8/5/2019 Viking Chess Game Rules
Tafl games[needs IPA] (also known as hnefatafl games) are a family of ancient Nordic and Celticstrategyboard games played on a checkered or latticed gameboard with two armies of uneven numbers. Most probably it is based upon the Roman game Ludus latrunculorum.Names of different variants of Tafl include Hnefatafl, Tablut, Tawlbwrdd, Brandubh, Ard Rí, and Alea Evangelii. Games in the tafl family were played in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Britain, Ireland, and Lapland.[1] Tafl gaming was eventually supplanted by chess in the 12th Century,[2] but the tafl variant of the Lapps, tablut, was in play until at least the 1700s. The rules for tablut were written down by the Swedish naturalist Linnaeus in 1732, and these were translated from Latin to English in 1811. All modern tafl games are based on the 1811 translation, which had many errors. New rules were added to amend the issues resulting from these errors, leading to the creation of a modern family of tafl games. In addition, tablut is now also played in accordance with its original rules, which have been retranslated.[3]
Viking Chess Game Rules Today
Etymology[edit]
The term tafl (Old Norse: 'table', 'board'; pronounced [tavl])[4][5] is the original Norse name of the game. Hnefatafl (roughly [hnevatavl],[5] plausibly realised as [n̥ɛvatavl]), became the preferred term for the game in Scandinavia by the end of the Viking Age, to distinguish it from other board games, such as Skáktafl (chess), Kvatrutafl (Tables) and Halatafl (Fox games), as these became known.[2] The specific name Hnefatafl possibly arose as meaning 'board game of the fist', from hnefi ('fist') + tafl,[6] where 'fist' referred to the central king-piece.
The precise etymology is not entirely certain[7] but hnefi certainly referred to the king-piece,[8] and several sources[who?] refer to Hnefatafl as 'King's table'. In Anglo-Saxon England, the term tæfl also referred to many board games. It is not known if the Anglo-Saxons had a specific name for the game or if they generically referred to it as tæfl in the way that modern people might refer to 'cards'.
Several games may be confused with tafl games, due to the inclusion of the word tafl in their names or other similarities. Halatafl is the Old Norse name for Fox and Geese, a game dating from at least the 14th century. It is still known and played in Europe. Kvatrutafl is the Old Norse name for Tables (the medieval forerunner of Backgammon). Skáktafl is the Old Norse name for chess. Fidchell or Fithcheall (Modern Irish: Ficheall) was played in Ireland. The Welsh equivalent was Gwyddbwyll and the Breton equivalent Gwezboell; all terms mean 'wood-sense'.[9] This popular medieval game was played with equal forces on each side and thus was not a tafl variant, but rather may have been the medieval descendant of the Roman game Latrunculi or Ludus latrunculorum.[10]
Tafl variants[edit]
The only variant of tafl where a relatively unambiguous ruleset has survived into modern times is tablut, the Sámi variant of the game which was recorded by Linnaeus during his Expedition to Lapland in 1732.
As for the medieval game, no complete, unambiguous description of the rules exists,[11] but the king's objective was to escape to (variously) the board's periphery or corners, while the greater force's objective was to capture him. Although the size of the board and the number of pieces varied, all games involved a distinctive 2:1 ratio of pieces, with the lesser side having a king-piece that started in the centre.
There is some controversy over whether some tafl games (i.e. Hnefatafl and Tawlbwrdd) may have employed dice.[12]
Alea evangelii[edit]
Alea evangelii, which means 'game of the gospels',[13] was described, with a drawing, in the 12th-century Corpus Christi College, Oxford manuscript 122, from Anglo-Saxon England.[14] It was played on the intersections of a board of 18×18 cells. The manuscript describes the layout of the board as a religious allegory, but it is clear that this was a game in the Tafl family.
