The year is 878. For the past 75 years, Viking raiding parties from Norway and Denmark have been terrorizing the coasts of England with ‘hit and run’ attacks. The treasures and stories gained from these attacks have allowed the Norsemen to raise huge hosts of eager men seeking glory and riches. These armies now stand poised to thunder across England where they will settle and farm the fertile land they conquer. The divided English kingdoms are unprepared for this impending onslaught. The Vikings are coming!
In 878: Vikings – Invasions of England, players control the invading Vikings or the English nobles who are trying to withstand the invasion. Viking players either play as Norsemen Viking freeman or as the fearless Viking shock troops known as Berserkers. The English play as the Housecarl, the Kings’ household troops, or as the Thegns who were regional noble Leaders. The English players will also be able to call up the peasant levies, called the Fyrd, to defend their cities.
Players for each side strategize together in order to coordinate their strategies. Each side attempts to control Cities on the map to win. The English start the game controlling all of England but a Viking Leader will invade from the sea each Turn. The English players raise reinforcements from cities they control, while the Vikings must wait for a new invasion for reinforcements. The game ends when the Treaty of Wedmore is called and the side controlling the most cities wins the game.
878 Vikings - How To Play
- Most historically themed Viking game
- Quick and easy dice rolling for combat
- Flows well
- Combat can sometimes drag on in similar games
- Combat can get complicated and cumbersome in similar games
- Viking invasion
- Viking age England
- Birth of America series
- 1754 Conquest
- 1775 Rebellion
- 1812 Invasion of Canada
- Birth of Europe series
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Driven Combat — The majority of the gameplay is done using cards to maneuver your armies and Trigger events.
- Dice Rolling — 878 Vikings uses is a fairly quick and easy to understand dice rolling mechanism with custom dice to determine the outcome of these battles.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Original Seven Wonders was already on my list at number 94 and like a lot of other folks I like this two-player version just a little bit better
- This is one of the most intense two-player games I think I've ever played because the entire time your opponent is taking their turn you are watching and waiting hoping that they do not take that one spot that you need to get that card you want.
- this is by far my favorite game of the North Sea Trilogy and very nearly my favorite of all of the Garfield trilogies
- 878 Vikings uses is a fairly quick and easy to understand dice rolling mechanism with custom dice to determine the outcome of these battles so the flow of the game isn't interrupted for too long when something exciting happens.
- this is another one of those rare games that uses the Malala mechanism the cool twist here is that most Malala games will give you actions based on where your where your tokens end Crusaders gives you the actions based on where you initially pick your tokens up from.
- this game is a bit of a trickster because the cover makes it look like an epic space game when in actuality it's a pretty dry Euro game.
- this is very much a push your luck card game on your turn you're going to flip over cards from a draw deck one at a time.
- this was one of the first citybuilding style games that I ever played and it's still my favorite.
- this game is great because it takes the idea of bidding and turns it on its head rather than seeing who can bid the most to take a card you are instead bidding to not take cards.
- paladins puts a cool Twist on the worker placement mechanism in this one you'll start each round by choosing a paladin card which will tell you which types of workers you'll get for the round as well as what special power you'll be able to use for that round.
- This one ranks up there among the crunchiest of the Garfield Trilogy games but again I have yet to play Scholars of the South Tigress which looks like it could take that title
- this is a classic bidding game that still comes out pretty regularly for us especially in social situations
- this game is great because it takes the idea of bidding and turns it on its head rather than seeing who can bid the most to take a card you are instead bidding to not take cards
- it's very easy to understand the rules and the game plays so fast that we usually end up playing three or four games of this in a row
- this is my highest ranked of the Garfield directional Trilogy games as of right now
- like most games in the west Kingdom Trilogy paladins puts a cool Twist on the worker placement mechanism
- everyone has their own board with worker placement spaces and really it's all about your using your workers the most effectively
- this one ranks up there among the crunchiest of the Garfield Trilogy games
References (from this video)
- Fast, tense, and accessible.
- Immediate asymmetry.
- Game constantly shifts momentum.
- Incredibly exciting.
- Conquest and defense
- Viking invasions of England
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- 1v1 — A 1v one or team-based area control game.
- Area Control — A 1v one or team-based area control game.
- Dice combat — Battles are resolved with custom dice which keeps things moving quickly.
- team-based — A 1v one or team-based area control game.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- Games that have earned their place here because they stick.
- These are games that I still think about after the box is back up on the shelf.
- It's not about what's objectively best or what's the highest rating somewhere online. It's about the games that have meant something to me over time.
- Food Chain Magnate is a brutally pure economic simulation about building a fast food empire.
- There's no randomness to hide behind. Success comes entirely from reading the table and executing better than your opponents.
- It's punishing, brilliant, and endlessly fascinating.
- Mechanically, it's a betting game, but emotionally it is pure chaos.
- It's incredibly energetic, which is something that you can't say about too many board games, which makes it incredibly memorable.
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Events — adds four new events to your game
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- everyone welcome to watch it played my name is Rodney Smith and in this video we're gonna take a look at some more promos from the BoardGameGeek store
- you're supporting BoardGameGeek you're supporting us here it's a win-win and you get cool promos so it's really a it's it's a win win win
- well this is a nifty penguin so there's not really an explanation required who wouldn't want a penguin
- no one actually knows how to pronounce that game name
- and I'm realizing now anyone who enjoys the way I say card in my videos probably quite enjoyed that explanation
- but unfortunately the promo box is empty
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
References (from this video)
- Cool theme
- Historical warfare
- Medieval England
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Asymmetric gameplay — Scramble to defend your home as English or gamble on invasion as the Vikings
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- We love trick taking games
- This game is so much freaking fun
- I adore GMT games, they are becoming one of my favorite game publishers
- If you remember Vast Crystal Caverns is in my top five games of all time
- We bloody love it
- We can't stop playing
- It's a blimp game not a train game
- That's just work
- I don't think I want to play it
- I'll get it eventually
References (from this video)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- It's quirky and it's different.
- It's the best one that's out there.
- In 20 years there will be so many better board games with virtual reality, but right now it's the best one that's out there.
- One map and you're racing to finish.
- This is a romantic comedy in a board game.
- Magic Maze is my number one game of 2017.
References (from this video)
- cooperative/team-based war game
- historical conflict between Vikings and English factions
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- I’m really excited to check this one out
- the Networks ... my most anticipated game
- box art ... London's Southbank
- the artwork is just phenomenal
- how the theme is brought to life through mechanics