Print-and-play games now available

Monday, 16th September 2013

A page for print-and-play games has been added to the web site. One of the obstacles to trying out new games is the need to obtain or improvise the equipment. With the new print-and-play games this is no longer a problem.

Print-and-play isn't a new idea; some game designers even sell them as a means to supply good and innovative games cheaply or for free. I've decided to use the idea as a way to make available as many variants of hnefatafl as possible.

The print-and-play games on this site are supplied as black-and-white PDFs for economical printing. They all fit onto A4 paper, using multiple sheets for the bigger boards. Each one includes the board and pieces to cut out, and a sheet of assembly instructions and suggested game rules. The components work best when glued to a backing of thick card.

There are currently four games available: brandub, tablut, tawlbwrdd and alea evangelii. These are the historic variants, played from the dark ages through to the eighteenth century, and revived in more recent times. The files are small, so I hope to add a large number of them in the future.

To access the files, follow the print-and-play link nearby on this news item, or go to the Rules page where print-and-play will be listed among the "see also" links.