This was the dawning of the 'second Viking age', and it was very different from the first. Raids were on a large scale, frequently organised by royal leaders, and their object was extortion. In 991 AD the Danes acquired 4,500 kg of silver in return for going home. In a battle, there comes a further asymmetric nature to play. The custom dice for the game give the Vikings (on average) one more hit result than the English. This represents the brutal nature of the warriors from Northern Europe. English units also have a higher chance to flee the battle. The one saving grace for the English are the Fyrd. The Fyrd is the word (Don’t you know about the Fyrd?) for English peasant units. They have the worst potential in battle and often flee or soak up Viking hits before doing damage. The country was newly converted to Christianity and newly unified under Harald Bluetooth. It was becoming a major power. In the eighth century, the Picts had one of the most important kingdoms in Britain. By the end of the ninth century they had vanished. In their place was a kingdom of Scotland, controlled by the Scots, who were the descendents of immigrants from Ireland in the fifth and sixth centuries. This partnership mechanics brings about everything that I love about board games, those very cool moments of sharing, conspiring and strategising with your peer while trying to subdue an opponent. In terms of player interaction I honestly don’t think it gets a lot better than this, it’s just the right mix of co-operation and competitiveness.

Iona was burnt in 802 AD, and 68 monks were killed in another raid in 806 AD. The remaining monks fled to Kells (County Meath, Ireland) with a gospel-book probably produced in Iona, but now known as the 'Book of Kells'.

Expansions + Accessories

The Scots took advantage of the presence of the Vikings, and, above all under King Cináed mac Alpín (Kenneth MacAlpine), they did so with considerable aggression and intelligence. They promoted themselves as the kings of all those in northern Britain, or 'Alba'.

The process was sealed by the 'Regularis Concordia' of 973 AD, a document of monastic reform that relied heavily on continental models. It was cemented by the building of some magnificent churches (mostly replaced by the Normans) and some lavish illuminated manuscripts, such as the 'Benedictional of St Æthelwold'. Final Score: 4 Stars – Historical accuracy only enhances the fun whether players are defending England or raiding its northeast coast. Having been introduced into board gaming by means of Risk and Axis and Allies, I must say this is very familiar territory for me. I don’t remember, however, experimenting something that plays like this. In 878 Vikings you can actually move your teammate’s units as you will, which at first looked like something that could never work but somehow it does, perfectly. Another minor complaint is around the card art – I’ve already said that the art is lovely but I would have liked to see more unique examples of it. Event cards with the same function and title have the same art. Again, this is a very minor criticism and arguably it may be a design choice to keep consistency across cards that have the same effects.Your objective is to conquer 14 cities by the game's end, which happens after seven turns unless if you play the Treaty of Wedmore card which ends the game either from turn five, six or seven with a different goal. In that case, if you’re viking you’ll have to be in possession of nine or more cities and if you don’t make it, you lose buddy. Cards in a player’s hand could also be event cards, which provide significant bonuses and additional tactics. The movement card played determines how many of a player’s armies can move and how far they can move. He built fortresses, established a defensive strategy, and built up a navy. By the time the Vikings returned in the 890s, the West Saxons were able to resist, leaving Alfred, at his death in 899 AD, king of the only independent English kingdom. This game is in the portfolio of famed educational/historical publisher Academy Games. It’s actually a young sibling to other board games such as 1754 Conquest, 1775 Rebellion and 1812 Invasion of Canada, all three part of the Birth of America trilogy.