Academy Games | 878 Vikings Invasion of England 2nd Edition | Board Game | Ages 12+ | 2 to 4 Players | 60 to 120 Minutes Playing Time

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In a few expeditions Edward (with the direct military help of his sister Æthelflæd, widow of the Mercian king) conquered the south of England from the Danes, and incorporated Mercia itself into his kingdom. Alfred was succeeded by his son Edward the Elder (899-924 AD) and grandson Æthelstan (924-939 AD). Both these rulers were in many ways even more important in the history of England than Alfred himself. The Viking raids in England were sporadic until the 840s AD, but in the 850s Viking armies began to winter in England, and in the 860s they began to assemble larger armies with the clear intent of conquest. Edgar relied on three men in particular - Dunstan (archbishop of Canterbury, 960 - 988 AD), Oswald (bishop of Worcester, 961 - 992 AD, and archbishop of York, 971 - 992 AD) and Æthelwold (bishop of Winchester, 963 - 984 AD). The country was newly converted to Christianity and newly unified under Harald Bluetooth. It was becoming a major power.

s reputation was immense on the continent, and an Irish monk called him 'the pillar of the dignity of the western world'. But his victory did not put an end to the Viking threat in the north, nor to the slow expansion of the power of the Scots. Who’s not drawn to Vikings these days? Vikings are everywhere in pop culture! I can bet if you’re reading this you’ve probably recently watched Thor Ragnarok in the cinema or been following Vikings on TV? Or let’s say you read Bernard Cornwell’s Last Kingdom or was devastated when Minnesota Vikings didn’t make it to Super Bowl LII? Nah, I know! You jumped into God of War when they ditched Greek for Norse Mythology right? Harold II successfully beat off the invasion by Harald Hardrada of Norway, defeating him at Stamford Bridge near York in September 1066. Even when he and his troops arrived, exhausted, at Hastings three weeks later to face William's Norman invaders, he nearly prevailed.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'. 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. The man we then see more clearly in the sources as the Viking leader, Hálfdan, was later believed to be Ívarr's brother. He led the Viking army to a conquest of Mercia in 874 AD, organised a parcelling out of land among the Vikings in Northumbria in 876 AD, and in 878 AD moved south and forced most of the population of Wessex to submit. 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.

That previous comment bears a second read because it’s only with three or four players that gamers will get what’s really being offered. The chance for multiple players collaborating between factions creates really interesting decision moments and lots of grand strategies.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. Chances are you also tried at least one Viking related Board Game like Blood Rage, Champions of Midgard or Raiders of the Norse Sea. Am I getting there or have I just been hitting water? I am guilty as charged of almost all of those sins mate. But I tell you what, even if being a viking aficionado is not why you’re here, 878 Vikings - Invasions of England may have something for yourself. What’s 878 Vikings all About?

Reinforcements: The player gains new units and recovers units that have fled. At the end of the phase, the player chooses a Movement Card from their hand to play. 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. There was a similar submission to Æthelstan in 927 AD, at Eamont (Cumbria), when Welsh kings as well as the Scottish king submitted to him. The great Welsh king Hywel Dda (Hywel the Good) was apparently a close ally. In fact, he was so Anglophile that he named one of his sons Edwin, and sponsored a written law code after the English model. Final Score: 4 Stars – Historical accuracy only enhances the fun whether players are defending England or raiding its northeast coast. Vikings start invading from the North Sea with one of their eight leaders which include names you may know like Ragnar Lodbrok, Rollo or Lagertha. Leaders are drafted through leader cards which come with a specific set of armies from both factions. As you move the pawns around, they will be able to drop troops on the map or bring on board stranded armies.

Cnut was a strong and effective king. He introduced some Danish customs to England, but England also influenced Denmark. For instance, Cnut appointed several Englishmen as bishops in Denmark, and even today most of the ordinary Danish words of church organisation are English in origin. The game does of course have its improvement opportunities. Cards can be sometimes confusing on its powers and require consulting rule books a lot more often than should. Since there are no objectives apart from game winning conditions, replay-ability can be compromised after a while considering you’ll always be trying to do the same very thing and there are just so many possible macro strategies to do so. Under Alfred's auspices, the Welshman Asser prepared a 'Life of Alfred', after the model of Einhard's 'Life of Charlemagne'. Like Charlemagne, Alfred was deeply interested in promoting literacy and learning, and he sponsored (and perhaps even took part in) the translation of various Latin works into English.

Yet the most significant development of the period was an indirect result of Scandinavian involvement in the affairs of Britain - the emergence of two kingdoms of newly unified territories, England and Scotland. They wove a new national history, which emphasised (or invented) many links between the Scottish and Pictish dynasties. They also promoted the idea that St Columba, the founder of the monastery of Iona, was the apostle of all those in the north. 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. s greatest success was the victory at Brunanburh, somewhere in the north. A Viking army led by Olaf Guthfrithson, allied with the kings of Scotland and Strathclyde, invaded Northumbria in 937 AD. Our source tells us that five kings and seven of Olaf's earls died on the battlefield, as well as the son of Constantine II of Scotland.It’s not often that historical war games can grab the attention of a wider audience. 878: Vikings would be the game to do it. The rules are not heavy and the experience as a whole is thoroughly enjoyable due primarily to the asymmetry. Players who don’t know if war games are for them will be rewarded with 878: Vikings, if for any reason, just to see what a really well-done dice rolling combat game is like. If you’ve made it this far in the review, congratulations. 878: Vikings is a historical area control game representing the years after 878 AD in the northeastern coast of England. The communities there were violently disrupted by the arrival of this new culture and military force. This concept of a large sizable invasion and recreating this through a game brings a fascinating opportunity for some good play. In 865 AD they forced the East Angles to help supply an army, which in 866 AD captured York and in 867 AD took over the southern part of the kingdom of Northumbria. 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'.