Hnefatafl is an ancient Scandinavian board game whose variants were played all over medieval Europe before chess was even invented. In those so called Tafl games two differently sized armies fight each other. The invading black army tries to capture the white king, while the defending white army tries to protect their king and help him escape.

Often also called the Game of the Vikings Hnefatafl tells many stories, like the Moskowites' invasion of Sweden or the Viking hordes pillaging Britain. But no matter what the story is, one thing always stays the same: The hunt for the king.

Even though the rules aren't complicated the game offers fascinating strategies and rewards tactical play. Try to surround the enemy pieces, plan ahead, lay traps and force your opponent into surrender. Will you capture the king for gold and glory? Can the loyal guards hold back the invading forces and secure the flight of their king?

You can even create your own custom variants -- with over 200,000 different variants possible -- for online or offline play! Add jumping pieces, shieldwalls, undying guards, various setps and much more.

This game includes many variants that are played all over the world, including:

Historical Ard Ri
Historical Brandubh
Magpie
Historical Tablut ("Saami")
Foteviken Tablut
Linnaeus' Tablut
Copenhagen Hnefatafl
Berserk Hnefatafl
Historical Hnefatafl
Fetlar Hnefatafl
Old Hnefatafl
Sea Battle
Simple Tafl
Tyr
Coppergate
Historical Alea Evengelii
Custom variants for offline and online play

All variants can be played online or offline against computer opponents or fellow humans. Even the custom variants.
The legacy variants are those that were released within the last six years but are different from those used by the World Tafl Federation.