SLAGET VID NISSAN

A miniature tabletop game

Intro

"Harald and Svein first met as foes,
Where the Nis in the ocean flows;
For Svein would not for peace entreat,
But, strong in ships, would Harald meet.
The Norsemen prove, with sword in hand,
That numbers cannot skill withstand.
Off Halland's coast the blood of Danes
The blue sea's calm smooth surface stains."

From Heimskringla by Snorri Sturlason

Description

Slaget vid Nissan ("The Battle of Niså") was a naval battle fought on 9 August 1062 between the forces of Norwegian king Harald Hardrada and king Sweyn II of Denmark. Harald had claimed the Danish throne since 1047, and had launched raids into Denmark ever since.

With his invasion in 1062, he wanted to decisively defeat the Danes, and thus finally be able to conquer Denmark. The battle was won clearly by the Norwegians, but since many Danes managed to escape, including Sweyn, it proved indecisive in Harald's attempt to conquer Denmark.

With this tabletop miniatures game we're trying to recreate the battle itself, how it could have looked, and also if it could have ended in another way. The game will include a one-of-a-kind model of the coastal area outside of present-day city of Halmstad.

Example ship (please note that the final game will not contain any Uruk-hai)

Planned events

When the game is complete, we will display it at various places — both as a piece of art, and as an interactive installation that can be played by the public.

Hallands Kulturhistoriska Museum (Varberg)
Stadsbiblioteket i Halmstad + Nordisk Speldag
Dramalogen (Halmstad)
Kulturarvsdagen i Halland
Stadsbiblioteket i Laholm
Hallands Militärhistoriska Museum

If you know a good place for us to show the game, please get in touch.

Links

Our Discord Server

The Creators

The game is made by the following people:

Erik Fälth (miniature landscape builder)
Erik Svedäng (game designer)
Olof Hjalmar (illustrator)

with additional help and guidance from these fine folks: