Expansion on Introduction Section
If you’re looking for a strategic and exciting board game, look no further than Jorvik. Players travel through the Viking era while exploring new realms, encountering opponents, forging alliances, and collecting coins to ultimately win the royal crown of Northumbria! Players must be daring in their choices while taking risks along their journey – no matter what path they choose! But don’t just take it from us – let’s hear what some other players had to say about their experience.
Derek, age 20: “Jorvik ended up being so much more intense than I expected! Every turn posed a new challenge to navigate and the stakes felt real throughout. There were so many times where I needed to make tough decisions, but sure enough by my last turn I had secured myself the winner!”
Jeanne, age 32: “My favorite part was making alliances with other players that seemed unlikely at first glance. Once two powers teamed up over our mutual enemies we were unstoppable! It reminded me of real world game-play and politics.”
Malia, age 16: “For a moment I envisioned myself as the explorer of old. Taking uncharted paths across Europe passing out food and supplies – I felt like one of the brave Vikings without any modern conveniences!”
Game History
The Jorvik Board Game is a strategy game that has roots in the Norwegian game of Tafl. It was given its current name by British historian Sir James Cameron in 1901. The modern version of the game includes two armies, with each player controlling one side. The objective of the game is to capture the king or queen pieces and immobilize them on the board. Much like Chess, each piece has varying levels of power and strategic importance.
The game continues to evolve over time with many variations being published since Cameron’s original version in 1901. During World War II, soldiers would find ways to play Jorvik on make-shift boards drawn with chalk; some even used pieces from Checkers sets when their own were missing or lost. Since then, numerous additional rules have been included and different versions of play have become popular for various modes, including team play variation where two players can collaborate against another larger team with an additional army.
Art Styles and Illustrations
The Jorvik board game is oozing with characters and places taken from the pagan Viking Age. Its intricate artwork takes you to a time of battles, alliances, and dynasties. Players enter a vivid world of woodcut illustrations reminiscent of a sagas tapestry with dragons taking over the skies and great gods presented in Valhalla. Defend your kingdom, throw your enemies into dungeons, and show off your cunning moves by strategically planning your moves around the map. Each game felt like an opportunity to explore a brave new world that was always full of surprises. With unique monsters popping out at every turn, all players were entranced as they took on their roles as raiders into worlds unknown. The visuals set forth by these illustrations were beautiful in their own right; intricate line drawings adorn each card giving life to forgotten kings and warriors of Norse mythology. Experience a game for the ages when filling up bold adventures with friends or family when gathering around the table for epic duels within Viking realms!
Accessibility
Jorvik Board Game is designed to be accessible for players of all abilities. The game has been designed with a colour blind friendly palette and the components feature tactile textures for ease of use. This makes it easy to distinguish pieces from each other, even for those with low vision. Additionally, verbal versions of the game are available, in several languages, so that all players can understand the rules and aim of the game regardless of their native language. Furthermore, an accompanying audio description has been developed to help deaf or hard-of-hearing players accurately take part in or understand what is happening on the board. Lastly, scoring tracks have been provided as an easy way to keep track of each player’s score which is especially helpful for players living with cognitive impairments or memory loss. With these accommodations in place Jorvik Board Game provides an inclusive experience for everyone.
Comparisons
Jorvik is a tabletop game for two to four players which was released in 2020. The aim of the game is to collect enough resources and build as many profitable buildings as possible. To do this, players must use their resources wisely and also thwart their opponents’ plans by exchanging resources, taking influence and controlling city areas.
Compared to other Finnish-style board games like Carcassonne or Catan, Jorvik adds the additional twist of its unique setting ” a medieval Nordic town with variable building tiles – allowing for more unpredictable gaming experience. Additionally, Jorvik allows players to make decisions which can have long lasting effects on the state of play during the duration of the game rather than trading goods only once or twice per turn.
Another similar area-influence strategy game is Troyes. Though Troyes focuses on rolling dice and using cards instead, it has similar components of trading goods, controlling city areas and networking with opponents in order to succeed at the game ” all elements which are shared amongst Jorvik too. However, Troyes tends to be much less straight forward than Jorvik as it heavily relies on luck rather than skillful planning in order to achieve success.
The final comparison would be Keyflower ” another strategic area-influence resource management game in which players buy/trade various tiles from each other in order to build up their respective villages throughout the course of ten rounds. Although Keyflower offers some degree of open-endedness with its construction options and rewards those who think one step ahead both tactically and strategically; it does lack the interesting settings and varied tile-based elements that you find with Jorvik. All in all, Jorvik stands out amongst these Finnish-style board games as it combines various objective-based goals with more unpredictable yet meaningful elements such as its setting and building tile system.
Variations
The Jorvik board game can be modified to spice up the playing experience. Players can make their own rules like increasing the number of turns before the game ends, or they can try setting specific goals that must be achieved in order to win. Additionally, players can create their own scenarios with different approaches to gameplay such as a race to the finish line, or competing against the AI enemies. By introducing alternative rules and scenarios, the Jorvik board game offers endless opportunities for players to customize their playing experience and uncover new ways of conquering the Vikings’ stronghold!
Jorvik in Pop Culture
Jorvik, a popular board game from the 1980s, has seen a resurgence in popularity since it was featured in the 2019 Netflix show Stranger Things. In Stranger Things 3, the kids visit an arcade and play a few rounds of Jorvik. The fantasy board game was also referenced in season 5 episode 8 of Brooklyn 99 when Captain Holt said one of his favorite games as a kid was Jorvik. Additionally, in Marvel’s Downey Jr. Iron Man films, Tony Stark can be seen playing with pieces from Jorvik during his downtime in between battles. Furthermore, Jorvik was mentioned by singer-songwriter Taylor Swift on her track ‘State of Grace’ off the album Red which reclaimed the lyrics “Lost our minds when they sold us Jorviks” hinting at her nostalgic memories of playing it as a child. Finally, the 1995 comedy classic Clueless featured characters making references to the popular game using it as part of their high school lingo and vernacular, as well as characters actively playing it throughout the movie.
I love playing all kinds of games – from classics like Monopoly to modern favourites like Ticket to Ride.
I created this blog as a way to share my love of board games with others, and provide information on the latest releases and news in the industry.
