Twelve Hnefatafl Games for Your Mobile Phone: Hnefatafl 3D

Thursday, 22nd September 2016

Last week I mentioned a 3D Hnefatafl game for Apple phones, Viking Chess. Today I have found a similar game for Android phones, called Hnefatafl 3D.  It features a choice of 7x7, 9x9 and 11x11 board setups with, as the name suggests, 3D presentation.

This game is purely a virtual board. It features no computer player nor on-line play against other people. It also has another limitation which could also be a feature: it does not have full rule enforcement. There are movement restrictions, and automatic capture for attackers and defenders. There is manual capture for situations that the automatic capture mechanism does not recognise. This limitation becomes a feature when you and a friend want to try out variations in the rules.

Given its partial rule enforcement and lack of AI or over-the-net play, this app is useful only for those who don't have a physical hnefatafl board on which to challenge friends. Its choice of board sizes may still make it useful for those who have a single hnefatafl board but want to try out larger or smaller variants of the game.

You can get Hnefatafl 3D on the Google Play Store. Tomorrow I'll be looking at a rarity: a hnefatafl game that's available for both Apple and Android devices.