MEDIEVAL GAMES- VIKING GAMES:
NINE MEN'S MORRIS
Archeological evidence shows that this game has been widely played since ancient times with the remains of boards being found in as diverse locations including Bronze Age burial sites in Ireland, amongst the ruins of the first city of Troy and at Kurana, Egypt, at a site dated from around 1400 B.C. (though this includes simpler versions of this game such as Three Men's Morris which was also played by the Chinese as far back as 500 B.C.). Nine Men's Morris is also a game that enjoyed considerable popularity among the Vikings. Boards have also been found carved into the seats in English Cathedrals as used by bored monks and from the 14th Century onwards finely crafted boards as part of sets also including chess and backgammon have been found. Many variations of this game have existed, the most elaborate of which developed by courtiers in Italy, though the rules for many of these have been lost.
Rules
- Each player begins with nine pieces off the board.
- Playing alternately, players initially add pieces to any vacant position on the board one at a time. The aim is to make a row of three along any printed line on the board. Such a row is called a mill.
The simplest version of this game concludes with the first player to successfully form a mill being the winner.
Or additionally:
- For every mill formed the player may remove one of his opponent's pieces - provided that piece is not part of a mill.
- When each player has committed their nine pieces to the board play continues by players moving their pieces along the lines to places adjacent to their pieces positions with the objective of forming additional mills and capturing more of the opponent's pieces.
- Mills may be formed or broken any number of times in order to capture enemy pieces.
- The ultimate objective is to either make it impossible for one's opponent to move their pieces or continue to capture their pieces until only two remain.
Note: If a player is reduced to a single mill and it is their move then they must move a piece (if possible) even if doing so will result in that piece being taken.
FOX AND GEESE In the English-speaking world a simplified version called Foxes and geese is more well-known. In this version the objective of reaching a certain location has been removed and instead it all comes down to capturing each other's pieces. Neither is it mandatory for the fox to capture the opponent's pieces, and there are no restraints on the defender's (the geese's) movements.
The fox is placed in the middle of the board, and 13 geese are placed on one side of the board. The fox and geese can move to any empty space around them (also diagonally). The fox can jump over geese like in checkers, capturing them. Repeated jumps are possible. Unlike in Halatafl (and in checkers), capturing is not mandatory. The geese win if they surround the fox so that it cannot move. The fox wins if it captures enough geese that the remaining geese cannot surround it anymore. Game variants with 15 and 17 geese are also possible
TAFL
Tafl (pronounced TAH-bl) dates back to before 400 AD, and was played throughout Scandinavia, Iceland, Germany, England, Wales and Ireland. It remained popular until the 17th. century, when it was gradually supplanted by chess. The word tafl is probably derived from the Latin tabula, which also referred to a board game. The game was also sometimes called hnefatafl, meaning 'king's table'. Historical tafl boards could have anywhere from 49 (7X7) to 324 (18X18) cells or squares. The squares were sometimes checkered, while other boards had only the centre and corner squares distinguished. Some tafl boards placed the pieces on the intersections of the lines rather than in the squares themselves. Others had holes for pegged pieces to be placed in.
This board is loosely based on a 10th. cent. one found in Ballinderry, Ireland (the border patterns point to it's manufacture in the Isle of Man). The Ballinderry board had peg-holes, and two handles so that it could be held between two people. It used a 7X7 grid, although most tafl rules refer to either a 9X9 or 11X11 board.
Literary references to the game agree that the game was played by two people with an unequal number of playing pieces. There were two types of pieces described - the 'tablemen' or pawns (usually 24), and a single king. The side with the king had half the number of men as the opposing side. The king was placed in the centre, surrounded by his men. They in turn were surrounded by the men of the opposing side. All pieces had the 'rook's' move, and pieces were captured by surrounding them on two sides.
Little more was known about the game until a 18th. cent. manuscript by Linnaeus, containing a detailed description of a certain Lapp game, was found. The game was called tablut, and the description of the rules was consistent with other references to tafl. The rules and board layout I have provided here are based on this account, with some minor changes to make the game fairer and easier to play.
Rules:
The following rules have been tried and tested, and seem to work the best. However, tafl is an ancient game that had many variations, so feel free to make any changes you feel might make the game fairer or more interesting.
The king is placed in the centre. His men (the 8 dark pieces) are arranged around him in a cross (or a square if you prefer). The opposing men (the 16 light pieces) are arranged in four 'T' shapes in the middle of each of the four edges of the board (see photo).
All pieces move like the 'rook' in chess - in straight vertical or horizontal lines. Pieces cannot 'jump' each other, or take over another's space. Only the King may occupy the centre square, although others may pass through it.
A piece is captured and removed when it is surrounded by two opposing men on opposite adjacent squares. This must be done by the opponent - moving a man between two opposing pieces does not result in a capture. The king may participate in captures, but can only be captured when he is surrounded on four sides (see Winning).
The king's side wins if the king reaches any one of the corner squares (some rules say any edge square, but most people find this too easy). The opposing side wins if it captures the king by surrounding him on four sides, or on three sides againt the edge, rendering him unable to move.
