If you don't have a hnefatafl board, or you don't have someone to play the game with, one way to get in practice is by playing hnefatafl on your mobile phone. It comes as a surprise to many that there are hnefatafl apps on mobile phones, but in fact all manner of obscure and ancient board games have apps.
On most days over the next two weeks I'll be posting short articles about some of the apps that are available. These aren't full reviews, so I won't be passing judgement on the games, but I will give a bit of detail about what features each of the games has.
There will be apps for Apple phones, Android phones and even Microsoft and Blackberry phones. These apps will also work on tablets too. So keep checking back to see the range of hnefatafl games you can play on your phone.
King's Table Online is a hnefatafl game for Apple and Microsoft mobile devices. It works on the iPhone and the iPad, as well as a range of devices running the Windows Phone operating system.
The app supports three different board layouts: Ard Ri, Tablut and "Hnefatafl", these being 7x7, 9x9 and 11x11 boards. There are some rule variations, such as a weak king who is captured like any other piece. There's no AI facility to allow you to play against your phone, but on the iPhone you can use the Game Center to play against opponents from around the world.
To download the app for Apple phones and tablets you can visit its page on iTunes. The Windows version can be downloaded from Microsoft. Tomorrow I'll cover a hnefatafl game for Android and Blackberry.