I've been offline most of today trying to sort out a new wireless router and desktop network cards; which is the reason I'm posting today's game a little late. I've not resolved my wireless router problem, so may have problems over the next few days posting games; however, I'll endevour to post them on time, but theres no guarantee. I've rushed out today's game due to being nearly 2 hours late so there's no preamble, just the details about the game, which is all that's needed :)
The Kings Table – The Legend of Ragnarok:
Yes, it´s a boardgame.
And yes, it is one of the most meaningful boardgames you´ll ever come across, along with chess, and, well ... chess. This is no wonder, however, as it was created by Scandinavians over 1500 years ago.Basics of Hnefa-tafl (required for playing)
There are two sides in the original game (hnefa-tafl - king's table): attacking and defending. The defending side starts in the center of the board, and the attackers in the middle of each of the four edges of the gameboard. The two sides have different goals.
The units in the game are able to move vertically or horizontally for an unlimited number of spaces on the board, with the exception of the "king" who is able to move only two squares, again, vertically or horizontally, per turn. The "eating" of the units takes place when a player in his/her turn moves his own unit so that it traps an opponent's unit between two units of his/her own. Note that a unit may move to a spot between two of his opponent's units without being eaten.
The goal of the game depends on the side you are playing. The defender's goal is to reach one of the four corners of the board with the "king" (the unit in center of the gameboard). Reaching any of these corners marks the defender victorious and thus ends the game. Correspondingly, the goal of the attacker is to prevent the "king" from reaching any of these corners by surrounding it both vertically and horizontally with his/her own units.
Legend of Ragnarok
The original game mode is included in King's Table -The Legend of Ragnarok, but there is also a campaign, "Ragnarok", which is the major part of the game.
Firstly, the Ragnarok mode differs from the original in its units. Both sides will have four special units on the battlefield. They are chosen from six characters of the corresponding side in the Mythology of Valhalla. For example, the forces of Darkness could have Loki, Jormungand, Hyrm and Garm, and the forcess of Valhalla could have (in addition to Odin who is the "king" of the game) Thor, Tyr, Freyr and Vidar. These special units differ from the normal units (the Einherjar of Valhalla and the giants of Darkness). For example, Tyr (Valhalla) and Garm (Darkness) must be surrounded by three units in order to be "eaten".In the campaign, you play as Odin, trying to find a way to cheat your own destined fate. In order to fool it, you find yourself playing this game with mortals. Thus, in this task you will play against many different personalities, while the game will keep getting harder with every victory that you achieve.
The foes all have unique personalities, which can be observed through the comments that they make during the game. This is a nice addition, especially when these comments make you laugh.
Unfortunately, the game is short and can be completed in under three hours due to the lack of difficulty, which cannot be increased or decreased. But luckily there is the multiplayer mode, which can be played in original or Ragnarok mode. The music is perfectly relaxing and fits the game brilliantly. The graphics haven´t suffered enough to hinder the playability of the game and are actually quite beautiful.
King's Table - The Legend of Ragnarok is strategy at its best. It is an excellent game that shouldn´t be missed by any who are interested in chesslike boardgames or Scandinavian mythology.
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