2022Max Anderson, Zac Dixon, Austin Harrison
- Videos
- 70
- Creators
- 43
1 - 4 players45 - 90 minMedium weight

Mostly how-to-play and playthroughs. Hnefatafl is covered on BoardGameVideo.com by 5 reviews, 19 how-to-play guides, 12 recorded sessions, and 5 other videos.
From BoardGameGeek
Hnefatafl, also known as The Viking Game, The King's Table or simply Tafl, is one of those two-player games where the opposing sides are not equal in number. The defending side comprises twelve soldiers and a king, who start the game in a cross formation in the center of the board. Their objective is for the king to escape by reaching any of the four corner squares. The attackers comprise 24 soldiers positioned in four groups of 6 around the perimeter of the board. All pieces move like the Rook in chess and pieces are taken by "sandwiching" i.e. moving your piece so that an opponent's piece is trapped horizontally or vertically between two of yours. There is a host of information on the Internet about Hnefatafl, including many rule variations that are worth experimenting with. A copy of the game was published in issue #128 of Dragon magazine, Dec 1987 (later republished as part of a boxed set: The Best of Dragon Magazine Games in 1990). One of the oldest games in the world - traced in various versions to the Vikings, Welsh, Saxons, and Irish. The origins of this game can be traced through Petteia, played by the Romans, to the even older versions played by the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians. Derivatives of Hnefatafl include Breakthru, Break Away, Seikkailu Merellä, Tablut and Thud.
Hnefatafl has 41 videos from 22 creators: 5 reviews, 19 how-to-play guides, 12 playthroughs and 5 other videos. They date from 2008 to February 2025.
To learn the rules, start with "Hnefatafl - The ancient Viking Board Game - How to make it and play it." by epicfantasy, which runs 11 min. For a quicker teach, "Ancient Board Game - HNEFATAFL" by Average Geek runs 5 min.
For an opinion before you buy, start with "How to play Hnefatafl the Viking boardgame aka Tafl - like Tablut and review *Amass Games*" by AmassGames. 5 creators have reviewed it. To see it played, watch "Random (ish) play. We play Hnefatafl" by rvcloud, one of 12 playthroughs.
If you like it, try Mythic Mischief, Mythic Mischief Vol. II, Peacemakers: Horrors of War or Scooby-Doo! The Board Game, which share several of its mechanics.
Triple S Games
Triple S Games
8 of 22
2022Max Anderson, Zac Dixon, Austin Harrison
1 - 4 players45 - 90 minMedium weight
2024Max Anderson, Zac Dixon, Austin Harrison
1 - 4 players45 - 90 minMedium weight
2024Sami Laakso, Ville Reinikainen
1 - 4 players60 - 120 minMedium weight
2022Guilherme Goulart, Fred Perret
1 - 5 players30 minLight weight
From BoardGameGeek:
Hnefatafl, also known as The Viking Game, The King's Table or simply Tafl, is one of those two-player games where the opposing sides are not equal in number. The defending side comprises twelve soldiers and a king, who start the game in a cross formation in the center of the board. Their objective is for the king to escape by reaching any of the four corner squares. The attackers comprise 24 soldiers positioned in four groups of 6 around the perimeter of the board. All pieces move like the Rook in chess and pieces are taken by "sandwiching" i.e. moving your piece so that an opponent's piece is trapped horizontally or vertically between two of yours. There is a host of information on the Internet about Hnefatafl, including many rule variations that are worth experimenting with. A copy of the game was published in issue #128 of Dragon magazine, Dec 1987 (later republished as part of a boxed set: The Best of Dragon Magazine Games in 1990). One of the oldest games in the world - traced in various versions to the Vikings, Welsh, Saxons, and Irish. The origins of this game can be traced through Petteia, played by the Romans, to the even older versions played by the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians. Derivatives of Hnefatafl include Breakthru, Break Away, Seikkailu Merellä, Tablut and Thud.
Artists
Vlad Korniuk, David Masnato, Nathan Morse, Dieter Zander
Categories
Mechanics