Hedeby - Prosperity in the Viking Age
In 808 A.D. the Danish King Gudfred sacked the Slavic town of Reric located on the Southern coast of the Baltic Sea. After destroying the port, the tradesmen and craftsmen of the town were relocated to the young, Danish city of Hedeby on the Jutland Peninsula. In only a few short years, Hedeby rose to be the largest trading city on Viking trade routes and dominated the Baltic Sea.
Players take on the roles of the Danish jarls (noblemen) in the city of Hedeby. You will be recruiting laborers, crafting ships, and building structures in an effort to make your district more prestigious than your opponents. You may contract land to produce goods and build markets, churches, and other useful buildings that will help you sell your goods, recruit more labor, and build more noteworthy structures. In the end, the jarl with the most prestigious district wins.
Hedeby is a light European style game that should play in under an hour. With more than four players, it can take a little extra time. Setup is quick and is never the same twice. The play is quite a bit like your favorite deckbuilding games, but with a handful of dice instead of shuffling decks. As you progress through the game, buying more expensive buildings, you will begin to take charge of the randomness of the rolls. You can focus on building the most buildings and buildings or gaining the most favor from the gods for alternate paths to victory.
