Tafl games

Tafl games

Infobox_Game
subject_name = Tafl
image_link =
image_caption = A reconstructed Hnefatafl board.
players = 2
setup_time = < 1 minute
playing_time = Typically 5–20 minutes
random_chance = None
skills = Strategy, Observation

Tafl games were a family of ancient Germanic and Celtic board games played on a checkered or latticed board with two teams of uneven strength. The size of the board and the number of pieces varied, but all games involved a distinctive 2:1 ratio of pieces, with the lesser side having a king-piece which started in the centre. 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. There is also some controversy over whether some tafl games (i.e. "Hnefatafl" and "Tawlbwrdd") may have employed dice. [Helmfrid 2005, pp.10–11, discusses a set of intriguing yet ultimately puzzling riddles related in Hervarar Saga, referring to hnefatafl. Bayless 2005, pp.15–16, suggests that several archaeological finds in Scandinavia reveal hnefatafl sets that included dice, and discusses controversy over whether the very name "tawlbwrdd" suggests the throwing of dice.] Tafl spread everywhere the Vikings traveled, including Iceland, Britannia, Ireland, and Lapland. [Murray 1951, p.56., Helmfrid 2005, p.2.] Versions of Tafl, comprising Hnefatafl, Alea Evangelii, Tawlbwrdd, Brandubh, Ard Ri and Tablut, were played across much of Northern Europe from earlier than 400 CE until it was supplanted by Chess in the 12th century. [Murray 1951, pp.56, 57.]

The term "tafl" (Old Norse: "table", "board") (IPA2|tavl) [Ellis 1869, pp.554, 559. The mutation of "f" to [v] is included in the table on p.554 (also here attributed to Jakob Grimm), and borne out in the comparative translation on p.559.] is the original name of the game. However, "Hnefatafl" 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. [Murray 1951, pp.56,57.] The specific name "Hnefatafl" possibly arose as meaning "board-game of the fist", from "hnefi" ("fist") + "tafl", [Helmfrid 2005, p.1, discusses this etymology, elements of which are confirmed by Zoëga 2004, "hnefa"/"-tafl"/"hnefi".] where "fist" referred to the central king-piece. The precise etymology is disputed, [Murray 1951, p.60, says "hnefi" (meaning doubtful, but used of the king-piece)", while Helmfrid 2005, p.1, notes that "hnefa" is the genitive form of Icelandic "hnefi" (fist), but concedes "it is often translated as king."] but "hnefi" certainly referred to the king-piece, [Murray 1951, p.60. Helmfrid, Bell, and Hervarar Saga all agree on this point.] and several sources 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". In Dutch, "tafel" means "table", and in German "Tafel" has related meanings as well.

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". [Bayless 2005, p.17.] 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". [Helmfrid 2005, p.7, and Murray 1951, p.35. Also, Bayless 2005, p.17, further discusses the link between Fidchell and Latrunculi and the difference between these games and the tafl family.]

Hnefatafl in Saga literature

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. [Helmfrid 2005, p.11.] In "Orkeyinga saga", the notability of Hnefatafl is evident in the nine boasts of Jarl Rögnvald Kali Kolsson, who tops his list with skill at "Tafl". [Peterson 2005, Helmfrid 2005, p.11. Original source: Rǫgnvaldr jarl kali Kolsson 1158, Orknøsk jarl og skjald [http://skaldic.arts.usyd.edu.au/db.php?table=verses&id=3608 Original text] (Icelandic). An English translation is prominent in the Viking Answer Lady's [http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/games.shtml King's Table] article.] 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. [Helmfrid 2005, p.10.] 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". 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). [Helmfrid 2005, p.10, reproduces the above quotation from Hauksbok and discusses the "weaponless" controversy.] One may also note that the assignment of the colors 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." [Quoted in Helmfrid 2005, p.10. An alternative translation is [http://www.northvegr.org/lore/oldheathen/026.php here on the web] .] 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." [Both translations offered in Helmfrid 2005, pp.10–11.] 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. [Helmfrid 2005, p.11. This is a close paraphrasing of Helmfrid's own words.] 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." [Helmfrid 2005, p.11. The idea that the "húnn" is the king is supported by Murray (p.61.)] Ultimately, the literary references prove inconclusive on the use of dice in Hnefatafl.

