#puzzles #wooden #boardgames

We're starting to get quite a mini-collection now. With my recent resurrected interested in #tafl games, I'm going to be going down that rabbit hole.

In the meantime though, you can see from the photos attached the following (from top-left, then bottom left, moving to the right):

* Solitaire (English variant): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peg_solitaire

* Solitaie (European variant): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peg_solitaire

* German Tactics (AKA, "Asalto"): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asalto

* Switch Sixteen: https://woodies100.co.uk/product/switch-sixteen/

* Bar Skittles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_skittles

* Triangular Solitaire: https://woodies100.co.uk/product/tri-solitaire/

* Nine Men's Morris: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_men%27s_morris

Switch Sixteen happens to be quite tricky!

Table skittles is likely one of those curios only really seen in the British pub culture. Note that, many older pubs still have an actual skittle alley, played on the floor: https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-pub-skittles-1961-online

On #medieval #boardgames #tafl

For many years now, I've had a keen interest in the history of medieval games. These include: #tafl as well as its many regional variants. Wikipedia is a good resource for this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tafl_games

I've not had the opportunity to play all of the variants listed on Wikipedia, but I am going to try!

Information on these games is scarce -- not just archeologically, but it's such a niche subject, I'm unclear how/if any of these games are played.

If there's anyone else interested in these games, I'd love to hear from you.

I'm considering getting some wooden versions of these games commissioned. I bet that would be nice!

Have you ever heard of the game Tablut? My journey to discovering it started when I was visiting a viking exhibit in Montreal.

It is part of a family of ancient strategy games called 'Tafl' that have variations in many countries. It has Welsh versions, Norwegian versions, Irish versions...

I made a digital version of the game board and exported it as an APK so people can play it on their phone or tablet with a friend.

https://benjelter.itch.io/web-tablut

#tafl #tablut #boardgames #itch

This winter I did some cool stuff with #Hnefatafl, an unsymmetric #viking board game that's been recreated. Our version forces the current player to make a capturing move if one exists. It's playable here: http://kyleburke.info/DB/combGames/forcedCaptureHnefatafl.html There is a deterministic path to victory on the Brandubh board for the Attackers in three moves. See if you can find it!

I've been having fun playing against the Medium "AI" on the Ard Rí board. (I lose most of the time.)

We showed that the general game of Forced-Capture Hnefatafl is PSPACE-hard: https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.06127

#CombinatorialGames #Tablut #Tafl

DUJGU!

The rules for the Sámi #tafl game Tablut were written down by Carl #Linnaeus in 1732, who learned to play it on a board embroidered on reindeer hide with pieces made in traditional Sámi #boardgame #duodji style.

Among the Lule #Sámi words he wrote down, "tuichu" (dujgu) is somewhat mysterious as its literal meaning is uncertain. "Dujgu" was said when a player positioned their King so that it had not just one but two open paths to escape the board, winning.

#indigenousgames #boardgames