VALHALLA
Valhalla is a game of both chance and strategy, in which
the players overcome physical obstacles, attacks by their opponents and the whims of the
Gods in order to reach a joyous afterlife in Odin’s hall - Valhalla. The game is a
Norse version of Senet, which originated in ancient Egypt and was adopted by the Greeks
and later the Romans, until it made its way north into medieval Scandinavia.
The origins of this variation of the game are somewhat
mysterious. The story goes that a German archaeologist found it during the excavation of a
Viking-era site, made himself a copy and created rules for it. The original was apparently
lost in a fire in Berlin, but the archaeologist taught the game to his children and
grandchildren and so it survived. No one is certain how close this version is to that lost
original, but the board layout, the general pattern of play, and the theme of passage into
the afterlife, are all in keeping with its Egyptian, Greek and Roman predecessors.
The game board is in the pattern of a serpent, representing
the Midgard Serpent which dwelt in the deep ocean and encircled the world. Along the
serpent’s back are three rows of 12 spaces each, some of which are marked with runes
representing various special conditions. The first row is the home harbour, where each
player’s pieces begin the game. The second row is the open ocean, where each side
battles for position. In the middle is an island with a ship yard where players must go
for repairs if their ships are damaged. The third row represents the final leg of the
journey, where players may form blockades, take shelter in a safe harbour, or be washed up
on the rocky shoals, sending them back to the repair yards. Once past the serpent’s
jaws, your ships pass into Valhalla, at which point they leave the board. The first player
to remove all their ships is the winner.
The Fate Casting Sticks
In most ancient games, sticks are used instead of dice to
determine the number of spaces the player may move. Each stick has a ‘heads’
side and a ‘tails’ side, and the number of ‘heads up’ sticks in a
throw determine the score. The exception is when all four sticks land ‘tails’
(blank side up), in which case the score is 5.
The fate casting sticks in Valhalla incorporate the
additional influence of the runic symbols on each stick:
 Sowulo: The Sun.
Represents power, energy, and strength.  Tiewaz: The God Tyr.
Represents honour, courage, and victory.  Gebo: A Gift.
Represents unexpected good fortune and blessings from the Gods. 
Hagalaz: The Hailstorm.
Represents setbacks, natural disasters, and the fickleness of fate.
Sowulo and Tiewaz each represent one point, but Hagalaz
cancels one point in a cast, unless accompanied by Gebo, in which case the negative effect
of Hagalaz is cancelled and each ‘heads up’ stick once again represents one
point. Again, four ‘tails up’ sticks would represent five points. Throws in
which each rune represents one point are called ‘natural’ casts. Throws in which
Hagalaz decreases the score are called ‘unnatural’ casts.
Some examples:
 = 2
= 3
= 5
= 1
= 0
= 3
= 4
This method of scoring makes the game more interesting
because it takes into account the vagaries of fate. However, if you wish to simplify the
game or are playing with young players, the traditional 1-to-1 scoring method may be
preferred.
Playing Instructions
Play may begin in one of two ways:
1) with all ships off the board. Players take turns casting and moving their ships onto
the board to one of the first five positions. If a space is occupied by another ship of
either colour, the player forfeits their turn. An opponents pieces may not be 'hit' on any
of these five positions.
2) with the six light ships in positions 1-6 , and the six dark pieces in positions
7-12(see illustration below). This may at first appear to give the dark ships an unfair
advantage, but several factors actually even out the odds. The first person to throw a
natural one (i.e. one ‘heads up’ stick, not including Hagalaz) would begin play
by moving the dark piece from position 12 to position 13 (this will be their colour for
the rest of the game). Play then passes to the other player, who will be moving the light
coloured ships.
Optional Rule: Throwing a five, a four or a
natural one may be considered rolling ‘doubles’, allowing the player to throw
again.
Each player may move only one piece per throw, except when
leaving the board. In that case, any ‘extra’ moves other than the number
required to leave the board must be used up by another piece. A player must move all of
their pieces from row one before exiting the board.
Any piece may jump over any other piece or pieces,
regardless of colour. If a player lands on a space occupied by an opposing ship, the two
ships exchange places. A player cannot land on a space occupied by one of their own ships.
Players must move their ships forward unless no forward moves are possible - in that case,
they must move backward.
Once the pieces reach the third row, blockades may be
formed by an even number of adjacent ships. In other words, any two or four adjacent
pieces of the same colour cannot be attacked or moved by opposing ships. Groups of three
are not protected.
 Some positions are special spaces marked by runes:
Positions 29, 32 and 34 are safe harbours. Any ship
docked in one of these spaces is protected and cannot be attacked by an opponent.
Position 30 is a rocky shoal. Landing here will
severely damage your ship, and you must immediately move it to the ship repair yard.
Position 19 is the ship repair yard. After being
forced here by running aground on the rocky shoal, a player may only exit by throwing a
natural one (this does not apply unless they are actually there for repairs). They may
move other pieces while waiting to throw a one. If the repair yard space is occupied by
another ship of any colour, the player must move their ship back to home port at position
1. It is not necessary to throw a 1 to leave this position.
Position 36 is the last space on the board, and provides
safe passage to Valhalla. A ship landing here is removed from the board. The first player
to remove all of their ships is the winner.
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