Little Golem#1 · Hunter C
4 Apr 2016
Hnefatafl and/or Tablut
History: Tafl games were invented sometime around the 4th century although no one knows the exact origins or rules. Because Tafl games were invented over a 1000 years ago Tafl games will be listed under the classic abstract strategy category. Wiki Link
Objectives: Unlike the majority of abstract strategy games, Tafl games feature two different armies competing for two different goals.The attackers goal is to capture the king. The defenders objective is to safely have their king move to the boards edge in Tablut or the boards corner squares in Hnefatafl.The attackers have an army that is 2 times larger than the defenders. Hnefatafl Nestor Rule Set with illustrations[I disagree with rule 2-a-i]
Gameplay:Tablut is played on an 9x9 board and Hnefetafl is played on an 11x11 board. The king starts on the central square surrounded by his defenders. The attackers are distributed in 4 separate groups on the North,East,South and West portions of the board. Both players take turns moving their pieces trying to complete their objectives. All of the pieces move in the same way; as a rook does in chess. Pieces do not capture as a rook does but do so by means of custodial capture. Custodial capture is when two pieces "sandwich" another piece in a orthogonal position. Up to 3 pieces can be capture on a single turn. The king however must be surrounded on all 4 sides to be captured. In Hnefatafl the king can participate in captures, in Tablut the king is weaponless and can not participate in captures.
Reasons to add Hnefatafl or Tablut to Little Golem: It is a refreshing experience to be able to play an abstract strategy game with different armies and objectives. Tafl games are a classic that have been played for 1000's of years. Tablut can be played for those who want to play several shorter games, Hnefatfal can be played for those who want to enjoy a longer and more difficult battle.
Variants: Their are countless variants for Tafl games however the most practical one in my opinion is Attacker Camps. In this variant the squares that the attackers start on are considered hostile to both players. This means that once a attacker leaves the camp, the square can no longer be occupied. It also means that the squares can be used as another piece to perform a capture. For example a piece on e2 can be captured if an attacker camp is on e1 and an enemy piece is moved to e3.
Thoughts: I wanted to posted a Modern abstract strategy game suggestion (Cannon as seen on the post "Modern Abstract Proposal) and one Classic abstract strategy game suggestion . I think that TAFL games would be a great addition to the LG community. What are your thoughts on TAFL games being added to LG? Have you heard of or have played TAFL games before?