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Hnefatafl (400)

Tafl Games

Tafl games are a family of ancient Northern European strategy board games played on a checkered or latticed gameboard with two armies of uneven numbers. They are popular and significant because they are some of the oldest board games ever invented and were played by various populations, including Vikings, Norse, and Celts. The game is believed to have originated in the 4th century BCE and was played across Northern Europe until it was eventually supplanted by chess in the 12th century.

Game Components of Tafl games

Gameboard: Typically 19 x 19 or 18 x 18 squares.White pieces: 24 white pawn pieces and 1 white king piece.Black pieces: 48 black pieces.

Game Setup of Tafl games

The gameboard is set up with the white pieces on one side and the black pieces on the other. The white king piece is placed in the center of the board.

Gameplay Mechanics of Tafl games

The objective is for the force of fewer numbers (white pieces) to take all the members of the larger force (black pieces), while the larger force aims to stop the smaller force from doing so. The game is played in turns, with each player moving one piece per turn.

Game Objective of Tafl games

The goal is to capture the opponent’s king piece or all of the opponent’s pieces.

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