Tafl
AKA
A family of games that were extremely widespread during early-to-middle SCA period, then largely displaced by the introduction of Chess.
Board sizes range from 7 x 7 to 19 x 19, and there are many different names from different culture, but the general gameplay seems to have been somewhat consistent. In the middle is a defending side with a King in the center and N defenders surrounding him; outside of that are 2N attackers. The attackers are trying to blockade the defenders to prevent them from moving and/or capture the King; the defenders are trying to help the King escape.
Note that rules for Tafl variants are fairly speculative: while we have some fragmentary information, no clear period descriptions of the rules survive.
Referring to this family as "Tafl" is a bit idiosyncratic; I choose to do so as a way of referring to the entire family of games, without biasing it towards a specific one. Most sources focus on Hnefetafl, the best-known of the lot.
Variants
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Fidchell
aka Fitchneal -- A small 7 x 7 game in the Tafl family.
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Hnefetafl -- The best-known Tafl game, played by the Norse.
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Ludus Latrunculorum -- A Roman game that, at least as sometimes reconstructed, appears to be an ancestor of Tafl.
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Tablut -- A Finnish version of Tafl.
Reconstructions and Other Discussions
