Hnefatafl - How to play & history of the game

[@jeremiahcastro9700]

My first day playing and this is much funner than modern Chess! So much creativity and it really teaches you to actually have your men work together and positioning as opposed to the quick sacrifices and captures of Chess.

[@TheRavensTable]

I am glad you are enjoying Hnefatafl. I also love the fact that there is not one "front" to watch like in chess. Movement/attacks/etc. can occur all over the board.

[@jeremiahcastro9700]

@@TheRavensTable Yes exactly! The way Chess is played is like the way armies would just all stand out in a row in clear sight of the enemy to be easily shot at lol! I mean don't get me wrong Chess isn't THAT easy. After a while though you spend more effort your time memorizing lines and using a Chess engine to find a hole some unknown number of moves down the line in order to get a "creative" or "innovative" advantage.

[@hellavadeal]

That was the best description , history and explanation of the rules I have seen thus far. Good job 👍

[@TheRavensTable]

Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. 😊

[@sersero]

I just bought this game. Thank you for this video. It helps a lot and makes playing much more fun.

[@rivertree566]

great history tutorial, this was extremely well done, ty

[@TheRavensTable]

Thank you for watching, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@tonymaurice4157]

@@TheRavensTable it was the game of kings and of peasants. Seega of ancient Egypt has similarities and probably was the games predecessor.. Some say dice were used but I don't see how.

[@TheRavensTable]

@@tonymaurice4157 the best idea I have for dice would be that, instead of allowing unlimited movement, a player could only move a piece a maximum # of spaces equal to the die roll.

[@tonymaurice4157]

@@TheRavensTable it's definitely a great game and one space at a time I think makes it more tricky you can get stuck in situations.

[@chilabs07]

Great video. I love that you talk about the fact that it is a reconstructed game, that variations are OK and actually make the game even more fun and versatile :)

[@Vae.Victis]

Great job. Thanks for great video.

[@zombiefireman]

Terrific video! Thank you! Love your passion for the history as well as the game itself.

[@TheRavensTable]

Thank you very much, I am glad you enjoyed it!

[@vimtyr1181]

Probably the best Hnefatafl video on youtube, thank u! 🍻

[@TheRavensTable]

Wow, that is very high praise! 😄 Thank you so very much!

[@anndavenport9615]

Love the video. Keep them coming! You make it so easy to understand. Thank You!

[@TheRavensTable]

I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thank you for the high praise!

[@thinker9115]

Bravo! Thanks for this instruction. I came across it today while researching the Lewis Chess pieces. I don't think anyone has mentioned 'Go' here, clearly a very different game where the pieces once placed on the board don't move but can be removed by the opponent. Still there are some similarities in that each piece is (apart from there is no king in Go) equal and the removing/capturing is done by surrounding a piece. Also, in both games, multiple pieces may be removed One board variation you showed was played on the intersections of lines as in Go. Fascinating how these games evolved and moved around the world. The Chinese game of Go looks so beautiful in mid-game, it is elegant in its simplicity but gains an increasingly high level of complexity! Thanks again for your work.

[@TheRavensTable]

Thanks for dropping by and for the high praise! Go is a game I have on my list to eventually cover. It is indeed a fun and challenging game. I find it fascinating when disparate cultures develop similar things when they had no contact with each other - a form of social Convergent Evolution, I suppose.

[@brentjablonski3730]

Thanks for another great video. I heard about Hnefatafl as an example of asymmetric forces a long time ago and have wondered about it since. Along with your video on Fox & Geese, the apparent quality of play makes me wonder why asymmetry is rare in games. My guess is that balance is too hard to achieve without symmetry. And wow, Linnaeus wrote about games - that came right out of left field for me! It's cool to get such a holistic take on games. Thanks. And I recognize (and own) some of the volumes on your bookshelf.

[@TheRavensTable]

If I had to guess, I would say that societal power imbalances were much more prevalent in the past. Notions of "all are made equal" is something generally that came later - especially during the Age of Enlightenment. Those power imbalances would reflect in the games played at the time. Glad to 'meet' another games enthusiast, thanks for watching and for the compliment!

[@cymro6537]

2:17-2:24 In the year 1587 ,the Welsh antiquarian Robert ap Ifan made an illustration _and_ noted the rules - I understand that the classic layout of the pieces that we now have is largely based on his observations.The Welsh version of the game is called *Tawlbwrdd* ( literal translation _throwboard_ ) could this reference of 'throwing' refer to the throw of a die / dice that once accompanied the game ?🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿👍

[@jeremiahembs5343]

Throwing the board is what one player would do when they lost. 😠

[@cymro6537]

@@jeremiahembs5343 😊

[@CottonTailJoe]

Wow so glad i found this channel please keep up the great work!

