Daldøs Game: Nordic 'Running Fight' Board Game, Sáhkku, Handcrafted Wooden Traditional Game, w/ wood-burned, historically-inspired artwork

Add a truly unique and beautiful board game to your collection with this Daldøs board! Daldøs is a Norwegian board game utilizing the 'running-fight' game mechanics; a truly challenging contest of elimination featuring distinctive stick dice called Dals, set within the confines of a Viking longship. This game board set is handcrafted from thick hardwood (maple or cherry), and decorated with thematic artwork which is burned directly into the surface of the wood by hand. A creation that will equally decorate and entertain, this game can serve as an excellent means to spend quality time with a friend or family member. The game can be intensely challenging, yet not daunting, and is conceived as a functional fine piece of art with heirloom potential, built to last for generations.

• MADE TO ORDER
• HANDCRAFTED with pyrographed artwork
• FREE SHIPPING with insurance for Domestic U.S. orders
• LEAD TIME: 3 weeks (from time of purchase to shipping day; timeframes can be affected by workload, holidays, etc. – please refer to the Shop Announcement for posted info on creation time frames, or inquire via messages if a specific due date is needed).
• WOOD TYPES AVAILABLE: Cherry, Maple [Sample Chart included in Photos] (all woods are sealed with a satin lacquer)
• EDGE STYLES AVAILABLE: Burnt, Plain, Rockface [Sample Chart included in Photos]
• ARTWORK AVAILABLE: As shown (variations in design from board to board occur naturally as well as intentionally); custom artwork requests always welcome!
• MEASUREMENTS: 13x13x1 inches [LxWxH] (completed/assembled product)
• PLAYING PIECES/PAWNS: Playing pieces (24 total + extras for potential loss) are included. Created with a laser engraver, hand assembled and finished. Stick dice (3) are created from wood matching the board. A drawstring pouch is included for storage and transport of the pieces.
• UPGRADES / ACCESSORIES:
> Color Enhancements - add colorful details to your board:
o https://www.etsy.com/listing/786439555/color-enhancements-upgrade-option-to?ref=shop_home_active_8&frs=1

• GAME HISTORY / BRIEF HOW TO PLAY: Daldøs is a running-fight board game only known from a few coastal locations in southern Scandinavia, where its history can be traced back to around 1800; comparatively a more contemporary game. The game is notable for its unusual four-sided dice (stick or long dice). Daldøs can be played on a narrow grid 3 spaces wide by 12 or 16 spaces long. Daldøs is the Norwegian variant of a small family of very similar games; another variant, called Sáhkku, is known to be relatively popular in Finland and western Russia. The Daldøs game is most commonly known in Jæren, county of Rogaland, and even there the game is seen only on coastal farms along the beaches of the North Sea. This indicates that the origin of the game is connected with people who in some way can be linked to the sea. The tradition of playing the game is still active today, but probably it was more common in the past. During World War II the Daldøs game became very popular because the situation throughout Europe called for family activities in the home. The old war game received new relevance and a bit of revival at this time, and it could be conjectured that some people imagined that the pieces represented Norwegians vs. Germans. The closest relatives of this game appear to be the Tâb games from Northern Africa and South-western Asia, possibly apart from one unlabeled diagram in a historical codex from Southern England.
• Each player begins with 12 pieces, set up on the two outer rows of the play grid, one player per side. Both players throw the dice; the highest throw (adding the dice results, the 'dal', or 'X' counting as 1) begins the game. Pieces cannot move until they have been 'dalled', or activated. A die showing the dal allows the player to activate one piece, which means to turn it so that its markings face the direction of travel, and move it one position ahead. (Players may decide which 'facing' they wish to use for their pieces before the game begins). With the first dal, only the piece closest to the stern can be activated, and then it travels into the middle row. With no dalled pieces, a dice throw with no dals showing is a lost move. The dalled pieces move according to dice throws. Each player's pieces move first through the home row to the stern, then through the middle row towards the prow, then into the enemy row back towards the stern. From here it moves into the middle row again, etc., never returning to the home row. The showings of the two dice may be either added and used to move one piece, or used separately for two different pieces. The showings of both dice must be used in a move. At a throw of dal-dal (two dals), the player gains an extra throw. The object of the game is to remove all enemy pieces from the board. An enemy piece is removed when another piece ends/lands at the same position on the board. When the dice are added, only an enemy piece at the final position can be removed. Enemy pieces (both dalled and not) can be jumped, but are not removed; friendly pieces cannot be jumped at all. The game ends when one player has no pieces left.
• A rules pamphlet is included with the board and pieces.

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PLEASE NOTE: All of my items are crafted by me, in my home studio and workshop. I am a one-man show, with no ‘production partners’ to help mass-produce any item (though I will source pawns, etc. from quality reputable dealers). Be assured that when you buy an item from me, you are getting a distinctive creation from the original maker. Given the inherent nature of the handcrafted work, time frames for more complex creations, whether the complexity is the art, the build, or a combination of both, can be extensive. Please be patient; I communicate and update customers regularly with the status of their unique creation(s).