Tafl variants

Hnefatafl 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. [Helmfrid 2005, pp.10–11, discusses the riddles in Hervarar Saga, which have been interpreted to suggest the use of dice in Hnefatafl.] The rules of the game were never explicitly recorded, [Bell 1979, p.77.] 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&times;13 or an 11&times;11 board. [Bayless 2005, p.15, mentions an 11&times;11 Hnefatafl board from the 12th century, found near Trondheim, and Helmfrid 2005, p.7, reports that Robert ap Ifan drew an 11&times;11 board in his manuscript, while Murray 1951, p.58, reports that the board found on the Gokstad ship had 13&times;13 squares on one side and Nine men's morris on the reverse.]

Alea evangelii, which means "game of the gospels", [Helmfrid 2005, p.9.] was described, with a drawing, in the twelfth-century Corpus Christi College, Oxford manuscript 122, from Anglo-Saxon England. [Murray 1951, p.61.] It was played on the intersections of a board of 18&times;18 cells. The manuscript describes the layout of the board as a religious allegory, but it is clear that this was a game based on Hnefatafl.

Tawlbwrdd 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&times;11 board with 12 pieces on the king's side and 24 on the opponent's side. His passage states: [Ifan 1587, p.4, cited in Murray 1951, p.63.]

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.

Brandub (Modern Irish: "Bran dubh") was the Irish form of tafl. We know from two poems [Helmfrid 2005, pp.7–8. In Bayless 2005, p.17, these passages are reproduced and well referenced.] that it was played with five men against eight, and that one of the five was a "Branán", or chief. A number of 7&times;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. [Murray 1951, p.59, discusses the Ballinderry board with an accompanying sketch of the board. This board is also discussed by Helmfrid 2005, p.12, and Bayless 2005, p.14, calls it "the most celebrated find" in Ireland.] The name "brandub" means "raven black". [Bayless 2005, p.17, Helmfrid 2005, p.7.]

Ard Ri (Irish: "High King") was a Scottish tafl variant played on a 7&times;7 board with a king and eight defenders against sixteen attackers. This is the least documented of the known tafl variants. [While there is a dearth of information in the published sources, "Ard Ri" is briefly described and illustrated in four web articles: [http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~leif/games/Hnefetafl/ardri.html] , [http://www.pipcom.com/~colyne/Article/SCA_game_tafl.htm] , [http://homepages.di.fc.ul.pt/~jpn/gv/hnefatafl.htm] , [http://www.gamegardens.com/gardens/view_game.wm?gameid=68] .]

Tablut, from Lapland, is the best documented version. [Helmfrid 2005, p.2.] In 1732, Carolus Linnaeus recorded the rules and a drawing of the board in his journal while travelling through the area. His description, in Latin, was incomplete, as he did not speak the Sami language of his hosts and described the game only from observing the players. [Helmfrid 2005, p.3.] The game was played on a 9&times;9 mat of embroidered reindeer hide. [Bell 1979, p.78.] In his diary, "Lachesis Lapponica", Linnaeus referred to the light (defending) pieces as "Swedes" and the dark (attacking) pieces as "Muscovites". [Smith 1811, p.56.] What may have been the same game was still being played in the late nineteenth century, as described in P.A. Lindholm's "Hos Lappbönder" (1884). [According to Helmfrid, Lindholm (1884)states, "If there are not cards enough for everyone, it may happen that a few men sit down and play a sort of chess, where the pieces are called Russians and Swedes, and try to defeat each other. Here intense battles are fought, which easily can be observed on the players, who sometimes are so absorbed that they cannot see or hear anything else." Qtd in Helmfrid 2005, p.5.]

