Looking for a Swedish Wooden Lawn Game? Here’s the Best!

For many of ux`s, the second we are able to enjoy zero sleeves again, we begin thinking about exchanging our board game night for a rowdier yard game.

Sunny afternoons are a great opportunity to soak up the sun, either by just heading to our porch or taking a full trip to the beach. If you are looking for a Swedish Wooden lawn game, learn more here.

Either way, you are about to get a great opportunity to enjoy the latest hot trend in the outdoor games niche. Kubb is a pretty old Swedish lawn game that has been quietly gaining a strong following over the past couple of years.

Getting started with Kubb doesn’t require any fancy uniforms or expensive gear. You just need anywhere between 1 and 11 more people, plus a high-quality Kubb set. So we’ve brought you the best value pick below!

What are Kubb Sets?

Kubb sets are made up of 17 pieces needed to play the game. Kubb sets are usually made of wooden blocks and batons, although some newer versions are made from plastic.

Also known as Viking chess, Kubb is an outdoor game that is pretty simple to learn, although very hard to master. The objective of the game is to knock down a series of blocks from ever-moving starting lines.

This requires a lot of hand-eye coordination, strategic spatial skills, and a good dose of luck!

Our choice for the Best Kubb Set

Reliancer Wooden Cub Game Set with Storage Bag

For less than $50, Reliancer’s Kubb set offers countless hours of fun for less than a standard board game or AAA video game.

Made from perfectly sanded, resilient rubberwood, this set is meant to last for years, despite being used for a game that requires it to be thrown around a lot. No matter how hard you bang them against each other, you won’t leave dents or create dangerous splinters.

The next great feature of this set is its carrying case. A lot of thought has been put into designing this game set to ensure it is easy to pack away or to take to a road trip.

All the pieces will fit inside the case neatly and logically: you won’t have to push anything to ensure it fits, but you won’t have a messy swarm of blocks floating around either.

Finally, the pieces feel heavy and well-balanced, which will let actual skills show through. The cores are heavy enough that you should be able to throw everything around even on a windy day.

On the other hand, the wooden blocks are not varnished, just painted. The colourful squares on top of the blocks look neat and are a bit reminiscent of Scandinavian minimalist design – which is very appropriate for a Swedish wooden lawn game – but they can chip away or get scratched easily.

Even if the blocks themselves stay intact, your set may get a worn-out look after just 3 or 4 games.

Finally, the game doesn’t come with a ruleset or manual. While you can always google one of the many tutorials for Kubb, this could be a problem if you have new players around and are somewhere without WiFi or poor phone reception.

Pros	Cons
Made from hand-sanded hardwood	The painted sides chip away
Comes with a well-designed carrying case	Does not include playing instructions
The blocks are heavy and resilient
Best Swedish Wooden Lawn Game Reviews

Are you new to Kubb? Here’s how to play it

Have you ever played Kubb before? The rules are relatively simple, and they begin to make a lot more sense after you play it the first time.

Objective

Kubb is a game meant for couples or teams of up to 6 people each. The objective of the game is to knock down the other team’s wooden blocks (or Kubbs), which are stuck to the ground or sand, using throwing batons.

Each player or team will take turns in their attempts to knock all the opposing team’s Kubb before trying to knock a larger “King Kubb”. Whoever topples the King Kubb first wins the game

Setting the field

Before you start playing, you will need to set the playing field. To do this, you will mark the field and baselines using the boundary stakes, which are included on the game set.

The field should look like a rectangle, 5 meters (16 feet) tall and 8 meters (20 feet) wide.

Then, distribute the pieces. Each team or player should get 5 Kubbs and 6 throwing batons. The Kubbs should be stuck to the ground along the short ends of the rectangle, or baseline. These should all be 1 meter (3 feet) apart.

Finally, stick the larger King Kubb in the middle of the playing field. The King Kubb will act as the final goal of the game, and it will also serve to outline where each team’s half of the field ends.

The game

Determine which player or team will go first by throwing a baton towards the King Kubb, from outside the playing field. Whoever lands the baton closest to the King Kubb will become Team A.

