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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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. What does that entail exactly? Head to head, team area control with lots of dice rolling. Yes, you heard it right, although this game plays with two or even three players, it shines the most on it’s two x two version. This puts this one in a somewhat rare cluster of dudes on map partnership games that I so wanted more publishers to further explore, be it with vikings or not. The country was newly converted to Christianity and newly unified under Harald Bluetooth. It was becoming a major power.

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. 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? I have read this game described as Risk+ but I think I would prefer the term COIN-lite. I understand the Risk+ comment but this is so much more than Risk. If someone can handle the rules-complexity of Risk and enjoys the direct conflict in that ‘game’ then 878: Vikings can provide a much more rewarding experience in a much shorter time with marginally more rules. I think that non-gamers suggesting a game of risk is pretty much apocryphal these days, but if you ever find yourselves in that situation, say no, go out and buy this (or any of Academy Games’ Birth of America series – 1812, 1775 or 1754) and insist that they try this instead. However 878: Vikings is probably easier to get hold of due to the recent reprinting. She bore Cnut a son, Harthacnut, but she had also had a son by Æthelred, who succeeded Harthacnut as Edward II, the Confessor (1042 - 1066). 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.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. 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.

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.

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Over the next few decades, many monasteries in the north were destroyed, and with them any records they might have kept of the raids. We know no historical details of the raids in Scotland, although they must have been extensive. 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. In an attempt at reconciliation with the English he had conquered, Cnut married Emma, the widow of Æthelred. She was the daughter of the duke of Normandy, himself the descendant of Vikings or Northmen (Normans). 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'.