HIRÞ

HIRÞ (pronounced hɪrð, i.e. with a th-sound as in "the" at the end) is a 2-player strategy game that is designed by Jon Manker, to look, feel and play like a game from the Viking times.

HIRÞ has been thoroughly tested and iterated over the course of several years of development. It is easy to learn but has depth and plays well with both experienced and inexperienced boardgamers.

Gameplay
In HIRÞ you take the role of a Viking king, or Lofðungr. The back story is that two Lofðungr (Viking leaders) fight for control in an archipelago. The Lofðungr are on the battlefield themselves (of course) along with their closest warriors, called Hirþ, and their boats, called Karve. The land is represented by a board with 11 squares. Each turn you make 5 moves with your pieces. Available moves are: entering the board, entering or exiting a Karve (the boat) and moving between squares on the board. You are the winner of the game if you, at the end of your turn: control the 5 middle squares of the board OR if you have forced the opposing player's Lofðungr off the board.

Review
Amelia Laughlan from Another Dungeon writes:
"For an abstract strategy game, Hɪrð is impressively immersive. The aesthetics and design of the gameplay work very effectively to build Hɪrð’s Viking theme./.../ the ability to communicate a theme this strongly through gameplay, rather than visuals (as most games tend to do) is a truly commendable feat./.../Gameplay wise, Hɪrð is hard to fault. Playing the preview copy of Hɪrð did not at all feel like playtesting an idea that was only recently conceived. Instead, it felt like the end result of careful design and a hell of a lot of testing. /.../
Hɪrð is highly immersive, tactical, feels balanced, and, most importantly, is fun. While many games boast strategic depth, few are able to pair it with simple rules and a strong theme as effortlessly as Hɪrð feels to. Hɪrð achieves this balance better than any Kickstarter or preview tabletop title I have played or tested this year."

Here's the entire review:

http://www.anotherdungeon.com/h%C9%AArd-kickstarter-preview/