Ard Ri
Ard Ri is a variant of the game Hnefatafl, or simply Tafl, which is one of the oldest games in the world - traced in various versions to the Vikings, Welsh, Saxons, and Irish. It is rare in that it is one of the few games that comprises of two unequal sides. Ard Ri is played on a smaller board and with fewer pieces than standard Hnefatafl and it is one of the most challenging forms of the game. In Ard Ri the defending side comprises eight soldiers and a king, who start the game in the centre of the board. Their objective is for the king to escape by reaching any of the four corner squares. The attackers comprise sixteen soldiers positioned in four groups of four around the perimeter of the board. Their objective is to take the King. All pieces move like the Rook in chess and pieces are taken by "sandwiching" i.e. moving your piece so that an opponent's piece is trapped horizontally or vertically between two of yours. Unlike other versions of Hnefatafl, in Ard Ri the defending side starts first.
Ard Ri is associated with the Scottish Highlands with Ard Ri meaning 'High King' in Irish Gaelic. 'Irish Gaelic' you may ask? Well Scot's Gaelic is part of the same linguistic family and in fact comes from Ireland.
There's a really good description of the game and outline of its rules over at:
boardgamegeek.com/thread/346545/how-tafl-and-why-youd-want
Hnefatafl sets often contained intricately carved pieces and beautifully decorated boards and this is what we've tried to create here, taking inspiration from traditional designs and the iconic Uig Chessmen. I say we, because the board was actually created by my girlfriend Dot, who as it turns out has a bit of a talent for cheese-slope mosaics. All I contributed was the structure and pieces.
This set forms part of this year's www.bricktothepast.com collection, England, 793. The main piece of the collection is on display over summer 2016 at the Rheded Centre in Penrith.
As always, you can follow Brick to the Past to get regular updates and the occasional funny... well, sort of funny, blog post:
Ard Ri
Ard Ri is a variant of the game Hnefatafl, or simply Tafl, which is one of the oldest games in the world - traced in various versions to the Vikings, Welsh, Saxons, and Irish. It is rare in that it is one of the few games that comprises of two unequal sides. Ard Ri is played on a smaller board and with fewer pieces than standard Hnefatafl and it is one of the most challenging forms of the game. In Ard Ri the defending side comprises eight soldiers and a king, who start the game in the centre of the board. Their objective is for the king to escape by reaching any of the four corner squares. The attackers comprise sixteen soldiers positioned in four groups of four around the perimeter of the board. Their objective is to take the King. All pieces move like the Rook in chess and pieces are taken by "sandwiching" i.e. moving your piece so that an opponent's piece is trapped horizontally or vertically between two of yours. Unlike other versions of Hnefatafl, in Ard Ri the defending side starts first.
Ard Ri is associated with the Scottish Highlands with Ard Ri meaning 'High King' in Irish Gaelic. 'Irish Gaelic' you may ask? Well Scot's Gaelic is part of the same linguistic family and in fact comes from Ireland.
There's a really good description of the game and outline of its rules over at:
boardgamegeek.com/thread/346545/how-tafl-and-why-youd-want
Hnefatafl sets often contained intricately carved pieces and beautifully decorated boards and this is what we've tried to create here, taking inspiration from traditional designs and the iconic Uig Chessmen. I say we, because the board was actually created by my girlfriend Dot, who as it turns out has a bit of a talent for cheese-slope mosaics. All I contributed was the structure and pieces.
This set forms part of this year's www.bricktothepast.com collection, England, 793. The main piece of the collection is on display over summer 2016 at the Rheded Centre in Penrith.
As always, you can follow Brick to the Past to get regular updates and the occasional funny... well, sort of funny, blog post: