Brandubh Tafl Game in deep red

Brandubh Tafl Game in deep red

CA$300.00

This is a one of a kind all glass game. The pieces have a lovely weight to them and each is sandblasted and oiled for an elegant look. This is an engaging strategy game that has lots of appeal to strategy enthusiasts but also looks like a sculptural work of art on the table.

Measures 10” x 10” comes with eight “Vikings”, four “knights” and one “King”. There are also fifteen glass beads for counting rounds and wins. Each game comes with instructions for play.

From Wikipedia:

Brandubh

Brandubh (or brandub) (Irish: bran dubh) was the Irish form of tafl. From two poems[17] it is known that it was played with five men against eight, and that one of the five was a "Branán", or chief. A number of 7×7 boards have been found, the most famous being the elaborate wooden board found at Ballinderry in 1932, featuring holes for pegged pieces, possibly to allow for portability of the game.[18] The name brandubh means "black raven".[19]

Original rules were not found, but using these 7x7 boards, the text of the two poems and the Tablut rules as a basis, the World Tafl Federation was able to reconstruct balanced rules validated by a several tests.[20] · [21] · [22]

Despite its small size board and the speed of the games, Brandubh offers an undeniable tactical and strategic exercise where the first mistake very often leads to defeat. The small number of pieces means that each of them must often simultaneously defend and attack: it is therefore easy to forget one of these tasks if one focuses too much on the other. As in the great games of Tafl, sacrifices are useful, especially for the defenders, but with only four pieces, it is important not to weaken the king too early in the game.[23]

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