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

Product Information

This is a game that will definitely be sticking around for the long haul in our collection and has finally given me the Viking experience I’ve been looking for in board games. I don’t think we’ve played a game yet that has lasted all 7 rounds, which isn’t a knock on the game design. Vikings is a game for 2-4 players where players either control the invading Viking or the English nobles trying to withstand the invasion. Yes, there are lots of Vikings, and yes they’ll be lots of Invasions, on most turns as it turns out.

This is not a bad idea, but in the end, you are just leaving the rear area vulnerable to a surprise Viking sea movement. When both factions of a side (English or Viking) have played their truce cards, the game will end on that round!

The pleasurable nature of just sitting down to play is incidental to the grueling experience most war games offer. Incongruously the rule book states that it is the year 865 however there aren’t many people who could split such small hairs or understand the nuance between the years 865 and 878. While not quite as thematic-feeling in this one (yet still thematic, if you think about it), this game has two ways that each side can win the game. The choosing faction is decided by which Viking faction has their cube drawn from the draw bag first.

During battle, the first Hit the Vikings take from the first English roll must be a Berserker, which are the best units in the game. Later that year, the Treaty of Wedmore was agreed whereby the Vikings were able to remain in control of much of northern and eastern England. 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. No Berserker or Norsemen troops will begin on the map, as they have not begun to invade England yet.Vikings is an area control game in which 2 - 4 players play as the invading Vikings or the English nobles who are trying to withstand the invasion.

How to play 878: Vikings – Invasion of England The Sequence of Play reference sheet is very helpful. This concept of a large sizable invasion and recreating this through a game brings a fascinating opportunity for some good play. Vikings offers both simple and unique game mechanics, beautiful game components, and attention to historical detail and flavor.The rules are excellently written, and there is an abundance of examples and colours that at first glance looks confusing, but which are extremely useful when you’re reading to learn the game for the first time.