Medieval Market

[Hagbard]

I have a problem.
In a month I take part in a Medieval Market. It's a very authentic event, we're perhaps about 200 participants wearing authentic medieval clothes and to that about 10,000 guests.
We are 7 people who get a corner for presenting Medieval board games, and I bring the Hnefatafl.
Board games are just a small corner of the market, people will be drifting around for a lot of different adventures, and probably noone knows about these games beforehand.

I have some considerations about how to make that work.

Rules.
A group colleague suggested that the 7x7 board for Hnefatafl would be best because of the very short games. I've the recent days tried Brandubh 7x7 (Walker) and Fidchell weak-king (Simple Tafl 7x7). Perhaps difficult games for such an event, and I find them difficult myself.

Then there's the 9x9 board. Games just a bit longer and more play.

The 11x11 board would be unnecessary, even longer games and no advantage over the 9x9 for this purpose.

So I focus on the Saami Tablut 9x9. But for use here a simplified version:
Throne abandoned, and with that all the special rules around the throne.
This helps black, therefore white begins.
One could call this variant Simple Tafl-w 9x9.


Game sets.
I imagine the game sets to be very primitive. We are all dressed as peasants, and it's natural that our game sets are rough and primitive.
The board could be a primitive square piece of wood. With black hand drawn lines, as if drawn with black ink.
Game pieces could be slices of a broomstick. Or perhaps some sort of glass pieces can be found.
(Small stones from the beach for game pieces are a bit annoying, in my experience.)


Rules sheet.
I've searched for a Medieval style font without luck.
Should be printed on some primitive type of paper, perhaps gray.


I imagine that it would be a good idea to bring perhaps ten game sets.

At the Fornebei Herfolk's Viking Festival in England, Tim Millar one year offered a small prize to anyone who could beat him in Hnefatafl (the prize said "I've beaten the World Champion" ... As far as I remember, Millar kept all his prizes).
I suggested my group, that any guest who could beat me in this game could get a small ticket for something in the nearest Medieval food booth, until we run out of money ...

[Masterluke]

I think if you want the people to learn Hnefatafl (or simple Tafl), you'd let the blacks begin, for that's the standard rule in all variants (except recent experiments here at aagenielsen.dk). It's not that important the game is balanced, in the short time people get to know the game. The abandon of the throne is a good idea, though, to simplify things a bit. I'd consider the throne an 'optional' rule, just like corner-escape, commanders or variegated men

Regarding the rules sheet: I'd write it down manually on an old type of paper. Makes it more authentic. It's not that much text, is it? Especially if you leave out the throne rules?
I have made nine game sets myself, either 3D-printed or cast-and-mold technique. I have similar plans to introduce the game here in Belgium. I guess your medieval market is in your country (Denmark)?

[Hagbard]

The market is in an old Danish town founded in Viking Age.
I have considered to hand write the rules, they would be rather short.
Rumour says that the Queen's sister will take part in one event there.

[Hagbard]

Thoughts about the Ringsted Medieval Festival this summer.

Yesterday we attended the first information meeting about the festival, which is a big event. It's organised every second year, and now it's time again.

For medieval board games we will be 7 people. Each of the 7 has his own speciality and brings his own games.

The board game area.
I've proposed that a large sign on a tripod be manufactured saying "Board Games" in large letters.
And it's been proposed that the two game tents be opened up so that they're really just half roofs.

(Last time, the tent appeared more closed, and the "Board Games" sign was smaller and lay on the table.
It appeared to have the effect that many were reluctant to come have a try. The tent looked a bit like a private party.)

The game.
For Hnefatafl, this time, I would for larger children and adults let the Saami Tablut 9x9 be the main variant.
Except when small children are involved, then the simpler Market Hnefatafl 9x9.

When we meet new players on this site, then they often tell that they first met the Hnefatafl game on a Viking market. And an interest was awakened.

When we present the Hnefatafl game in Ringsted, it must be presented as a game challenging enough to larger children and adults, so that this interest is awakened.
Therefore to the right guests, better the real Saami Tablut with a throne and all the rules, than the too simple Market Hnefatafl.

The game pieces.
The well known game pieces moulded as Vikings are very attention provoking more than glass pearls and stones.
I'll bring them this year.

Trial run.
I've proposed that we 7 people meet for a trial run once, in good time before the market.
To check how everything is presented, and to learn all the games other than our own.

(Last time, if everybody else were away for lunch and Elisabeth and I were left on duty, it happened that people came to try some or other game, and I had to answer that the expert for this game is not here right now. That's not good enough - )


Perhaps others have experience with board games at markets?

[Hagbard]

Experience from the Ringsted Medieval Festival 2024.

The instructors didn't manage to meet some day beforehand for a trial run, for all to learn all the games. But we sent around rules and photos of boards, so we were well enough prepared.

The festival was Friday 4 hours, Saturday 10 hours and Sunday 6 hours. The festival is every second year, and was last time visited by 15,000 people.

We were lucky to get a fairly wide tent for board games, all opened on a long side.
We had two fairly long tables and moved one out in the sun, and that was a good idea.
We didn't manage to get a "Board Games" sign up, but still all went well.

We showed all the games on the two tables, set up with pieces ready to play.
It was an inviting setup, and the table which was moved outside the tent especially stood out to visitors. We rotated the games so that they in turn had the best positions to be noticed by visitors.

We were six instructors, and each instructor had his own specialities and was called when a game was to be explained.

Our games were Hnefatafl 9x9 (no throne and no corners) and 11x11 (with throne and corners), 9 and 6 men morris, "The Fox after the Geese" on several different boards, "The Dogs after the Hare" also on several different boards, old draughts games on many different boards, and Daldoes on different boards.
I brought also Hazard for us instructors to play, but all time was very busy for everybody and no time for hazard.

I was in charge of the Hnefatafl.
I brought this time the very eye-catching Hnefatafl game pieces from the museums.
I used the 9x9 board, the fine game pieces and only the "Market Hnefatafl-w 9x9" rules (which are identical to the proper Saami Tablut-w 9x9 just except ignoring the throne). This was very easy and quick to explain to visitors of any age, and even very small children could move the pieces and play this simple game. The simple version is still fully hnefatafl and fun and challenging also to adults.
As often as possible, visitors played against each other. In a few cases, however, I had to be the opponent, and tried then to avoid to capture visitors' pieces; that worked fine.
Visitors who showed great interest in Hnefatafl, were given a sheet of paper with the proper full Saami Tablut rules, to take home.
This sheet of rules also lay besides the game, and when people noticed, they were just told that today we ignore the throne, but the game is just as good anyway.

Besides the 9x9 board were also exhibited several 11x11 boards very finely crafted in oak and in leather.

I had two children from Germany and suddenly got the challenge to explain the rules in German, not been speaking German since the school. After the 9x9 board, the two Germans continued to the 11x11 board with throne and corners and immediately started the "Old Hnefatafl 11x11" with no explanations necessary. I guess that they were experienced guests from German Medieval and Viking Markets.

Also a Polish mother with her child came by and watched interested, so it was a close call to having to explain the rules in Russian, too, but they left again ...

The weather was excellent, and the board games tent was a great success, it was like three days of almost a stampede for the board games ...
To present the games in a public of 15,000 people can be very effective.

[Ailill]

Sounds like a great event. It's good to have in-person Tafl demonstrations (I have never seen the game displayed or even discussed anywhere in real life).

Did you advertise the website in case people wanted to explore the game further? A QR code would work well I think.

[Hagbard]

Yes, to those who were very interested in the game.