Team A throws first. During their turn, they will need to stand on the baseline and throw 6 batons one by one. Any Kubbs that they manage to knock over should be thrown to the other side of the field and stuck to the ground wherever they land.

These will now be known as a “field Kubb”.

Then, the opposing team will try to do the same. After they run out of batons, any fallen Kubbs should be placed as field kubbs on the opponent’s half of the field.

For the next round, each team will begin by trying to knock all field kubbs first, then all the remaining Kubbs on the baseline, and finally, the King Kubb.

At the start of the game, all batons must be thrown while standing right behind the baseline. However, as the game advances and field Kubbs begin to be spread out around the field, the Kubb that lies closest to the King Kubb will become the other teams’ new baseline.

Remember: you can only knock down the King Kubb after you have dealt with all the opponent Kubbs.

This is where strategy begins to come into play. Whenever the other team knocks down one of your Kubbs, you will have an opportunity to make their lives harder by throwing their new field Kubb close to the original baseline and far from your side – or to make your own life easier by letting it land closer to where you are standing.

Just remember that if the field Kubb accidentally lands outside the playing field, the opposing team will get to place it wherever they want!

The game of Kubb gets its name from the wooden blocks that are stuck to the ground, which are the ones you will be trying to knockdown.

Winning a Kubb Game

There are two ways to win a game of Kubb.

First, you must manage to knock down all of the opponent’s field Kubbs and baseline kubbs, followed by the King Kubb.

Alternatively, you can “force” your opponent to accidentally knock over the King Kubb before they have managed to take care of all the smaller Kubbs. It all depends on how many risks you are trying to take!

About Reliancer

Reliancer was founded in 2017 as an exclusively online home goods retailer. They quickly expanded their selection of sports equipment, home accents, and even office knickknacks. Their products usually offer basic, flexible designs with few frills but good craftsmanship.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kubb

How many pieces are in a Kubb set?

A full Kubb set should include:

• 4 boundary stakes, which look like any regular camping or vampire-slaying wooden stake
• 10 small Kubbs, which look like smaller rectangular pieces
• 1 larger King Kubb, which will be twice as large as the other Kubbs, and will often have a small “crown” carved on one side
• 12 cylinder-shaped wooden batons

This is a total of 27 pieces

Can you play Kubb at the beach or in the sand?

Yes! Kubb is actually an amazing way to spend an afternoon at the beach, just after the tide is no longer calm but it’s not time for a bonfire yet.

If the sand is dry, you will just need to press each Kubb a little bit into the sand so that they are firmly set, and don’t get knocked over by the breeze.

Can you play Kubb in concrete?

Technically, you can’t – you won’t be able to stick the Kubbs inside the concrete if you do this. If your Kubbs have a slight point on one side, they also won’t hold upright in the concrete.

Nevertheless, you can always make the rules a bit more flexible in the name of fun: just flip them around and use something other than wooden stakes that delineate the field and baseline.

How to throw the batons?

The batons must be thrown from outside the field, using an underhand movement. You are not allowed to throw them with a side-arm or a helicopter (when they spin around themselves like a cricket ball) movement.

How many players do you need to play Kubb?

Kubb is a great game for couples, but it can take up to 12 players. You will need an even number of players to split the team equally. Each team should also divide their batons as equally as possible between them. That way, everyone will pull their own weight!

Who invented Kubb?

We do not know who invented this game exactly. The first written record that mentions Kubb dates back to 1911. However, local legend states that Kubb was already being played by Vikings back in the 9^th century.

Allegedly, the game was originally played using the femurs and skulls of fallen enemies. We don’t know if this is true, or just a tall tale made to make the game sound cooler – but it is definitely a much more interesting story!

Can you play Kubb competitively?

Yes. In the U.S., there is a yearly National Kubb Championship held in the city of Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

Final Thoughts

We hope this Kubb set lasts you through the years and provides a few unforgettable evenings with your friends and loved ones.

If this is the first time you’ve heard about Kubb, then we also hope to have given you a new favorite hobby! Looking for a Swedish Wooden Lawn Game? Here’s the Best!