Hnefatafl - Magnetic Board Game & Wall Art

The board is a self-contained game set that includes two copies of the rules, as well as all of the pieces, two spares of each pawn. The board and its pieces are magnetic, which makes it a great travel set. It also enables you to hang the board on the wall with the pieces on it, which is why there are holes on the back of the board to mount onto a nail. The game was designed to be played without requiring sight.

Hnefatafl is a viking tafl game. This board in particular was inspired by The Ballinderry Gaming Board (NMI 1932:6533) which currently resides in the National Museum of Ireland. While the styling is more closely related to works from Ireland, the game is not Irish. This artifact however was mostly likely created somewhere in Ireland. There are countless 'house rules' or variation of the game, which were most likely regional, if not more inconsistent. I've done my best to compile these variations and test which of them feel balanced enough by modern gaming standards to create an enjoyable experience for both players.

The game is often called Fidchell or Gwyddbwyll in several sources, which appear and function almost identically. I am still trying to figure this all out.