Molkky

Best lawn game EVER!

Forgot to take photos while we were actually
PLAYING the game at the Sulkava lake house.

It involves throwing and math and keeping score and standing up the bowling pins, ooops I mean the Molkky wooden pins, over and over after each person takes a turn.

It is both harder than you expect.

"Shouldn't I be able to knock 'em all down with one good toss?"

And surprisingly strategic.

"Ok, I am going for that 10 off to the side, I think I can do it."

It is basically a box of sticks, wooden pins, numbered from 1 to 12. Plus a throwing pin that is slightly bigger and unmarked.

First the pins are bunched together tightly in an upright position about 4 yards from where the throwing takes place.

Here comes the strategy and fun. Knocking over one pin scores the amount of points on the pin (i.e. knock down wooden pin 11 and you get 11 points) BUT knocking over two or more pins scores the amount of pins knocked over (i.e. if you knocked over pin 11 and pin 3, you get 2 points).

After each player throws and the points are counted, the pins are lifted up again in the exact location where they were knocked over (so the game starts with all the pins bunched up but they quickly get spread out).

The first player to reach exactly 50 points wins the game.

Scoring more than 50 will be penalized by setting the player's score back to 25 points.

A player will be eliminated from the game if they miss all of the target pins three times in a row (this is easier to do than you might think).

Raise your hand if you have ever played Molkky.

(put your hand down if you are Finnish)