[@TheRavensTable]

Thank you very much! I'm glad you are enjoying your time here :-)

[@loke6664]

We tend to use the rule where the king have to reach any space around the edge but I think that only works because we use a 9x9 board, you would think that would make it easy for the king to win, especially since we also need the king to be surrounded by 4 pieces (or 3 pieces and a no move square like the throne) and we still have an about even outcome. The larger the board, the harder you need to make it for the defenders to win to balance things. I read that with an 11x11 board and using the Copenhagen rules the king have just below 60% chance of winning. I seen but never played a 16x16 board, that must be a nightmare for the attackers. Anyways, it is a fun game since it is one of those games that are very easy to learn but hard to master. It is also easy to make your own board and bring it when travelling and playing is a lot faster then chess. I bought my copy at the Wisby Museum in Gotland. I think you missed one important rule though: If it is your turn and you can't move any piece you lost. That doesn't happen often but it does happen (at least to the defenders, I am not so sure it could happen to the attacker).

[@addictedtotreasuretrash108]

Hmm I thought the king had to be caught on 4 sides not 2 ? That was how i was taught in sweden

[@tomerilan4647]

@@shevan613 Could also just be a different version, but playing with this rule makes the game incredibly hard for the defenders.

[@TheRavensTable]

@@shevan613 and @Addictedtotreasuretrash Whether the King is able to be captured on 2 or 4 sides (or even 3 sides if up against an edge) is a common rule variation, and I discussed it at 21:08. I've played it both ways, and it does change the dynamics of the game.

[@TheRavensTable]

@Tony Maurice When playing against people, in my experience draws are pretty rare (< 5%). I will agree with you that most of the AIs out there are pretty awful.

[@richardnunn3795]

Hi , I think I just found my game. This looks fun, and challenging. Thank you for sharing this video. We met at Steps 12 Night. I’ll be at next week’s fighter practice. Lord Ricciardo

[@knightowl2638]

What a neat little game! And a great channel I have stumbled upon. Very informative, clear, and your passion for the history and the game itself makes watching this very enjoyable. Thank you for sharing! Now I wanna run off and make my own board.

[@TheRavensTable]

Thank you for watching, I'm glad you've enjoyed your time here! And you really should make your own board and teach all your friends how to play! I find that is one of the most fun things about learning how to play old and "forgotten" games.

[@LukeHerbertPlus]

When I started out playing Hnefatafl I used like ordinary ludo pieces and a board I designed myself printed on A3 paper. Fortunately I have a proper set now which is much nicer, with the walrus bone style pieces!

[@TheRavensTable]

I started out much the same way. My initial boards were also printed on paper. The first one that I created was drawn on a square of leather that I would roll up and take with me. Where did you find your current set? It sounds very nice. Thanks for watching!

[@philfoster8789]

Hello, "Raven"! As a keen chess-player, I purchased a Hnefatafl set at "Jorvik" (York) recently. (The board is identical to the one you displayed between 7:15-7:35 in your video.) I'm a bit greedy(!), so I have five questions: 1) Did you also acquire your 7:15-7:35 canvas board from "Jorvik"? 2) Would you have any objection, in principle, to a board being labelled (as in chess) - so, with an 11x11, for example: "a-k" at the bottom ("k-a" from the perspective of the opponent) and 1-11 up the side (11-1 for the opponent), in order to facilitate the easier recording of games? 3) Can you buy Hnefatafl score sheets? (I suppose you could use chess score sheets, but...) If not... small gap in the market?! 4) This may be deemed sacrilegious to keen Hnefatafl players(!), but... How close are we to having the rules standardised, throughout the world? (I think attempts have been made...?) Anyway, then you could have an undisputed World Champion...! (I've seen there is one "World Champion" - Adam Bartley - but how widely acknowledged is he?) 5) Using my suggested co-ordinates(!), suppose the "Throne" on "f6" is unoccupied: what if a piece - probably a "defender" - stands on one of the four potentially vulnerable surrounding defensive squares... (So: "e6", "f5", "f7", or "g6".) Now, further suppose that an opposing piece lands on "d6", "f4", "f8", or "h6": is the defender deemed to be "bracketed"/"sandwiched" - and removed from the board - in the most commonly played variants? Thanks for the video. (And I hope you may have time to answer my queries...)

[@davidtravis1384]

You did a great job explaining the rules, but there is rule I would like to correct. The Attackers always move first at the beginning of the game. The reason for that is because they are attacking.

[@TheRavensTable]

I've seen it played both ways. I've also seen the determination made by the roll of a die, or even based on the experience level of the players (with the newer player getting to go first). Variations keep the game interesting and fresh!

