There is no game like an old game. Fox and Geese is a Medieval game which fell out of favour in the Tudor period but still holds its own as a board game today. What is exciting about both these games is that they are asymmetric. One Fox against sixteen geese. The Geese want to trap the fox so that it can not move and the fox takes the geese by jumping over them like in Checkers. What it amount to is an exercise in concentration. The geese have to advance without allowing the individuals to become isolated where they are vulnerable to the fox. The fox in contrast must be mobile and look for those opportunities to spoil the geese players day.
My wife bought me a copy one Christmas having seen my copy of Kings Table which is another really good game. I mostly play against my Father with this lovely set. The board is printed cloth and the pieces are resin copies a real Viking chess set now in the British Museum. Again this is a asymmetric game of white against red. The white player wants the King piece to escape. It does so by getting to a corner . The red player is seeking to trap the King so he can not move. In the Viking period they played a variety of board which ranged from small representing a bar brawl, medium (this size) which represents a small engagement or ambush and incredibly large which could represent an entire campaign.
These games make excellent Christmas presents. They are delightfully made and deeply engaging. I have had both my sets for over ten years and am always up for a game.
Historytalker 