Tafl games were ancient Germanic and Celtic board games played on a checkered board by two teams of players. Popular in Scandinavia was the game Hnefatafl. This game appears in the archaeological and written record, although the exact rules and manner of play are unknown. 

It is theorized that Hnefetafl was a strategy game made to replicate a Viking raid, with the attackers outnumbering the surrounded defenders 2 to 1. The goal was for the attackers to defeat the defending king, and for the defenders to get the king safely to one corner of the board. This is interpreted from descriptions of the game found in several sagas.