Tailten Games of West Cork, Ireland offers a beautiful board game for two that tests the players’ battle strategies while creating artistic patterns of Celtic knots.
Tara: Ireland’s Royal Board Game was developed through play at a local pub in Clonakilty, West Cork, over several years, according to Skip Maloney. Then it was introduced in 2004 at a launch party at the pub that included Murray Heasman, the game’s developer, and some 200 locals, including actor Jeremy Irons. Within a year, the game had won awards in Ireland and Austria. Upon its introduction into the United States in 2006, it took Games Magazines’ top award for Best Abstract Strategy Game and has been praised for its originality, the range of variations on the game, and its beauty.
Game has origins in Irish history and Book of Kells
The game reflects a time in Irish history when there were many local kings — and one High King, whose seat of power was the Hill of Tara in County Meath. The power of local kings was determined by land holdings and thus skill in battle and negotiation were critical to success. The game likewise centers on gaining territory. But, of course, both players are bent on gaining territory on a fairly small board, so the play is a constant balance of offense and defense. Ringforts (the primary playing pieces) are placed, bridges are built, and kings are moved about all in the name of building kingdoms. And, in the process, the game board becomes an ever-changing series of Celtic knots, intertwining in and around the territories of the two players.
Playing “Stone of Destiny” to test the game
To try out the game, two friends and I got together — one friend as an opposing Irish king wannabe and one friend for comic relief, should it prove necessary. We commandeered a table at a local sandwich shop and began to figure out the game.
We picked what we hoped was the easiest of the 3 major game options, “Stone of Destiny,” and walked our way through the instructions. One of us plays board games regularly and is fairly accomplished at chess (ok — not I!). He caught on really quickly, but was kind enough to not stomp me into the ground. I caught on a bit more slowly, but began to catch glimmers of the strategy needed to hold my ground (literally!).
Play occurs in stages.
- First, the board is laid out one tile (ringfort) at a time, using “knight” rules from chess to determine how far from the opposing king each new ringfort must be.
- Then the “battle” begins. Each play consists of 3 steps: (1) remove an opponent’s ringfort, (2) replace it with one’s own, and (3) then build a bridge. It is the bridges that create the unique — and really cool — Celtic knotwork effect.
- Each player also has 5 chances to remove a bridge built by the opponent — the idea there is to drive wedges of your ringforts into their territory, breaking up their large kingdoms into smaller kingdoms while enlarging your own kingdoms.
Winning is based on who has the fewest kingdoms, in other words, the biggest ones! So size matters.
First impressions about playing the game
Our first game took much longer than the instructions suggested it should take because we spent time talking about the game itself as we played it.
My friend was intrigued enough to want to play again. His one concern was whether there was enough depth of strategy to make the game consistently interesting. Other people’s experience of the game, based on online accounts, suggests that there is depth aplenty for the truly strategic thinker.
I’m ready to play again, but not being a visual strategist, I know I will always play at a basic level — good enough to have fun against partners who play the game casually, but probably never good enough to be competitive against partners of the chess wizard/ backgammon champion sort.
What potential buyers of Tara need to know
The game is recommended for players from age 8 and up, but we felt that it might be a stretch for a typical 8-year-old (which may be why Barnes & Noble labels it for 12 and up). Also, the game requires continually removing and replacing pieces from the board, so a certain delicacy of movement is required.
The board itself is quite attractive with illustrations adapted from the Book of Kells by Dublin-born artist, Rachel Arbuckle. The playing pieces are plastic, which are a bit tacky looking, but they are a practical compromise from the original limestone pieces of the prototype!
The game is available in the U.K., Europe, and the U.S. in select stores (mostly myth-based game stores and Irish-themed gift stores) and through Barnes & Noble. The Tailten Games website has more information on the game with animated demonstrations of play as well as other games and puzzles by Murray Heasman and ordering options.The U.S. list price through Barnes & Noble is $29.95, which is somewhat lower than through the Tailten website.
The final word on Tara as a family board game
This would be a great buy for family members who enjoy strategic games like chess and backgammon as it offers a truly original and visually intriguing game with a variety of options for play.
**Tara: Ireland’s Royal Board Game was provided to the Untrained Housewife for review purposes.**
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