Don't fall in the Mead Hall

Not all of the stereotypes about Vikings were true. They were more settlers than they were raiders, for instance. They bathed more than most of their European peers, and were quite fond of jewelry and fancy duds. One thing continues to hold true though. They loved to party, and would often hold feasts in mead halls (community longhouses) that lasted many days. The primary drink at these feasts was mead (honey wine or beer), and competitions were held to see who could hold their drink the longest while remaining standing and spouting poetry eloquently (yes, Vikings were some of the earliest poets). In Don’t Fall in the Mead Hall, players emulate a host of Vikings drinking the night away in a mead hall. Although drinking while playing is encouraged, this is more of a party game with a fair share of strategy than it is a straight-up drinking game. Each player controls a table that starts with four Vikings (multi-colored pawns). A six-sided die is placed on the table with the number “1” facing up. This is the drunk die or “Odin’s Breathalyzer.” After each player rolls a 20-sided die to determine initiative for the round, they then take turns rolling the action die. The results of the action die vary from taking a drink, to sending a drink to another table, to calling out a “skal” (toast) to cause all of the tables to drink, to throwing a chair at another table, to challenging another Viking at the battle mat. Each drink the Vikings at your table take causes the drunk die to move up by one. Taking a drink while the die is on six will result in a passed out Viking. The player lays that Viking on its side by the table (that Viking is out of the game), then sets the drunk die back to one. Vikings are also out of the game if they lose at the battle mat. Battle is performed by rolling the attack dice. Either one player wins, both players get knocked down, or nothing happens (two blanks are rolled) because the Vikings are too drunk to fight. Additionally, Vikings will move from table to table for various reasons depending on the die roll. Players do not have ultimate control over any of the Vikings but rather control a table. Once all of their Vikings have passed out, been knocked out, or have moved onto another table, they are out of the game. They still have a chance to get back in the game if gameplay results in a Viking being sent back to their empty table. The player controlling the table with the last Viking standing in the mead hall is the winner. Contains small parts for easy traveling (but not for swallowing!). Bring it with you wherever you go and play it anywhere.