Ard Rí[edit]
Ard Rí (Gaelic: High King) was a Scottish tafl variant played on a 7×7 board with a king and eight defenders against sixteen attackers. This is the least documented of the known tafl variants.[15]
Brandubh[edit]
Brandubh (or brandub) (Irish: bran dubh) was the Irish form of tafl. From two poems[16] it is known that it was played with five men against eight, and that one of the five was a 'Branán', or chief. A number of 7×7 boards have been found, the most famous being the elaborate wooden board found at Ballinderry in 1932, featuring holes for pegged pieces, possibly to allow for portability of the game.[17] The name brandubh means 'black raven'.[18]
Hnefatafl[edit]
Hnefatafl (sometimes now referred to as Viking Chess)[19] was a popular game in medieval Scandinavia and was mentioned in several of the Norse Sagas. Some of these saga references have contributed to controversy over the possible use of dice in playing hnefatafl.[20] The rules of the game were never explicitly recorded,[21] and only playing pieces and fragmentary boards are extant, so it is not known for sure how the game was played. If dice were in fact used, nothing has been recorded about how they were employed. Archaeological and literary sources indicate Hnefatafl may have been played on a 13×13 or an 11×11 board.[22]
Hnefatafl became a popular game in Northern Europe during the Viking era (end of the 8th Century to 1000 C.E), a turbulent time full of conflicts. When chess became a popular game during the Middle Ages, the rules of Hnefatafl were forgotten over time. Hnefatafl was particularly popular in Nordic countries and followed the Viking civilization to other parts of Europe, primarily to the British Isles and the Viking country of Gardarike in what is now part of Russia.[23] Xbox 360 oblivion v1.2.0214.
The game developed differently at different locations. Archaeologists have found editions in places such as Ireland and Ukraine. Hnefatafl literally translates to 'fist table,' from the Old Norse (equivalently in modern Icelandic) hnef, 'fist', and tafl, 'table'.[23]
Modern Hnefatafl[edit]
The rules for Norse tafl were lost, but in the 1900s attempts were made to reconstruct the game based on the rules for the Sámi tafl game tablut. The rules for tablut had been written down in the 1700s, and translated from Latin to English in the 1800s (see 'Tablut' on this page). Unfortunately, the rules were poorly translated from Latin and gave unbalanced gameplay, mainly due to the mistaken idea that the king must be surrounded on four sides to be captured – instead of two.[24] Different innovations were made to create a game that favoured the defender side less, such as limiting the king's escape possibilities to the corners (instead of the entire edge of the board), making the king 'weaponless' (unable to participate in capture), making the initial starting points of the attackers inaccessible for the king, and making it easier to capture the king against the corner fields of the board.[25]
Today, many different versions of modern hnefatafl are in play – both online and on physical boards that are sold commercially. One variant used in tournaments is Copenhagen Hnefatafl, which also features a 'shield wall' mechanism to capture several soldiers at once, and an 'exit fort' rule that enables the king to escape on the edge while otherwise being limited to escape in the corners.[26]
Tablut[edit]
This variant, from Sápmi, is the best documented historical tafl variant[27] It is unique among tafl games in that it is known to have still been played in the 1700s. It may also have survived into the late 19th century – P.A. Lindholm (1884) described that the Sámi played a chess-like game where the pieces were called 'Swedes and Russians', which follows Sámi tafl terminology.[28]
Carl Linnaeus recorded the rules of tablut and a drawing of the board and pieces in his journal, during his 1732 'Expedition to Lapland' where he travelled in the area of the Lule Sámi – along the Lule River on the Swedish side of the border, and in Salten on the Dano-Norwegian side of the border.[29]
The game may have been called something else than tablut by the Sámi, since the word tablut (also rendered dablut) simply means 'to play boardgames'. Linnaeus likely misunderstood the word describing the general activity as the name of the game. However, tablut has been established as its modern name, since no other name for it is known. For the same reason, another traditional Sámi board game is today called dablo or dablot which similarly just means 'gameboard' and 'playing a board game'.[30]
The game was played on a 9×9 mat of embroidered reindeer hide.[31] In his diary, Lachesis Lapponica, Linnaeus explained that the players referred to the defending pieces as 'Swedes' and the attacking pieces as 'Muscovites'.[32] The name of the latter pieces reflect the Grand Duchy of Moscow, a regional rival of Sweden, which changed its name to the Tsardom of Russia in 1547. Linneaus does not describe the pieces as being differently colored, but his drawing shows that one side's pieces are distinguished by being notched (the Muscovites).[33] This way of distinguishing board game pieces is known from other traditional Sámi board games (cf. Sáhkku and Dablo).
