Viking: Tactical Warfare in the Dark Ages, 700-1300

About this board game

Viking: Tactical Warfare in the Dark Ages, 700-1300 is a two-player tactical wargame with an approximately 120-minute play time, covering conflicts from AD 637 through AD 1250.

Part of SPI’s PRESTAGS series, the game uses a common rules framework shared with Chariot, Spartan, Legion, and Yeoman. Each title also includes exclusive rules designed to highlight features of warfare from its historical period.

With 400 counters, Viking presents a broad selection of engagements involving Vikings, Franks, Anglo-Saxons, Byzantines, Normans, Arabs, Crusaders, and other forces of the era. The scenarios span the Dark Ages and medieval period, from the seventh century to the thirteenth.

The battles included are:

• Qadisiya, Tours, and Constantinople
• Paris, Lourain, Hamburg, and Balthusta
• Clontarf, Cannae II, Civitate, and Cerami
• Stamford Bridge, Hastings, Manzikert, and Durazzo
• Dorylaeum, Hattin, Liegnitz, and El Mansura

These scenarios feature matchups such as Persians against Arabs, Vikings against Franks, Byzantines against Varangians, Normans against Anglo-Saxons, and Mongols against Germans. Together, they give Viking a wide historical range within a single tactical game.

Released in 1975, Viking offers a focused way for two players to explore a substantial set of historical battles through SPI’s shared PRESTAGS system and its period-specific rules.