Hnefatafl - The King's Table

Hnefatafl — The King's Table | Viking Strategy Board Game

The ancient Viking strategy game, reimagined in stunning 3D. Command the King and his defenders — or lead the attacking force to surround and capture him before he escapes. Simple to learn, a lifetime to master.

Before chess reached the North, Viking warriors settled their battles on the Tafl board. Now you can enter the Viking Hall and play the ancient game of kings on 3D renditions of the great Tafl battlefields.

THE GAME
One side commands the King and his defenders, fighting to escape to the corners. The other leads a vast attacking force, seeking to encircle and capture the King before he can flee. This is the asymmetric strategy game that Viking chieftains played for over a thousand years.

MULTIPLE RULESETS
Play many authentic historical variants — Old, Copenhagen, Magpie, Ard Ri, Berserk, Fetlar, Tablut and the seafaring variant Sea Battle — each with their own board size and capture rules, from 7×7 up to 19×19.

CHALLENGE THE ALL-FATHER
Six AI opponents await, from Ulf the Uncertain (beginner) up to Odin the Allfather and his Monte Carlo engine. Can you outwit a god?

FIGHT ONLINE
Challenge players around the world in real-time online battles. Set a move timer to keep the pressure on.

EARN YOUR RANK
Win XP, climb through Viking ranks, and unlock new piece styles and boards. Forge your legend in the Shields leaderboard and Chronicle your journey in the hall of records.

FEATURES
• Beautiful 3D board with full orbital and zoom controls
• Eight historical rulesets across board sizes from 7×7 to 19×19
• Six AI difficulty levels including a Grandmaster Monte Carlo engine
• Real-time online multiplayer with move timer
• XP progression with unlockable piece styles and boards
• Achievements, leaderboard, and battle chronicle
• Hint system powered by Odin's AI — consult the runes when in trouble
• Save and replay any game
• Epic Viking soundtrack

As your mastery develops, use the Custom Game option to create your own rulesets. On your journey, discover the fascinating historical world of this ancient Norse game.

Visiting Iceland led to my discovery of Hnefatafl — the game of the Vikings. What followed was an adventure into AI-assisted development: ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Claude.ai collaborating to bring this ancient game to life. The graphics, textures, and much of the music are also AI-generated. I truly hope you enjoy where the journey has led.