Lachesis Lapponica was translated into English in 1811 by James Edward Smith.[34] The translation of the tablut rules (which were done by a Swedish merchant in London, Carl Troilius) had many errors which would become an issue not only for playing tablut, but also for the subsequent attempts to reconstruct other historic tafl games on the basis of the tablut rules. The central mistake in Troilius' translation is that four attackers are always needed to capture the king, whereas the original rules only demand two, except in special cases. The following rules are based on the modern translations of John C. Ashton (2007), Nicolas Cartier (2011) and Olli Salmi (2013):[33]
Setup[edit]
Tablut starting position: lighter 'Swedes' start in centre; darker 'Muscovites' start at the board's edges. Based on Linnaeus' sketches reproduced in Smith (1811).
Goal[edit]
Movement and capture[edit]
Capturing around the castle[edit]
Moving through the castle[edit]
Warning rules[edit]
Tawlbwrdd[edit]
This variant was played in Wales. It is described as being played with 8 pieces on the king's side and 16 on the attacker's side. Robert ap Ifan documented it with a drawing in a manuscript dated 1587. His version was played on an 11×11 board with 12 pieces on the king's side and 24 pieces on the opponent's side. His passage states:[36]
The above tawlbwrdd should be played with a king in the centre and twelve men in the places next to him, and twenty-four men seek to capture him. These are placed, six in the centre of each side of the board and in the six central positions. And two move the men in the game, and if one [piece] belonging to the king comes between the attackers, he is dead and is thrown out of the game, and the same if one of the attackers comes between two of the king's men in the same manner. And if the king himself comes between two of the attackers, and if you say 'Watch your king' before he moves to that space, and he is unable to escape, you capture him. If the other says 'I am your liegeman' and goes between two, there is no harm. If the king can go along the [illegible] line, that side wins the game.
Other modern games in the tafl family[edit]
Certain modern board games not generally referred to as 'tafl', 'tablut' or 'hnefatafl' have nevertheless been based on tablut rules, or the rules of other tafl games reconstructed on the basis of tablut. They bear significant resemblance to the other tafl games, but with some important differences.
Around 1960, Milton Bradley published Swords and Shields, which was essentially Tablut as recorded by Linnaeus and erroneously translated by Troilius, but with the Swedes transformed into shields (with a king shield) and the Muscovites transformed into swords.
Breakthru was developed in the 1960s as part of the 3M bookshelf game series. It features tafl-like symmetry,[37] but with twelve defenders plus one 'flagship' (cf. king) pitted against twenty attackers upon a tiered board, so that the objective of the defenders is to escort the flagship from the centre to the outer zone of the board.[38] Apart from the distinction of the inner zone and outer zone, there are no distinctive spaces on the Breakthru board. Breakthru also features a distinctive double move, whereas no evidence points to such a move in any of the historical games.
Thud, a modern game inspired by a series of fantasy novels by Terry Pratchett (which in turn were inspired by the historical tafl games), also features the general symmetry of tafl games, although it is played on an octagonal board with only eight defenders pitted against thirty-two attackers. Thud also features a 'Thudstone' (cf. konakis), but no kingpiece. There are also important differences in the moves and attacks in Thud.
Balance of play[edit]
Tafl pieces from Birka in the Swedish Museum of National Antiquities in Stockholm
There have long been controversies concerning imbalance of the game, as rules for certain modern tafl games strongly favor the defenders.[39] This imbalance results from a mistranslation of Linnaeus' rules for tablut, a Sámi tafl game from the 1700s, which were subsequently used as the basis for reconstructions of rules for medieval tafl. Newer translations of Linnaeus' tablut rules reveal a balanced game.[40] After this change, tablut can be said to be slightly in favor of the attackers rather than the defenders: according to statistics, the attackers overall win marginally more often (on average 9% more).[41]
There are several rule modifications that have been made to produce more balanced play than in the mistranslation of the tablut rules. These include a weaponless king (the king cannot participate in captures), escape to the corners (rather than to the edges), or hostile attacker camps (the king and defenders may be captured against a vacant attacker camp square).[42] Schmittberger (1992) even reveals some workarounds to produce more balanced play without modifying the rules of gameplay.
