The short answer
Quick picks
Ranked on published specs, not on play we have not done. Tap any row to jump to the full write-up further down this page.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No photo Tactic Mölkky Original Set The original — Tactic Games has held the Mölkky rights and trademark since 2016 and the games are still made in Pori, Finland. | Best overall | 8.1/10 | |
| 2 | No photo GoSports Skittle Scatter Numbered Block Toss Game Numbered blocks in hand-sanded, knot-free hardwood with laser-etched numbers, a throwing baton, a scoreboard and a carry case, played to exactly 50 points — Molkky's format from a different maker. | Best Molkky-style alternative | 6.8/10 |
Molkky is the throwing game with the best endgame in the yard: twelve numbered pins, a wooden baton, and a target of exactly 50 — overshoot and you drop back to 25. It is Finnish, it has an international governing body, and it is the game this site recommends most often for small yards.
Its success has produced alternatives: the same baton-and-numbered-pins format under another name. They are not knock-offs in any bad sense. They just publish less, and that is the comparison.
Side by side
What each publishes
| Molkky (Tactic) | Skittle Scatter (GoSports) | |
|---|---|---|
| Pins | 12 numbered, plus the throwing pin | Numbered blocks — count not published |
| Throwing piece | The molkky pin | A baton |
| Material | Birch | Hand-sanded, knot-free hardwood |
| Numbers | Published game layout | Laser-etched |
| Target | Exactly 50; over resets to 25 | Exactly 50 |
| Throwing distance | 3.5 m competition (3 to 4 m) | Not published |
| Governing body | International Molkky Organisation | None |
| Made in | Pori, Finland | Not published |
| Age | Not published | 12+ |
The pin count is the one to notice. Molkky is defined by its 12 pins and the triangle they start in. GoSports does not publish how many blocks come with Skittle Scatter, so you cannot confirm from the listing that it is the same game. It publishes a target of exactly 50 — but not the reset-to-25 rule that makes the endgame.
Skittle Scatter publishes one thing Molkky does not: an age floor of 12 and laser-etched numbers that will not rub off.
The game
Why the format is worth copying
Knock over one pin and you score its number. Knock over several and you score the count. You must reach exactly 50, and going over sends you back to 25. That single rule means a player on 46 needs one specific pin from a scattered field while the player on 30 swings freely — the only scoring system on this site where being well ahead is an active disadvantage. It is why the game is still live in its final minutes, and why yard game scoring systems calls it the best rule in yard games.
For the other throwing game people compare it with, see Molkky vs kubb.
Criteria
How we picked
Skittle Scatter showed add-to-cart at GoSports when we checked. We have not played either set. Every figure is the maker's or the International Molkky Organisation's — how we pick.
The picks in full
Every pick, with its published specs
Best overall
Tactic Mölkky Original Set
Tactic Games
Our spec score
8.1/10
- Spec completeness
- 8/10
- Footprint clarity
- 9/10
- Durability
- 6/10
- Pack-down
- 8/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
The original — Tactic Games has held the Mölkky rights and trademark since 2016 and the games are still made in Pori, Finland.
Skip this if
Skip this if you want a game that survives being left on the lawn. Molkky is untreated birch and it will gray and swell.
What works
- The exact-50 scoring rule makes it the only game here where being ahead is genuinely dangerous
- About 260 sq ft — it fits a small yard where kubb does not
- Rights-holder set, so the pin numbering and sizes match the official rules
What does not
- Untreated wood needs to come indoors
- No published set weight or case
Published specifications
- Footprint
- About 20 ft x 13 ft (about 260 sq ft)
- Throwing distance
- 3.5 m in official competition (3 to 4 m generally)
- Winning score
- Exactly 50; going over resets you to 25
- Pins
- 12 numbered skittles plus the throwing pin
- Origin
- Manufactured in Pori, Finland
- Material
- Birch
- Players
- 2 or more, individually or in teams
- Set weight
- —
Source: International Molkky Organisation rules — pins start 3.5 m from the throwing line and scatter forward
Source: International Molkky Organisation rules
Source: International Molkky Organisation rules
Source: International Molkky Organisation rules
Source: Tactic Games / published Molkky history
Source: Published Molkky specification
Source: International Molkky Organisation rules
Not published by the manufacturer.
Manufacturer listing: International Molkky Organisation rules
Best Molkky-style alternative
GoSports Skittle Scatter Numbered Block Toss Game
GoSports
Our spec score
6.8/10
- Spec completeness
- 5/10
- Footprint clarity
- 2/10
- Durability
- 7/10
- Pack-down
- 8/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
Numbered blocks in hand-sanded, knot-free hardwood with laser-etched numbers, a throwing baton, a scoreboard and a carry case, played to exactly 50 points — Molkky's format from a different maker.
Skip this if
Skip this if you want to check it against the official game. GoSports does not publish how many blocks are in the set, the throwing distance or the player count — all things the International Molkky Organisation publishes for Molkky.
What works
- Laser-etched numbers that will not rub off like painted ones
- Knot-free hardwood is published
- A scoreboard is included — useful in a game to exactly 50
- A published age floor
What does not
- No published block count, so you cannot confirm it matches Molkky's 12
- No published throwing distance or player count
- Not the Finnish-made original
Published specifications
- Numbering
- Laser-etched numbers
- Throwing piece
- Baton
- Wood
- Hand-sanded, knot-free hardwood
- Scoreboard
- Included
- Winning score
- Exactly 50 points
- Carry
- Portable carry case
- Age
- 12+
- Block count
- —
- Throwing distance
- —
- Players
- —
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Manufacturer listing: GoSports product listing
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
Is Skittle Scatter the same as Molkky?
What are Molkky's official rules?
Why buy the original Molkky?
Is Molkky good for small yards?
Why you can check our work
We have not played these. Every figure above is copied from a manufacturer's published listing or a governing body's published rules, and named so you can verify it. Where a maker publishes nothing, the field is blank rather than filled in. How we pick explains the whole method, including what would change a recommendation.
Read next
Related pages
Picks
Molkky
About 260 square feet, any number of players, and the exactly-50 rule that keeps every game close.
Guide
Molkky rules
Formation, the two scoring modes, the exact-50 rule and the three-miss elimination.
Comparison
Molkky vs kubb
430 square feet and 12 players versus 260 square feet and the best endgame in yard games.
Comparison
Molkky vs bocce
A 3-metre throw with the best scoring rule on the site against a game that plays on gravel.
Picks
Roll & precision games
Bocce, kubb, croquet and Molkky — precision over power, and the widest age range on the site.
Picks
Best yard games for small yards
Five games that fit under 30 feet of clear run, with published footprints for each.
Sources
Every figure on this page is copied from one of these sources. If you find one that is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.