How To Play: Vikings

If you love vikings, islands, and the kind of board games that turn friends into enemies, you’re in the right place. I’ve wrangled my friends for another wild night of playing Vikings and now I’m here to share the best tactics I learned (and some I wish I’d known sooner). This guide includes a simple outline of the rules, plus the top strategies for winning.

Overview

What’s in the box

• 1 game board
• 78 tiles
• 8 ship tokens
• 60 meeples
• 5 scoring markers
• 5 player boards
• 1 round marker
• 68 coins
• 1 start player token
• 1 rulebook

How To Play Vikings: Rules Summary

Setup

1. Grab the game board and put it in the middle of the table. Make sure no one steals your snacks during setup.
2. Shuffle all the tiles. Place them in a stack, face-down, where everyone can reach (unless your cousin Dave has suspiciously long arms).
3. Each player picks a color and gets their matching viking meeples and scoring markers. No, you cannot mix colors, Becky.
4. Hand out an initial stash of coins to each player. Nobody gets a head start, even if they brought brownies.
5. Put the auction wheel where everyone can see it. Place the ship, island, and worker tiles nearby. You’re almost set!

Gameplay

1. Spin the auction wheel to reveal which tiles are available this round. Resist the urge to pretend it’s Wheel of Fortune.
2. Take turns, starting with the most recent person to have eaten pickled herring (or just pick randomly). On your turn, you can buy a tile-worker pair from the wheel, then place them on your board.
3. Keep building your island. Place tiles so that ships are on the sea row, islands connect, and workers stand where they belong. Don’t put a fisherman on a mountain, unless you want to lose friends.
4. Keep an eye on your coins! Once you run low, things get tense—and people remember whose turn it is much faster.
5. Repeat for several rounds, clearing and restocking the auction wheel each time.

Winning

1. Once all rounds are done, tally up your points for coins left, completed islands, and workers in the right spots.
2. Double-check you haven’t cheated with an extra tile under the table. (Looking at you, Uncle Ed!)
3. The player with the highest score wins and gets bragging rights until the next viking raid (or game night).

Special Rules & Conditions

1. If you ever have no legal spot to place a tile, you must discard it. But you still pay for it, so don’t get greedy!
2. If a ship attacks and you’re missing a swordsman, prepare to lose points. Hire more muscle next time.
3. Some tile-worker combos give you bonus coins or points. Don’t ignore them, unless you want to get laughed at in Old Norse.
4. At the end of the game, unconnected tiles or unemployed vikings lose you points. Vikings aren’t big fans of joblessness, apparently.

Now you know all the basics. For more tips, check my hilarious How To Play vikings strategy guide. Trust me, your friends will thank you—or at least send you less angry texts after the game.

Best Vikings Strategies

Mastering Smart Tile Placement in Vikings

When it comes to Vikings, you know your fate is sealed if you slap tiles on the board all willy-nilly. I once plopped a fisherman right next to a bunch of empty sea. Spoiler: He caught nothing but my shame. So let me save you from tile placement regret. Here’s how to flex your tile muscles and win.

Plan Ahead, Always

1. Check your future meeple spots with each new tile.
2. Visualize what each row needs so no tiles get wasted.

Block Rivals (With Style)

1. Notice what tiles your friends need and grab them first.
2. Build islands to stop others from finishing their own.

Leave Space for Expansion

1. Don’t cram your tiles together; gaps allow for stronger combos later.
2. Make sure each new tile leaves room for future men and boats.

Smart choices now make the end game a whole lot sweeter. That’s my secret (well, not anymore). For more, check my How To Play vikings guide and laugh at my mistakes!

Resource Juggling: Key to Crushing Vikings

Start Strong with Smart Spending

Always track your coins. If you run out, you’re stuck buying weak tiles or worse, nothing at all. Focus on these:

1. Buy cheap workers early, then splurge on specialists later.
2. Keep enough money for emergencies—trust me, you’ll need it!

Match Workers to Tasks

Never hoard workers. Vikings won’t wait! Instead:

1. Assign the right color worker to each tile fast.
2. Trade unwanted workers or use them for quick points.

React, Don’t Panic

Surprises are common. So, adapt! This helps you master How To Play vikings and win more often.

Score Big: The Secret To Crushing The Islands In Vikings

Snap Up The Right Tiles

First, aim for tiles that connect your islands and build them out fast. Every tile counts toward scoring, so choose wisely.

1. Pick tiles with crowns.
2. Avoid gaps between tiles.
3. Plan for full island chains.

Fill The Islands With The Right People

Next, place workers for maximum points. Crowns love company, after all.

1. Assign leaders to big islands.
2. Don’t waste fishermen on tiny isles.

Watch What Other Players Do

Lastly, keep an eye on your rivals! Block their big islands and make sure they can’t outscore you.

1. Steal key tiles before others.
2. React quickly if someone builds a big chain.

Now, if you want more tips on How To Play vikings, grab your friends and let the island scoring begin!

Conquer Like a True Viking!

So, there you have it! After a wild night of shouting, tile-grabbing, and a few suspicious trades, my friends and I agree—Vikings is all about smart moves and sneakiness. Balance your workers, plan those islands, and keep one eye on your rivals. With these tips, you’ll know How To Play vikings like a boss—or at least not get left behind in the fjords. Now go out there and claim your cardboard kingdom! Valhalla (and victory points) awaits!

Want to know what we think of Vikings? Read our detailed review of Vikings here