One such solution is by bidding: Players take turns bidding on how many moves it will take them to win the game. The lowest bidder gets the king. Thus, one player may open with a bid of 15 turns, the other player may counter with a bid of 14 turns, and the first player, more confident in his ability to escape in 13 rounds than in his ability to contain for 14, may bid 13 and take the king's side. If that player does not escape within 13 turns, the other player wins.[43] Another workaround is to play a two-round match, in which players switch sides after the first round. If the king escapes both rounds, the winner is the player whose king escaped in the fewest turns.[44]
Tafl in saga literature[edit]
An illustration of people playing a Tafl game, from the Ockelbo Runestone, Sweden
Hnefatafl was mentioned in several of the medieval sagas, including Orkneyinga saga, Friðþjófs saga, Hervarar saga, and others. These three period treatments of Hnefatafl offer some important clues about the game, while numerous other incidental references to Hnefatafl or Tafl exist in saga literature.[45] Sagas help indicate the widespread use of board games just by mentioning them—although rituals varied in the Viking period from region to region, there were some underlying basics to culture. The fact that the sagas mention board games indicates this use because the sagas are read and understood by a very large audience.
In Orkeyinga saga, the notability of Hnefatafl is evident in the nine boasts of JarlRögnvald Kali Kolsson, who tops his list with skill at Tafl.[46] In Friðþjófs saga, a conversation over a game of Hnefatafl reveals that the king's men are red and the attackers white, and that the word hnefi does indeed refer to the kingpiece.[47] The most revealing – and yet most ambiguous – clues to Hnefatafl lie in a series of riddles posed by a character identified as Odin in disguise (see Gestumblindi) in Hervarar saga.[48]
One riddle, as stated in Hauksbók, refers to 'the weaponless maids who fight around their lord, the [brown/red] ever sheltering and the [fair/white] ever attacking him', although there is controversy over whether the word weaponless refers to the maids or, as in other versions, to the king himself, which may support the argument that a 'weaponless king' cannot take part in captures (see Balance of play below).[48] One may also note that the assignment of the colours of brown or red to the defenders and fair or white to the attackers is consistent with Friðþjófs saga.
Another of Gestumblindi's riddles asks, 'What is that beast all girded with iron, which kills the flocks? He has eight horns but no head, and runs as he pleases.'[49] Here, it is the answer that is controversial, as the response has been variously translated as: 'It is the húnn in hnefatafl. He has the name of a bear and runs when he is thrown;' or, 'It is the húnn in hnefatafl. He has the name of a bear and escapes when he is attacked.'[50] The first problem is in translating the word húnn, which may refer to a die (as suggested by the former translation), the 'eight horns' referring to the eight corners of a six-sided die and 'the flocks' that he kills referring to the stakes the players lose.[51] Alternatively, húnn may refer to the king, his 'eight horns' referring to the eight defenders, which is more consistent with the latter translation, 'He has the name of a bear and escapes when he is attacked.'[52] Ultimately, the literary references prove inconclusive on the use of dice in Hnefatafl.
Tafl in archeological finds[edit]
There have been many archeological discoveries of tafl games and gaming pieces found in various Warrior Burials. One example was a wooden board and a single gaming piece made of horn found in a ship burial at Gokstad in southeastern Norway. Another example was twenty-two gaming pieces made of whalebone found in the Orkneys.[53]
It is believed that there is a connection between warrior status and the playing of board games. There is also a connection between the value of military strategy and skill to playing a board game.
The material used to make both the board game and the gaming pieces has varied: from walrus ivory to bone to amber to wood.[54]
In some boat burials there have been wooden board games found. There have been very few actual boards found in these burials, implying that having these board games included was extremely rare. However, this is believed to be due to wood readily being destroyed by cremation fires or decaying over time.
Legacy[edit]
The first major attempt to revitalize tafl was the publication of 'The Viking Game' in 1981. This was essentially the Sámi game tablut of the 1700s, as mistranslated by Troilius in 1811, and with the modern innovation that the king's escape possibilities were limited to the corners. The latter was done in order to compensate for the imbalanced gameplay resulting from the notion that the king must be surrounded on all four sides. In 'The Viking Game' the pieces drawn by Linneaeus, which reflected traditional Sámi game piece design (see: Tablut), had been replaced by pieces influenced by Norse medieval aesthetics. The game booklet did not inform players that the rules were drawn from the Sámi game tablut, and claimed that 'hnefatafl' was last played 'in Lapland in 1732' without mentioning the Sámi at all. The Sámi game terminology such as 'raichi', 'tuichu' and 'konokis' was also not included in the booklet.