[@davidtravis1384]

@@TheRavensTable You are correct, people did determine who moved first with a flip of a coin or the roll of the die. However, for the last 5 to 10 years, there has been a push to standardize the first move such as there is in Chess and Draughts. The consensus among the World Tafl Federation is that the Attackers should always move first. I bring this up so that anyone learning today will play by the most current rules. A great website for the Copenhagen rules, the version you were demonstrating, is aagenielsen.dk/copenhagen_rules.php. This website is always putting out the most current refined tests to make this reconstructed game more playable.

[@Knight247365]

Great video, I recently got into historical gaming and loving it. On a side note your link for boards and lay outs is missing the standard lay out for the 11x11 board.

[@robertgross1655]

🎩Hi. I find having the defenders in a cross formation gives a better game, and also using the edge escape. If you use the corner escape it can be blocked by 3 pieces diagonally on each corner that cannot be then taken. I also use that the kings square is a hostile square, same as the corners. (See Hnefatafl by Jonathan George, a great book on the game. ) As you say there are so many different ways to play it. Very easy to learn, but takes a life time to master. If you make your own set make sure there is a big contrast in colours between the sides. I made one and even though the pieces were different shapes the colour difference was not too good. Makes it hard to follow the game. Anyway enjoy playing a great fun game.

[@TheRavensTable]

That's one of the things that I enjoy most about Hnefatafl, the variations on number of pieces per side and the starting positions. It's amazing how much changing either will alter the flow of the game. I've even experimented with putting "obstruction" squares on the board where no one can move on or through them. Lots of fun!

[@ritark]

Haaallooo :) Really nice video. I have read that the king, in order to be captured/killed, needs to be surrounded by attackers both north - south and east - west (four attackers combined). That would probably change the gameplay quite a lot. What do you think?

[@victordelfin3073]

Yes, I read that too! Was suprised when he said that it only takes 2 to capture the king.

[@jakedooom]

Thank you for opening-up this game for us.

[@TheRavensTable]

You are very welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@worm_vaquero]

Excellent explanation. Also, handsome tunic, is the border tablet woven? And is your small necklace made of pinenut seed beads?

[@nespppp]

Very informative. Thank you!

[@nichlasbundgaard5583]

If you have pieces two different colored sides to them like Reversi pieces you could maybe play with that they have to be captured twice to get truly captured, a piece that's been captured one would be considered injured and can only move.. say 3 spaces max (depending on the board side) until it's captured again where it's then removed from the board.

[@TheRavensTable]

That is an idea I haven't heard before, sounds really interesting. I will have to give it a try sometime soon. Thank you for the great suggestion!

[@Brinkalski]

You really know your Scandinavian history, very awesome and informative!

[@TheRavensTable]

Thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@luizanaslyan4121]

Thanks ☺️ a question: a Blue piece moves on the edge in between a corner square and a Black, can another black piece capture the Blue by moving and blocking the Blue from 3 sides?

[@igitwams]

Great video sir! Where do you get your cool shirts btw?

[@TheRavensTable]

Thank you very much! I participate in historical reenactment with the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), and they are all examples of the garb I wear at events. Most are made by very talented friends, as sewing is not one of my skills.

[@kenporter9381]

Thanks a lot I enjoyed this video! I want to make a board and play some. I am very interested in Aleva Evangeli (sp) the Irish game you mention at the end if the video.

[@TheRavensTable]

Doing a dedicated video on Alea evangelii is definitely on my list. Thanks for watching!

[@curious-norwegian]

Your playing board has a dragon-like creature on the sides. I have seen a similar drawing/carving before, and wonder if you have a source of inspiration. If yes, would you share where you found it?

[@timetraveller6643]

Hello. That was very interesting. I would like to find a repository of played games from tournaments. Are there any places I can find well played games between experts recorded in algebraic notation the way chess tournaments are recorded?

[@TheRavensTable]

Great question! I have not seen anything like that before, but if you run across something please let me know? Thanks for watching!

[@teatimewithlionti4910]

Great video I learned something new! I just wish I could play a game with somebody. Off topic, where did you buy your raven mug sitting on your book shelf?

[@TheRavensTable]

There is a game on Android (might be on iOS too) simply called "Hnefatafl". The AI isn't the best, but its better than nothing! And the mug was a hand-made gift given to me when I started the channel. Thanks for watching!

[@XxMeatShakexX]

What stops attackers from putting 2 at every corner within 8 turns? Fastest a king can move to a corner is like 7 and they'll just block whatever corner you ran straight for. Is blocking off corners illegal?

[@awetaiwan]

great introduction, i thank ye..

[@Coolblueocean2001]

Starts at : 12:00

[@robynvanrij1736]

Very good! Thank you!

[@TheRavensTable]

Thank you so much! ❤

[@hal4192]

Great vid. Thank you. 👍🏻 Edit. Subscribed. 🙂

[@SiegeDestroyer]

How does capture in the corners work? As in the attacker moves four pieces into each corner to prevent the king from winning. Does the defender need to capture with the two open sides or can one piece plus the edge of the board suffice?

