Hello everyone,
My name is Kollfin.
For several years now, I have been studying ancient board games. I founded a small private workshop where a colleague and I research and craft historical board games from around the world. As part of this work, I have written several articles to help people discover and understand old board games. I have given educational lectures for children and adults and conducted workshops on Hnefatafl, Daldøs, Sáhkku, and many other games.
Hnefatafl is particularly popular, especially among families. Many parents have asked whether there is a similar game for four players, so the whole family could play together.
We would suggest games like Mehen, Ashta Chamma, or Chaupar, but none of them felt right. Parents want a game that teaches thinking, fosters responsibility for one’s decisions, and allows a child to see the consequences of their choices through their own experience – without dice or randomness. Rolling dice and leaving things to chance can be done in modern, bright, colourful, layered games – with which ancient games struggle to compete today.
That is how the idea of creating a four‑player strategic game was born. Naturally, Hnefatafl became its foundation.
Fjórirtafl – a four‑sided Tafl. While changing the game’s objective, I tried to be as respectful as possible to the original and preserve the spirit of Hnefatafl.
Movement and capture follow the classic Tafl mechanics – rook‑like moves and the “shield‑wall” capture – but carefully adapted for four‑player play.
The hardest part was to keep the tactical‑strategic core of Tafl while introducing multiplayer dynamics. Extensive testing and analysis became key. The whole development was a deep dive into the essence of Tafl – every rule change was tested not in isolation, but in the context of how it affected the spirit of the game. As a result, the game unfolds in three distinct phases: the opening, dominated by soldiers; the middlegame, where kings come out to support their armies; and the endgame, where kings become the decisive force on a nearly empty board. I tried to keep the tension and dynamics intact at all stages. And in the process, I often faced difficult challenges.
I understand the natural scepticism towards new variants, especially such non‑canonical ones. Many experimental rules have come and gone, losing the spirit of Tafl in the pursuit of novelty. That is precisely why I am reaching out to you. I would be very grateful if you would not leave my work unnoticed. Please accept and study Fjórirtafl, since you have a large community and more resources to conduct a more thorough analysis and identify flaws that I might have missed. The game, full rules, and the ability to save logs for analysing test games are available for study via the links below. I am ready to answer any questions and learn from your experience, because I deeply respect the work done by everyone on this site to preserve and develop Tafl.
I ask only one thing: please examine Fjórirtafl before you judge it. Let the pieces speak for themselves.
For your convenience, I have made a web version of the game with a complete rules description, where you can play test games against a computer or by yourself, and collect logs for further study.
In the HTML version, do not expect high‑quality play from the bots. They are not always able to correctly evaluate the position on the board, and often make foolish moves.
The links, unfortunately, are temporary and are unlikely to remain valid after a few months.
Link to the game:
https://cr06764.tw1.ru/ZH/Fjorirtafl%20v1.3.html
With respect and deep love for the game,
Kollfin
P.S. To not be just words, I offer my articles for your judgment. If you have time and desire to look at them, I would be glad.
English is not my native language, so the articles have been machine‑translated. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the translation, but I hope the main meaning will be clear.
Link to the Hnefatafl article:
https://cr06764.tw1.ru/ZH/TaflsEN-Ch1.html
Link to the Sáhkku article:
https://cr06764.tw1.ru/ZH/SahkkuEN.html
Link to the Dablot article:
https://cr06764.tw1.ru/ZH/DablotEN.html