This game did much to spark the interest in tafl games, and also began the modern evolution of the game as players attempted to remedy the game which was still unbalanced in the king's favor.[55]
In 2008, Hnefatafl was revived by Peter Kelly in the island of Fetlar in Shetland, where the annual World Quickplay Hnefatafl Championships are now held each summer under the auspices of the Fetlar Hnefatafl Panel. The term 'quickplay' refers to the time limit of ten seconds per move, marked by the sounding of a gong.[56] The Fetlar rules were for some time the standard in international hnefatafl play, but have since largely been superseded by Copenhagen Hnefatafl, which builds on Fetlar Hnefatafl.[57]
After the rules for tablut were retranslated and published online (2007–2013), this historical game has also gained in popularity. A tournament was held in England in 2017.[58]
Tafl games can be played online on sites similar to Chess.com. Aage Nielsen created his site in 1998, and currently hosts the World Tafl Federation Hnefatafl Championship Tournament.[59] Another Hnefatafl game site was launched in 2014, by Jacob Teal and John Carlyle. Variants of tafl playable online today include Copenhagen Hnefatafl, Tablut, and many others.
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tafl_games&oldid=905087616'
Kubb King on an unused pitch during final rounds of the 2013 USA Kubb National Championship
Kubb (pronounced [kɵbː] in Swedish or [kubː] in Gutnish) is a lawn game where the objective is to knock over wooden blocks (kubbs) by throwing wooden batons (kastpinnar) at them. Kubb can be described as a combination of bowling and horseshoes. Play takes place on a small rectangular playing field, known as a 'pitch'. 'Kubbs' are placed at both ends of the pitch, and the 'king', a larger wooden block, is placed in the middle of the pitch. Some rules vary from country to country and from region to region, but the ultimate objective of the game is to knock over the 'kubbs' on the opposing side of the pitch, and then to knock over the 'king', before the opponent does. Games can last from five minutes to well over an hour. The game can be played on a variety of surfaces such as grass, sand, concrete, snow, or even ice.
The alleged Viking origin of the game has led some players and kubb fans to nickname the game “Viking chess”.
History[edit]
It is often claimed that the game dates back to the Viking Age and has survived since then on the Swedish island of Gotland, although there is no evidence of this. The Föreningen Gutnisk Idrott ('Society (of) Gotland Games'), formed in 1912, does not list kubb as one of the traditional games from Gotland. The earliest mention of a kubb-like game comes from the second edition of the Swedish Encyclopedia “Nordisk familjebok” (the Nordic familybook) in 1911. It's there called 'Kägelkrig' (Skittles war) and is described as a variation of skittles and played with a ball. [1] The game in its modern conception became popular in the late 1980s when commercial kubb sets were first manufactured.
The key feature of the game (opposing teams throwing) is shared by the games kyykkä and bunnock, both of which come from Karelia or neighbouring areas. The game has now gained international interest, and an annual World Championship has been held since 1995 on Gotland. Large kubb tournaments now occur throughout Europe and the United States of America. Belgium alone held over 50 tournaments in 2012.
On December 13, 2011, Eau Claire, Wisconsin declared itself to be the 'Kubb Capital of North America'.[2] The city has hosted the U.S. National Kubb Championship since 2007, and is home to Kubbnation Magazine and many clubs and leagues, including the Eau Claire Kubb League, which is the largest weekly kubb league in the world. In addition, kubb sets are in the local schools, with some schools having kubb units in physical education classes and kubb clubs.
Game pieces[edit]
A typical set
There are typically twenty-three game pieces used in kubb:[3]
Setup[edit]
King and sticks in a traditional Kubb set at Dutch Championship
According to the US Championship Rules and World Championship Rules, kubb is played on a rectangular pitch 5 metres by 8 metres. Corner stakes are placed so that a rectangle is formed. The center stakes are placed in the middle of the sidelines (long edges of the rectangle), which divides the pitch into two halves. No other markers are required to demarcate the field's boundaries, although markings that do not interfere with game play are allowed (such as chalk lines). The king is placed upright in the center of the pitch, and the kubbs are placed on the baselines (short edges of the rectangle), five kubbs on each side equidistant from each other. Kubbs starting the game on the baseline are referred to as base kubbs. The baseline should run through the center of the kubbs.[4] For young children, the 8-meter pitch length can be shortened.