[@TheRavensTable]

The way I play it is that the corner spaces count as defenders for purposes of capture. So basically, if a corner is blocked by an attacker, a defender can clear the block by moving into position where the attacking piece is between that defender and the corner. I cover this scenario at 14:40 in the video. I hope that made sense, thanks for watching!

[@SiegeDestroyer]

Not really. I was thinking of the scenario when a corner is occupied rather than blocked. There could always be a rule that only the king can stand in the corner squares.

[@TheRavensTable]

@@SiegeDestroyer Gotcha. It's pretty common to have a rule that the corner spaces cannot be occupied by anyone other than the King piece.

[@thornmollenhoff8698]

what happens if the king is surrounded on three sides when the king is at the edge of the board?

[@pancua978]

Thank you!

[@TheRavensTable]

No, thank you! :-)

[@westofwahpeton4692]

What if each player had to roll a d6 die and could only move the result? Might be a fun variation!

[@TheRavensTable]

I agree, that would make for an interesting variation. Given that the Norse of the Viking Age wouldn't have had access to regular 6-sided dice (that I know of anyway), you could keep the game a bit more historical by using knucklebones instead. Thank you very much for the suggestion!

[@1959Berre]

How about plastic bottle caps? Coke caps are available in black and red. Water bottle caps are usually blue or white. You just need to draw a grid on a sheet of cardboard and off you go.

[@TheRavensTable]

That is a really clever idea for an impromptu board & pieces! I've done something similar with stones vs. nuts or pennies vs. dimes.

[@marksherlock2389]

Where did you purchase the glass playing pieces you are using? I found the King glass piece online but I’m having a hard time finding other glass pieces to go with it

[@marksherlock2389]

Just realized you posted a link to the artist for the glass pieces. I did not let the video play to the end the first time I watched it. Thanks for the info

[@TheRavensTable]

@@marksherlock2389 Apologies for the delay in replying. I'm glad you found the link to the artist from who I commissioned the pieces. :-)

[@DarrellGregory]

Are the pieces safe on their original square?

[@tomerilan4647]

No piece is safe on any square on the board, with the only exception that the king can't be caught if he is right next to a corner-castle. A king can be caught near a wall if surrounded by all sides AND all other defenders are captured. A king CAN be caught if standing right next to the center-square (the throne) if he is surrounded by just 3 pieces from all available sides. month late, still hope it helps.

[@TheRavensTable]

Sorry for the delay in replying, but Tomer has the right of it. No piece is safe anywhere.

[@-VOR]

You didn't clarify that the attacking pieces don't need to be right next to you king to win, they can be a few squares away

[@TheRavensTable]

To be honest, that is a variation of the game that I have never seen before. The game is supposed to be based around hand-to-hand combat, hence why you need to surround a piece on two or more sides in order to "kill" it. I would think that allowing attackers to kill the King piece from multiple spaces away would tilt the odds much more in the favor of the attackers. But I will give it a try the next time I play :-) Thanks for watching!

[@-VOR]

@@TheRavensTable oh gotcha. I downloaded the only app to learn how to play... they don't teach you anything really lol

[@rickl2834]

Idea for future videos. How about Shut The Box. Or give us the history of not so ancient games like monopoly and any common misconceptions about rules.

[@johnwilliam9954]

good

[@TheRavensTable]

Thanks!

[@JomilaHosan]

Martinez Edward Johnson Christopher Young Kimberly

[@plj103]

The king must be surrounded on four sides.

[@TheRavensTable]

I do cover that variation at 21:10. Both capture methods are equally valid, from a historical perspective. Thanks for watching!

[@dimifisher]

Wow man, so nordic people and russians which means slavs also are relatives?

[@TheRavensTable]

The Norse of the Viking age had established trade routes into the land of the Slavs and what we now call Russia. Many of them ended up moving to the area when they found land that met their needs. After all, Scandinavia isn't the most fertile and welcoming area to live.

[@ChrissyAllen-yu1mc]

Robinson Deborah Walker Charles Martinez Laura

[@VsnsmnGndmd]

Johnson Lisa Martin Angela Miller Sandra

[@WattHowar-e9i]

Young Paul Williams Betty Martinez Frank

[@luizanaslyan4121]

Also thanks for the info about rus 🙏 slava Ukraine 🇺🇦

[@AbeTrista-x3p]

Taylor Scott Hall Patricia Jones Karen

[@jaymedaniwebster7247]

reminds me of this game I learned when I was 6 in 1968 called Breakthru en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakthru_(board_game)

[@TheRavensTable]

I hadn't heard of that one before, very cool! Thank you for sharing!