Search found 691 matches

by Hagbard
Mon Jul 06, 2015 12:42 pm
Forum: Rules
Topic: Brandubh 7x7
Replies: 92
Views: 175171

Re: Brandubh 7x7

Jan 23 2014 we reached a tafl milestone, finding that the "Saami Tablut 9x9" in all probability is the tafl game described by Linneaus in his diary from Lapland 1732. ( [link not working] ) The Brandubh 7x7, as outlined now, works well and is based directly on the Saami Tablut 9x9, which, as mention...
by Hagbard
Thu Jul 02, 2015 10:10 pm
Forum: Rules
Topic: Fidchell 7x7
Replies: 0
Views: 23399

Fidchell 7x7

We tested Fidchell and were not able to find any way of making it work.
Damian Walker has an interesting note arguing for Fidchell not being a tafl game at all:

http://tafl.cyningstan.com/news/1149/fi ... afl-or-not
by Hagbard
Thu Jul 02, 2015 9:30 am
Forum: Rules
Topic: 13x13 Tafl
Replies: 19
Views: 34534

Re: 13x13 Tafl

This doesn't surprise me, as the strong king is just a mistranslation of the Linnaeus source. The play-testing done on the site so far, along with the historical sources, seems to indicate that if a "standard" hnefatafl existed, it would have had a weak king. Since archaeologists found tafl boards ...
by Hagbard
Sat Jun 27, 2015 6:27 pm
Forum: Rules
Topic: 13x13 Tafl
Replies: 19
Views: 34534

Re: 13x13 Tafl

Perhaps not fully proved, but it's my strong impression, that strong king variants work only on the 11x11 board. On smaller boards the defenders always win, on larger always the attackers. Then there's the Magpie 7x7, which works only because the strong king is limited to one step per move. In contr...
by Hagbard
Sat Jun 27, 2015 6:14 pm
Forum: Other
Topic: hnefatafl and the quest for balance
Replies: 32
Views: 60617

Re: Tawlbwrdd 11x11

I believe "+1" represents perfect balance; my question is, does "-1" also represent perfect balance? If so, the system skips any numbers between +1 and -1 Yes, with this way of calculating, +1 is identical to -1, perfect balance. When overweight flips from white to black, the sign flips from + to -...
by Hagbard
Sat Jun 27, 2015 12:11 pm
Forum: Rules
Topic: General rules
Replies: 39
Views: 111459

Re: General rules

Yes, a section about ordering is missing; could be:

Initial ordering.
The king is on the centre square, surrounded by his defenders.
The attackers occupy the central edge squares.
The ordering is rotationally symmetrical.
by Hagbard
Sat Jun 27, 2015 11:28 am
Forum: Rules
Topic: Tawlbwrdd 11x11
Replies: 19
Views: 59677

Re: Tawlbwrdd 11x11

Never the less, this Damain Walker illustration from a historical source does indeed indicate a throne square also for Tawlbwrdd:
http://tafl.cyningstan.com/page/146/literary-sources
by Hagbard
Sat Jun 27, 2015 11:00 am
Forum: Rules
Topic: Brandubh 7x7
Replies: 92
Views: 175171

Re: Brandubh 7x7

Damian Walker gives on his internet site "Hnefatafl - the Game of the Vikings" a translated extract of an Irish poem describing Brandubh: [link not working] Allow me to repeat the Damian Walker note here in full: Abair riom a Eire ogh. An Irish poem attributed to Maoil Eoin Mac Raith throws much lig...
by Hagbard
Wed Jun 24, 2015 11:01 pm
Forum: Rules
Topic: General rules
Replies: 39
Views: 111459

General rules

Through experience from thousands of tafl games some general rules for all tafl variants have emerged. Board. Always quadratic, the width an uneven number of squares. Used are 7x7, 9x9, 11x11, 13x13, 15x15 and perhaps 19x19. Pieces. Always one king, and number of attackers = 2 * number of defenders....
by Hagbard
Wed Jun 24, 2015 8:42 pm
Forum: Rules
Topic: Brandubh 7x7
Replies: 92
Views: 175171

Brandubh 7x7

The Brandubh variant is really the good old Skalk game, which was discarded as useless on board 11x11 and not too good on board 9x9. Now at last perhaps the Skalk rules can come into use. The Skalk Hnefatafl 11x11 game, which is a Tablut corner 11x11, was stated in the book "Bræt og brik, Spil i jer...