Hnefatafl Set with Leather Drawstring Pouch popular & Board

**THIS ITEM IS MADE TO-ORDER AND CANNOT BE GUARANTEED FOR HOLIDAY DELIVERY**

Hnefatafl (pronounced hneh-vah-tah-vl) means "King's Table/Board" and is a game that was played during the Viking Era in and around Scandinavia.

The exact rules are not known as there are no surviving records of them, but similar strategy games have survived later, such as Tablut among Sámi peoples, with more clearly preserved rules to give an idea. The basic theme is that the "king" in the center attempts to escape the board, aided by his defenders, while the surrounding attackers seek to capture him.

For this version I use the Copenhagen rules, which were developed to address some unevenness in earlier rule sets, one change being that popular the king can only escape via the corners of the board. A copy of the Copenhagen rules for Hnefatafl will be included with the set.

This "board" is made from genuine goathide leather and can be drawn up into a bag to carry the pieces for easy portability. The new sets that I am making are made using a goathide that is normally undyed, though able to be dyed by request, and is a little higher quality. The leather is also beeswax treated to make it water resistant. The color is shown in the third photo, slightly darkened from the treatment. The photo also shows a glass "king" pieces, and these are available as upgrades by request ($14 will be added to the price of the set).

The diameter is about 10in (25cm), and the area of play is about 5.5in x5.5in (14cm x 14cm) with wooden pieces measuring 1cm across the bottoms.