Reconstruction

No complete, unambiguous descriptions of the rules of a tafl game exist. [Murray 1951, p.61, states that of the many references to "Tafl" in the sagas, the only clue about the game is given in Friðþjófs saga, although this too is ambiguous and has been construed as a reference to Chess.] The best description we have from history is that given by Carolus Linnaeus of the game Tablut in the 1732 diary of his travels, "Lachesis Lapponica". [Bell 1979, p.77. Bell also provides his own redrawing of Linnaeus' sketch of the Tablut board (confer with the drawing rendered in Smith, p.55).] The following rules are based on the 1811 translation of "Lachesis Lapponica" into English by James Edward Smith. [Smith 1811, pp.55–58.]


* The game is played on a 9&times;9 board. Initial set-up is as shown in the diagram.
* The king starts on the central square or castle, called the "konakis", which no other piece may ever occupy.
* The eight defenders, called "Swedes", start on the eight squares adjoining the "konakis", in the form of a cross.
* The sixteen attackers, called "Muscovites", start in groups of four at the center of each edge of the board. "(In Linneaus' notes, these squares were embroidered to signify them as the domain of the Muscovites.)"
* All remaining squares (neutral zone) may be occupied by any piece during the game.
* Any piece may move any number of vacant spaces in any straight line [←↑→↓] , but not diagonally. "(Compare to the rook in Chess.)"
* No piece may ever pass over another piece in its path.
* If the king should ever have an unimpeded path (through the neutral zone) to the edge of the board, unless he is immediately blocked by a "Muscovite", he may escape and the game is over. "(This rule suggests that the king may not escape through the domain of the Muscovites.)"
* If the king should ever have a path of escape, he must call out "raichi"; if two paths of escape, then his escape is imminent and he must call out "tuichu". "(Compare these to "check" and "checkmate" in Chess.)"
* Any piece, save for the king, may be captured and removed from the board if it becomes surrounded on two opposite sides by enemies. "(This is known as custodial capture.)"
* If the king is surrounded on all four sides by enemies, he is taken prisoner. If he is surrounded on three sides, he may escape by the fourth.
* If the king is on a square adjoining the "konakis" and is surrounded on three sides by his enemies and the fourth by the "konakis", he is captured. "(This rule suggests that once the king has left the konakis, he can never return.)"
* If the king is captured, the "Swedes" are conquered and the "Muscovites" victorious.

Several problems of gameplay are left woefully ambiguous or completely untouched in Linnaeus' notes, and some translations are problematic. [Helmfrid 2005, p.4.] There are also several other variations played by modern reconstructionists. More detailed information on reconstructing the rules of play can be found in [http://hem.bredband.net/b512479/ this article] by Sten Helmfrid.

Balance of play

There is some controversy concerning the widely reported imbalance of the game, as the rules strongly favor the king, [Schmittberger 1992, p.24.] although there are several rule modifications that can produce more balanced play, such as 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). [Each of these rule variations are found in modern tafl variants, as can be found in #External links. Also, all of these rules are available parameters in [http://tafl.snigfarp.karoo.net/tafl/applet.html this applet] . These rule variations were also discussed by Helmfrid.] 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. [Schmittberger 1992, p.25.] 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. [Schmittberger 1992, p.28.]

The description of "Tawlbrydd" by Robert ap Ifan (preceding Linnaeus' account by 145 years) states that the king could be captured by two men. Peterson suggests that Linnaeus' special capture of the king is incorrect, and states that statistics from modern games played with four-man capture of the king show that white wins more often than black. [Peterson 2005. This imbalance is also a subject of Schmittberger 1992, pp.24–25.] However, it has not yet been demonstrated that balanced play results from rules allowing for a two-man capture of the king. Interestingly, some sources indicate that Scandinavian museum reconstructions of "Hnefatafl" typically stipulate that the king may be captured by only two attackers unless he is still in his hall, in which case he must be surrounded on all four sides. [Helmfrid 2005, pp.14–15, and [http://aagenielsen.dk/hnefatafl_online.html Aage Nielsen] both comment on this peculiarity.]

Legacy

Around 1960, Milton Bradley published Swords and Shields, which was essentially Tablut as recorded by Linnaeus, but with the Swedes transformed into shields (with a king shield) and the Muscovites transformed into swords. Tafl seems also to have been the basis for two other modern board games that each bear significant resemblance to the historical games, but with some important differences. Both games feature similar symmetry but diverge from the classic 2:1 attacker/defender ratio, and both have important differences in their tactics. Breakthru was developed in the 1960s as part of the 3M bookshelf game series. It features tafl-like symmetry, [bgg|335|Breakthru] 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 center to the outer zone of the board. ["How to Play Breakthru" 1965 Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company.] 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 (which in turn were inspired by the historical tafl games), also features the general symmetry of tafl games, although it is played on an octogonal 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.

See also

*Abstract strategy game
*Alea evangelii (game)
*Breakthru (board game)
*Fox games (e.g. "Fox and geese")
*Game of the Gods
*Tables (board game)
*Thud (game), a modern game inspired by Tafl games

Notes

References

* [http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0802089194/ Search inside this book.]
*
* [http://books.google.com/books?id=5PQKAAAAYAAJ&printsec=titlepage Digitized copy on the web.]
*
*
*
*
* [http://www.treheima.ca/viking/tafl.htm Digitized copy on the web]
*
* [http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=NR4CAAAAYAAJ&dq=lachesis+lapponica&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=9GIfdyS3FM&sig=P-ZABlCWY4YZT_SHaKvMMoZEibA Digitized copy on the web]
*

External links

* [http://hem.bredband.net/b512479/ Hnefatafl: The Strategic Board Game of the Vikings] &mdash;A thorough article on tafl variants by Sten Helmfrid
* [http://www.leikmot.net/indexe.html Leikmót Hnefatafl] &mdash;A multilingual site dedicated to traditional Scandinavian games
* [http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/games.shtml "King's Table"] &mdash;An illustrated article on tafl games by the Viking Answer Lady
* [http://www.gamecabinet.com/history/Hnef.html Hnefatafl: The Viking Game] &mdash;An article on tafl variants
* [http://www.ravensgard.org/prdunham/ngames.html Norse Games] &mdash;An online article covering primarily archaeological evidence
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A856451 BBC article] on "Hnefatafl"
* [http://brainking.com/en/GameRules?tp=19 BrainKing's Tablut page] &mdash;Explains the rules and allows online play
* [http://tafl.snigfarp.karoo.net/tafl/home.html Tafl: An Obsession] &mdash;Explains rules and variants, and [http://tafl.snigfarp.karoo.net/tafl/applet.html applet] allows online play of numerous variations featuring user-selected rules
* [http://www.dinosaursandmoustaches.com/nerdfoolery/tablut.php Tablut] &mdash;Play tablut in your browser against someone else over the internet or at the same computer
* [http://www.boardspace.net/english/about_tablut.html Boardspace.net] &mdash;Play "Tablut" (a variant combining elements of "Tablut" and "Breakthru") online against human or robot opponents
* [http://www.stmoroky.com/games/tablut/tabrules.htm Rules of Tablut] &mdash;An interpretation of Linnaeus' "Tablut", including an applet to allow online two-player play
* [http://www.irt.org/games/js/hnefat/ Hnefatafl] &mdash;An applet for online play
* [http://aagenielsen.dk/hnefatafl_online.html Play Hnefatafl Online] &mdash;A multilingual explanation and applets to play 9&times;9 or 11&times;11 variants
* [http://www.zillions-of-games.com/cgi-bin/zilligames/submissions.cgi/41246?do=show;id=471 Hnefatafl] &mdash;A Zillions of Games implementation combining features of "Tablut" and "Alea Evangelii"
* [http://www.download-free-games.com/board_game_download/tablut_online.htm Tablut Online] &mdash;A program that allows both online and offline play of several variants, includes a free trial version
* [http://hem.passagen.se/melki9/tablut.htm Tablut (Hnefatafl)] &mdash;A program that combines the games of "Hnefatafl" and "Tablut"
* [http://www.user.dccnet.com/cedwards/ Viking Siege] &mdash;A freeware program featuring 7x7, 11x11, and 13x13 variants, may require DOSBox
*


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