Outdoor & pub games
Breton palet
- players
- 2–8
- minutes
- 30
- years
- 6+
In the box
1 wooden board · Cast-iron discs · 1 jack (the maître)
Official rules (federation's site)
Box details
- Origin
- Traditional game, with no specific designer or publisher
- Mechanics
- DexterityTeam-Based
Where to buy it
Near you
In a shop
Within 50 km.
The basics
Place your palets closer to the jack (maître) than your opponent's, on a wooden board about five metres away. The jack is thrown onto the board, then each player throws their palets to get close to it or knock away the opponent's; a palet that falls off the board is lost, and if the jack falls, the end is replayed. Each palet better placed than the opponent's best scores 1 point, and the game is played to 12 points in Brittany.
The rules, step by step
Setup
Poplar board, About 5 m away, Palets and a jack
- A poplar board, laid on the ground or on a stand, about five metres from the throwing line.
- Each player has cast-iron palets, plus a small palet called the jack (maître).
How to play
Jack on the board, Get close or knock away, Fallen palet: lost
- The jack is thrown onto the board: it must stay on it.
- Each player then throws their palets to get close to the jack, or to knock away the opponent's.
- A palet that falls off the board is lost for the end.
- If the jack falls off the board, the end is cancelled and replayed.
Scoring
Better-placed palet: 1
- Only palets better placed than the opponent's best palet count: 1 point each.
- A jack that has been moved stays in play where it stops, as long as it is still on the board.
End of the game
12 points in Brittany, Sometimes 11 or 13
- The game is played to 12 points in Brittany, sometimes 11 or 13.
Going further
Variants · Frequently asked questions · In the same family
Variants
Game to
12 points (Breton)
11 points
13 points
choose them when you start a game: the scorer adapts
Frequently asked questions
What is the idea?
Throw your cast-iron palets onto a poplar board to get them as close as possible to the jack (the small target palet), closer than your opponent's.
How do you score?
Only the side whose palet is closest to the jack scores, and it counts one point per palet better placed than the opponent's best. Only one team scores per end.
What happens if a palet falls off the board?
It is removed and does not count. The curved board makes getting close tricky: too hard, and the palet slides off.
Can you hit the opponent's palets?
Yes: knocking away the opponent's best-placed palet, or moving the jack, is part of the tactics — as in pétanque.
What score do you play to?
Usually 12 points, over several ends. The side that reaches the score first wins.