Rulesets[edit]
Two official tournament rulesets available for kubb are the World Championship Rules and the U.S. National Championship Rules.[5][6]
Play overview[edit]
Kubb field setup
Kubb is played between two teams, which may consist of only one person per team.
There are two phases for each team's turn:
If a kubb is thrown out of play, i.e., outside the boundary markers or not beyond the middle line (Note: after being raised, at least half of the kubb must be in the field of play to be considered in play), then one more attempt is given. If this also goes out, the kubb becomes a 'punishment kubb' and can be placed anywhere in the target half by the opposing team as long as it is at least one baton length from a corner marker or the King.If a thrown kubb knocks over an existing baseline or field kubb, then the field kubbs are raised at the location where they rest, and baseline kubbs are raised at their original location.
Play then changes hands, and Team B throws the batons at Team A's kubbs, but must first knock down any standing field kubbs. If a baseline kubb is knocked down before all remaining field kubbs, the baseline kubb is returned to its upright position. (Field kubbs that right themselves due to the momentum of the impact are considered knocked down. Also kubbs are considered knocked down if they end up tilting and relying on a game piece for support.) Again, all kubbs that are knocked down are thrown back over onto the opposite half of the field and then stood.
If either team does not knock down all field kubbs before their turn is over, the kubb closest to the centerline now represents the opposite team's baseline, and throwers may step up to that line to throw at their opponent's kubbs. This rule applies only to throwing the batons at the opposite team's field and baseline kubbs; fallen kubbs are thrown from the original baseline, as are attempts to knock over the king.
Play continues in this fashion until a team is able to knock down all kubbs on one side, from both the field and the baseline. If that team still has batons left to throw, they now attempt to knock over the king. If a thrower successfully topples the king, his team has won the game.
If at any time during the game the king is knocked down by a baton or kubb, the throwing team immediately loses the game. Wondershare dr fone license key.
In tournaments, winners are typically determined by playing best out of three.
For informal play between players of widely differing abilities, such as an adult and a child, it is permissible to shorten the length of the pitch. Another option is for both players to play on the same team and keep switching sides during play.
Kubb form demonstration at the 2009 Peterson Midwest Match
Tournaments[edit]
Team participating in a kubb tournament. Player is throwing (inkasting) the kubbs back into the field.
Dutch Kubb-team Jan-Diederick en de Ravenvangers at the 2016 Dutch Championship.
The Kubb World Championship[7] is held annually on the island of Gotland, Sweden. The U.S. Championship is held annually in Eau Claire, WI.
Tournaments in the U.S. have exploded since 2007, especially in the Midwest. In 2016, the U.S. tournament list includes over 40 tournaments. The majority of tournaments are located in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Tournament List
In 2013, the U.S. Midwest Championship was re-introduced. The annual tournament travels throughout the Midwest.(2013: Rockford, IL; 2014: Decorah, IA; 2015: Madison, WI; 2016: Madison, WI; 2017: Shakopee, MN; 2018: Canton, OH)
European tournaments are held in Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, the U.K. and Italy. Most countries have their own national championship tournament.
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kubb&oldid=904963975'
A little known fact about the vikings is that they really liked board games, and their favorite game was Hnefatafl.
Hnefatafl is a game of strategy, somewhat similar to chess, though it is not derivative. Hnefatafl predates chess, and was the game to play until chess ousted it during the middle ages.
Hnefatafl was the game of choice for the vikings, and much of its popularity was due to the vikings spreading it around to the places the travelled to. Unlike most other strategy games, Hnefatafl features two unequal teams, which different goals, an attacking team, and a defending team. The attacker's goal is to capture the king, while the defenders goal is to let the king escape. The attacker also gets twice as many pieces, yet it is the defender that really has the advantage.
Though the game was the most popular game in the world during it's time, the rules were never actually written down. We know some rules by marked game boards which have been discovered, some rules from viking poems and song, and some rules written by an observer that couldn't even speak the language. However, by piecing together bits and pieces from different places, we can be fairly certain how the game was played.
I had never played the game before, in fact, I built this board just so that I could play the game. It turns out that it's really a fun game. The rules are simple but the game play is interesting and requires good strategy. I also discovered that my brother is much better at it than I am, which is a little embarrassing.
(Radien)
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