https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/131773 ... tawlbwrdd
tawlbwrdd
Damian Walker, UK / Posted Oct 23, 2006 / Last edited Dec 31, 2011
No, I don't know how to pronounce it either. This is the simplest variant, though not the smallest. It was recorded in Wales by Robert ap Ifan, in 1587, and is also mentioned in the earlier Laws of Hywel Dda.
1. The game can be played on an 11x11 board with 37 men - the king and his 12 defenders, against 24 attackers. The defenders are placed in a diagram around the king. The attackers are in four groups of six by each edge of the board. Here's the complete layout:2. The king wins the game by reaching the edge of the board. The attackers win by capturing the king.Code: Select all
....AAA.... ....A.A.... .....A..... .....D..... AA..DDD..AA A.ADDKDDA.A AA..DDD..AA .....D..... .....A..... ....A.A.... ....AAA....
3. The attackers move first. Pieces move as far as they wish in a straight, horizontal or vertical line. A moving piece may not land on, nor jump over the head of, another piece.
4. A piece is captured by surrounding it between two enemies. The king may make captures, and may be captured like other pieces.
The starting layout is that proposed by R. C. Bell in his 1969 volume II of Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations. Other possible starting layouts are that from The Viking Game, or the smaller 9x9 layout of Tablut. You can play this variant with the applet at http://tafl.cyningstan.org.uk/ using the following settings:
Defender: [according to taste]
Attacker: [according to taste]
Min time: 10 [recommended]
Min depth: 1 [recommended]
Objective: Edge
Corner size: [irrelevant]
Castle: Normal
King capture: Custodian
Movement: Unlimited
Speed: [irrelevant]
Applies to: [irrelevant]
King strength: Armed
Layout: Trondheim I
First move: Attacker
Chris Baglin, UK / Posted Dec 29, 2011
Pronunciation guide:
Tawlbwrdd: First syllable like English "towel" but omit "e" sound.Second syllable "w" makes short "oo" sound as in English "book" and "dd" makes a non aspirated "th" sound as in English "this". So to sum up.
Tawlbwrdd - Tow-lboorth
Although to throw the cat amongst the linguistic pigeons I personally believe the word has been mistranslated along the way as the translation is usually given as throw - board which in Welsh would be Taflbwrdd (Tavlboorth). Just sayin.
Retired Hurt, Brussels / Posted Dec 13, 2012
I think the translation "throwing" would be impossible to explain.
More probably, given the link with the tafl family, the name is simply a pleonastic compound of Old Norse tafl (of similar pronunciation) and Welsh bwrdd, both meaning "table".
And of course it came back to Scandinavia under the name Tablut, which is the same word, adapatated to Sami pronunciation.