Hnefatafl Setup: Starting Position Explained
Hnefatafl setup follows one pattern in every variant: the king starts on the central throne square, his defenders cluster around him in a cross or diamond, and the attackers begin in four groups at the middle of each board edge. The diagrams on this page show the exact starting position for each of the six variants.
The logic of the starting position
The setup isn’t decorative; it states the story of the game. A king in his hall, bodyguard around him, hostile armies landed on every coast. Before the first move, the position already tells you who’s besieging whom.
It also encodes the game’s balance. The defenders start concentrated, which is real compensation for their smaller numbers: they defend interior lines while the attackers begin scattered across four detachments that take moves to coordinate. In Copenhagen, 24 attackers face 12 defenders plus the king on a 11×11 board, and the opening phase is mostly the attackers trying to convert their four islands into one connected ring before the defense can punch a lane through a gap.
Symmetry matters too. Every historical and modern setup is fourfold symmetric, the same pattern rotated to each side of the board. Neither player gets a pre-weakened flank; any weakness that appears is created by play.
Setting up each variant
The rendered diagrams above are authoritative for this site; they’re drawn from the same engine data the game uses, so board and diagram can’t disagree. In outline:
Copenhagen Hnefatafl and Tawlbwrdd share the 11×11 scale with a diamond of defenders around the throne and attacker groups at the four edges. Tablut arranges its 16 attackers in four T-shaped camps on its 9×9 board, the pattern Linnaeus sketched in 1732. Brandubh sets its 13 pieces in a bare cross on 7×7, the whole battle visible at a glance. Ard Rí packs the same board size much more densely, and Alea Evangelii spreads its huge armies across 19×19 in the arrangement preserved in a twelfth-century manuscript.
Physical-board note: the medieval Ballinderry board and its relatives used pegged pieces in holes, and Alea Evangelii is played on grid intersections rather than in squares. On this site those differences are visual history; the engine plays each game on its proper geometry. More on the boards themselves at the hnefatafl board guide, or print your own from the printable boards page.
Common setup mistakes on physical boards
Playing with a physical set, three errors come up constantly. Placing the king anywhere but the exact center (on even-referenced commercial boards there’s sometimes no true center marked; a proper tafl board always has odd dimensions, so a single central square exists). Rotating a variant’s asymmetric-looking camps inconsistently, which breaks the fourfold symmetry. And mixing armies from different sets so the attacker count is silently wrong, which quietly wrecks the balance. When a boxed set’s rules and layout look suspect, and many do, compare against the diagrams here or the rules reference.
FAQ
Where does the king go in hnefatafl setup?
Always the exact central square, the throne, in every variant. Tafl boards have odd dimensions precisely so a single central square exists. His defenders arrange symmetrically around him, and in play the empty throne keeps special properties, so its location matters all game long.
Do the attackers or defenders set up first?
It doesn’t matter; the starting position is fixed, with no hidden information or placement choices. Set up both armies in any order from the diagram. The attackers do move first in play, though, which is covered on who goes first.
Why do the attackers start split into four groups?
Partly story (invaders landing from every direction) and partly balance. Four separated detachments need several moves to link into a working blockade, and that coordination cost offsets their numbers. Opening play for the attackers is largely about connecting the camps efficiently.
My boxed set’s layout doesn’t match your diagram. Which is right?
Commercial sets vary a lot, and some ship genuinely nonstandard layouts or army sizes. The diagrams here follow the historical sources and the modern competitive standard, generated from the same data this site’s engine plays by. For Copenhagen specifically, the official rules reference settles it.