THE GAME OF THE DRAGON and HNEFATAFL
... Dragon board artwork conceived and created by Katrina Faye Weidig
... Hnefatafl board design enhanced by Thomas Atkinson

Katrina is a many-talented young lady, as an artist, novelist, accountant, entertainer, and the Goose Mistress at our Maryland Renaissance Festival pavilion, where she teaches visitors how to play the Royal Game of the Goose, a game that dates back to the actual Renaissance and, as we learned later, derives from a 3,500-year-old game found on an ancient artifact, the Phaistos Disk.

After many years of working with the Goose game, Katrina was inspired to create a Dragon version, showing adorable baby dragons instead of geese. Her version is played by the same rules as the original, and the beautiful board is in the same finely crafted quality as the Goose version. For the Dragon game, we add 8 custom-made, miniature dragons perched on colorful bases. For 2 to 8 players, with wooden dice and a supply of marbles for playing the game on the reverse, the ancient Viking game of Hnefatafl. The rule book contains historical notes and directions for both games. The Game of the Dragon will be the crown jewel of your game collection, and the board can even adorn a wall. $250

Printed in Europe, this historical 32-card deck is based on the legend of William Tell. The exquisite artistry of the card designs makes playing with them a visual treat, once you get used to the unusual suits: hearts, grapeleaves, pumpkins and acorns. Play Euchre, Skat, Schafskopf, and other classic games detailed in Hoyle's. Our booklet describes further games not readily found in English-language rulebooks, plus vintage Solitaires. Supplied in tapestry cloth or leather-like bag. For 1 to 4 players, ages 8 to adult. (Shipping discount) $19

The 7 finely handcrafted wood pieces, not the same as tangram tiles, form 101 puzzle shapes. We reconstructed them from figures found with an antique set originally published in 1891 in anchorstone by the German company, F.A. Richter. The pieces are great for improvising new designs. Their proportions are related to angles of squares and octagons, but the pie-shaped piece tends to be troublesome. Green felt drawstring storage pouch included. Wood grain may vary. For ages 8 to adult. $39

By popular demand, we produced a handcrafted wood Nine Men's Morris board in a popular 11½" size. The board is laser-engraved with the classic Morris squares and a handsome Celtic knot border design. This was an instant hit at our Renaissance booth. On the flip side is the traditional Fox and Geese grid that also serves for a jumping solitaire puzzle. Drawstring pouch holds the black and white go stones that look and feel so right with this board. For 1 or 2 players, ages 6 to adult. $65

Rules of play

These cheerful-looking, 3" handpainted acrylic disks, numbered 1 to 6, serve several classic peg, coin and disk puzzles such as the famous Tower of Brahma where you move disks one by one from one stack to another, never putting a larger number on top of a smaller. Best score: 63 moves. Or try Leapfrog, swapping 3 disks per side with only one spare space. Or change a triangle into a circle in just 4 moves. Form polyomino shapes so every row of numbers gives the same sum, or all-different sums. "Vertical Tic-Tac-Toe" is a new twist on a classic game, played on a 1x3 board. Two engraved vinyl game mats roll up for storage in velvet drawstring pouch. Designs and colors may vary. Fun for ages 6 to adult, 1 or 2 players.$35

Our unique Six Disks game becomes even more fun with these lively little characters wearing the numbers 1 through 6. Individually handpainted; colors and poses may vary. Click them for a larger view. For ages 6 to adult, 1 or 2 players.$35

This card game of time travel is Andy Looney's masterpiece in a series of game hits, including Icehouse, Fluxx and Aquarius. Players are time travelers with a secret Mission, a secret Identity, and the very important job of Paradox Repair. Win 3 ways:  fix enough paradoxes, or gather 3 rare artifacts listed on your mission card, or adjust history in 3 ways to allow your character to return home. The gameboard is a layout of 32 cards, the TimeLine, which tracks the constant changes in history and plotlines. Totally absorbing as players get into their roles and alternate realities. 136 cards, 1 to 6 players, 20-45 minutes' playing time, ages 11 to adult. $20

Add to your order Chrononauts is a trademark of Looney Laboratories.

Sorry, sold out—we're trying to find more! This thoroughly researched book is generously illustrated with artwork of old-time gameboards and folks at play. It's a gold mine of lore on ancient games and how to play them, a good resource for Renaissance studies for individuals and classrooms. Spiral-bound, 203 pages. Here is the full table of contents.