Faire season is upon us, and if you have ever walked out of a Renaissance faire with a leather mug, a bag of kettle corn, and a vague plan to "get more into games," this guide is for you. At Ancient.Games we spend our days building the same kinds of boards people were hunched over in Viking halls, Egyptian courts, and German taverns centuries ago — handcrafted in wood, sized to travel, and made to actually be played rather than admired on a shelf. Below is a gift guide organized the honest way: by budget, so you can find the right piece whether you are shopping for a curious kid, a hardcore strategist, or the friend who already owns three swords.
A quick note on prices — because every board is handmade to order, exact totals shift with wood, size, and personalization options. The figures below are starting points as of this writing; the product pages have the live details.
Under $40: Souvenirs, Stocking Stuffers, and First Games
These are the pieces to hand a newcomer — small, forgiving, and easy to say yes to.
- Roll-Up Hnefatafl (Viking Chess) — from about $29. Hnefatafl is the Norse "king's table," an asymmetric battle where a small band of defenders tries to escort its king to the edge while a larger force closes in. This roll-up version packs into a bag, which makes it the perfect thing to actually bring to the faire.
- Marbles Solitaire — from about $36. Peg solitaire has been documented since the 1600s in the French court, and it is still the best "sit quietly and think" game we know. We personalize it, which turns a quiet puzzle into a keepsake.
- Wooden Memory Game — about $17. For the littlest squires. No rules to teach, no pieces to lose behind the couch.
$40 to $80: The Sweet Spot
This is where most faire-goers land — a real, heirloom-quality game that will not empty the coin purse.
- Shut the Box — about $50. A tavern dice game of pure "press your luck." You will hear stories tying it to medieval Norman fishermen, but that origin is folklore rather than documented fact — what is true is that it has been a pub favorite for generations, and it plays beautifully with a drink in hand. (If you want the deeper story of dice, see our post on dice and knucklebones.)
- Mancala — about $55. One of the oldest and most widespread game families on earth, played across Africa and Asia for centuries. The "sowing" mechanic — scooping seeds and dropping them one pit at a time — is easy to learn and genuinely deep. Read the full story in our Mancala history and rules.
- Fox and Geese — from about $60. A medieval European hunt game where one lone fox tries to break through a flock of geese that is slowly trying to pen it in. It is asymmetric, tense, and a natural crowd-pleaser at a faire table. Here is how to play Fox and Geese.
- Glückshaus (House of Fortune) — about $75. If any game earns the "Renaissance faire" label outright, it is this one: a German dice-and-betting game that lit up taverns from the Renaissance onward. Everyone antes into numbered "rooms," and the dice decide who pays and who collects. Loud, social, and period-perfect.
- Fidchell — about $75. The legendary Celtic "wood-wisdom" game named in Irish myth. We are straight with you here: the original rules are genuinely lost, so our set plays a careful modern reconstruction in the spirit of the sources. The full, honest story is in our Fidchell post.
- Hnefatafl Playable Wall Art — about $60. A gift that hangs on the wall as Norse decor and comes down as a working game. Perfect for the friend whose home is already half longhouse.
$80 and Up: Centerpieces and Splurges
For the person who will keep this game on the table for the next twenty years.
- Senet — about $100. The oldest game on this list by a wide margin — ancient Egyptians were playing Senet roughly 5,000 years ago, and boards were buried in tombs to see players into the afterlife. Our replica comes with a storage drawer. Learn its story in how to play Senet.
- Handcrafted Backgammon — from about $85. The classic race game, with roots reaching back through the Roman and Persian worlds. A custom-engraved 18-inch board is the kind of gift that gets played on a porch for a lifetime. The full lineage is in our backgammon history and rules.
- Glass Viking Chess (Hnefatafl Special Edition) — about $80. The showpiece take on the Norse king's table, complete with a long-boat token holder. For the tafl fan who wants something with real presence.
- 11×11 Hnefatafl with Free Personalization — from about $64. A larger, deeper battlefield with board-size and token options, engraved with a name of your choosing. Build it up and it becomes a true splurge; keep it simple and it stays surprisingly affordable.
- Tak — from about $83. Full honesty, because that is how we do things: Tak is a modern game, born out of Patrick Rothfuss's fantasy novels, not an ancient one. But its medieval-fantasy soul and beautiful road-building play make it a favorite among the exact crowd that loves a good faire — so it earns its spot here.
How to Shop the Faire (and Beyond)
A few field notes for gifting historical games well. First, match the game to the person, not the price tag — a $29 roll-up Hnefatafl that gets played weekly is a better gift than a $100 showpiece that sits in a box. Second, asymmetric games travel best socially: Fox and Geese and Hnefatafl pit one clever underdog against a crowd, which draws spectators in fast. Third, if the person on your list loves the story as much as the play, pair the board with the matching post from our blog so they can read the real history behind it.
Everything here is handcrafted to order, so if faire weekend is coming up fast, check the lead time on the product page before you commit. You will also find many of these boards in our Etsy shop, Klever-N-Krafty, if that is where you prefer to check out.
Ready to give a game with a few centuries of history behind it? Explore our full collection of handcrafted ancient and medieval games at Ancient.Games.