Hnefatafl forum

@Hagbard: I was thinking about an Ard Ri variant that could be balanced and also have a throne.
The slow-king + 4-side capture is still too easy for white (a sort of edge-escape Magpie), instead the slow-king + 2-side capture is too hard for white (although not impossible).

That said, I was wondering if it could be worth to try the following rules:
- 7x7 edge-escape with a throne
- Normal cross set-up
- Slow King (moves 1 step at a time), captured by 2, except on throne (4) and next to throne (3).
- the throne blocks every movement except for the king (the king can re-enter)

Was this ever tried?

Well, if this is ever tested I am willing to design a set of pieces for this variant;)

Of course! Now the problem is to see if it works...

Another hint that came to my mind for the variant without the blocking throne: what if white was the first to move?
I noticed that in the old tests it was black to have the first move.

@Hagbard: at the end of the day, despite the good premises and the different rule-set attempts, the "Slo Ri" variant doesn't seem to work very well unfortunately.
The tournament showed that the balance switched all the way towards black, after the players got a bit of experience in the new dynamics...
It seems that Ard Ri with a Throne is doomed to never be a thing...