I bought this without knowing a thing about it. I was a little nervous bringing it home to a seriously game-loving family, but really hoping to introduce something new and different from the same old yard games of Bocce, Bean Bags and Ladder Ball (which we still love btw!). We played it right away the morning of the first day together and the game continued to be in play non-stop for two whole days!
Not only is there the physical challenge of knocking the blocks over with the dowels, there is also a certain amount of strategy that is part of the play. And there's an extra challenge because dowels (unlike balls for instance) don't react predictably when you throw them. They may hit the ground and just land or they may hook the ground and fling off in a different direction or they may decide to just bounce right over the intended target.
We also loved that you can play with 2 people or 12 people and it's easy to swap people in and out as needed. Also, ANYONE can play--really. In the most recent game I was part of, the best player happened to be an 81-year old who had never played before! The 17-year old did gave him a run for his money, though!
The pieces are sturdy and well-made and come in a strong bag for transporting. I would recommend this game to and for EVERYONE!

I had a friend introduce me to this simple, yet extremely fun game several years ago and on many occasions contemplated making my own set. Because I didn't have all the right tools, I figured it would probably be cheaper just to buy my own set. Although it's relatively expensive for what you get (since it's all wood), the carrying case is a nice little addition and everything fits perfectly.

The set itself is nothing special. The wood seems to be durable so far. The only issue I've had so far is that I let one of my friends borrow the set which he took to the beach to play. When I received it back, it had all kinds of green/orange/black mold all over the pieces. I'm assuming the set got wet at some point and was placed back into the bag without letting it get dried out. Now I have permanent remnants of discolored wood as part of the set. This is obviously more my friends fault than anything, but that did lead me to believe that a coating of water seal or something on the parts could reduce/eliminate the possibility of this occurring.

Edit: After contacting support, I received a prompt response and a new baton was sent to replace the one which had split. Excellent customer service.

Original comments:
I've had the game for under a year and have played it probably ten (10) times or less, but in the most recent game one toss of a baton into the kubb resulted in an immediate break/split of the baton. Of course, we immediately executed the tosser of said baton and gave her an appropriate viking burial. Wondering if the manufacturer will replace the baton and will contact [email protected] per the warranty. Hopeful...will update my review accordingly.

I was very skeptical when I purchased this game for my grandson, especially since it was SO much cheaper than the other sets I was looking at! I did have to watch a few You-tube videos to figure out how to play, I'm a visual learner. But, between the great directions that came with the game and videos it was easy to figure out. We don't have a lot of lawns in Las Vegas so we play in a gravel driveway. The wood pieces are holding up beautifully even though they have indents and chips from the rocks. I do suggest playing on a lawn as the game is intended to be used. I wish the bag was made from a stronger material, but it had held up with no rips or tears. We are of Scandinavian decent, which is where the game came from if you research it so we refer to the pieces as skulls and femurs.
We love playing! Even the neighbors came over to play and will be purchasing a set!
I absolutely love it and I WILL be purchasing another set for us!

Something to note: A lot of the negative reviews talk about the lack of durability and dangers of the product.

Before purchasing you need to understand that you are throwing large wooden dowel rods at other wooden blocks. This will cause the wood to dent, no type or treatment of wood will ever prevent that. It IS hardwood, it has a nice smooth feel to it and the pieces fit nicely in the bag (though I recommend you memorize how they come in the bag since they need to go back in a certain way).

You should also understand that, again because you are throwing large wooden dowel rods, there is a certain amount of danger with using this product. Any danger can be negated however by following the rules of the game (only throwing underhand) and by paying attention to the game, especially if you are supervising children.

All this said, the game is great. I got this as a gift for my Mom's birthday and she loved it. Her and my Dad have played it multiple times since then and have told me how much fun it is playing. If I ever want another set of Kubb I will definitely be buying this one.