden kubbs that were successfully knocked over by the starting team. These will become field kubbs.
Keep in mind that you have to knock over the field kubbs before attacking the baseline kubbs on your turn. It’s a good strategy to cluster them together in field or throw into an easy to reach placement.
If you toss the fallen kubb out of bounds when trying to place on field, you have a re-throw. If you again go out of bounds, the starting team gets to place the kubb anywhere they want on the field. No kubb can be placed closer than a baton length from the king or the corner stakes.
The starting team then places the field kubbs upright where they landed. If later in the game any field kubb standing is hit by a return throw of a kubb, those kubbs can be stacked on each other.
Now the opposing team throws the 6 batons trying to knock down any field kubbs. Keep in mind that any standing field kubb will be the new baseline for that side of the field. Players will be able to move up and throw from there if they wish.
This game play repeats until 1 team has successfully knocked over the opposing team’s field and baseline kubbs. A player has to return to the original field baseline to throw a baton at the king to win the game.
SOUND THE HORN OF VICTORY!!
This is a very simple, yet extremely challenging game. The batons bounce in an unanticipated way sometimes. You suddenly have herculean strength and miss your mark by a mile. You can't hit the wooden kubbs or broad side of a barn. You have victory in your grasp and it can slip away with one bad throw. Full of excitement and laughter. Good for all ages.
Make sure you purchase a quality kubb set. My first set was like throwing popsicle sticks at balsa wood blocks. A gust of wind and the whole field was gone. Enjoy a game in the fresh air and soak up the vitamin D. You can go back to the card table for the next game!