Izdari
"A few minutes to learn, a lifetime to master," the wizened Muark
woman creaks, moving her black onyx templar forward. The child
across from her nods, studying the board. Would it be better to advance
a dune and let the archer crouch in its shadow? Or perhaps slide a
halfling forward, to nibble at that group of lizards on the left hand
side of the board? A small crease forms between his dark brows as he
regards the game.
The game Izdari originated among the desert traders, and the name
itself is the Cavilish term for trade-war. Played on a board of ten
squares by ten squares, the game features the following pieces:
Halfling (2 per side):
Halflings move three squares slantwise.
Archer (2 per side):
An archer moves 2 squares at a time, in any direction. Instead of moving,
it can fire at any piece more than six squares away from it, destroying that
piece, with the exception of a wagon.
Wagon (1 per side):
A wagon can move any direction. If it lands on a square occupied by a
piece of its own color, it can choose to take that piece on board as a
passenger. A wagon can hold up to three pieces. When the player wishes
to retrieve a piece from the wagon, he or she can choose to have the piece
exit the wagon, moving normally with the wagon's square as its starting
square.
Dune (4 per side):
A dune moves a single square at a time, and can never be destroyed.
Pieces can move through dunes of their own color, but not through the
opponent's dune. Archers cannot shoot through dunes.
Templar (1 per side):
A templar can move one or two squares in any direction and upon stopping,
can choose to destroy any piece adjacent to it.
Lizard (3 per side):
Lizards move any direction slantwise, but must move at least two squares.
Knight (3 per side):
Knights move two squares in any direction, and then can move another
square, again in any direction.
Players alternate moving, with white traditionally starting first.
One piece at a time is moved. The object is to take your opponent's wagon.
Different variants of initial set-up exist, but the most traditional is this:
The row closest to the player, going left to right:
Templar Knight Knight Archer Dune Dune Archer Lizard Lizard Wagon
The row just beyond that holds:
Knight Halfling Dune empty empty empty empty Dune Halfling Lizard
Variant: Assassin's Izdari
Assassin's Izdari is an Izdari variant that has recently surfaced
among Izdari aficionados. It is uncertain where the variant was invented, or
by whom, though popular rumors holds it to have come also from the Tan Muark,
as did the original rules. It is much favored by wage-makers and gamesmasters
over standard izdari, as it provides both a faster game and a more cohesive
test of strategy than its predecessor.
Assassin's Izdari is often said to simulate the powerplay between two
great Sorceror-Kings, with one player adopting the Southland armies of Allanak
and the other the Northland armies of Tuluk. Individual players tend to claim
their own particular banner before the game, and defend it vigorously both
on the board and off...
### RULESET for Assassin's Izdari:
# BOARD: Board dimensions in Assassin's Izdari are 8x8, rather than 10x10.
# SETUP: Starting piece arrangement is as shown below.
---------------------------------------------------------------
8 | ASSN | WAGON | ARCHR | LIZ | LIZ | ARCHR | TMPLR | ASSN |
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
7 | HALF | DUNE | DUNE | | | DUNE | DUNE | HALF |
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
6 | | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
5 | | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
4 | | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
3 | | | | | | | | |
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
2 | half | dune | dune | | | dune | dune | half |
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
1 | assn | tmplr | archr | liz | liz | archr | wagon | assn |
---------------------------------------------------------------
a b c d e f g h
# OBJECT: The game ends when one player's TEMPLAR is assassinated (ie. taken)
# GAME PLAY: The Southlands (or the bottom side) takes the first turn. On each
turn, the acting player may move 1 piece 1 time.
The turn alternates between Northlands and Southlands sides.
# MOVING PIECES: {h|v = horizontal or vertical}
ARCHERS: may move 1 square h|v OR fire if a valid target exists
*ASSASSINS: may move UP TO 3 squares h|v, and can CHANGE DIRECTION
at each new square!
DUNES: may move 1 square h|v.
HALFLINGS: may move UP TO 3 squares slantwise.
LIZARDS: may move AT LEAST 2 squares slantwise.
TEMPLARS: may move 0 or 1 squares h|v, AND "slay" (take) a non-DUNE
enemy piece adjacent (h|v) to themselves at the end of
their move, without occupying its square.
WAGONS: may move UP TO 5 squares h|v. {see also: "wagon rules"}
* Only assassins may change directions during their move. Any other piece
capable of moving several squares, including the wagon, must move in
a straight line.
** "UP TO x" means at least 1, up to and including x squares.
# TAKING PIECES:
DUNES can never take, nor be taken by any piece, or otherwise get
removed from play. Thus, a piece may never cross over a DUNE, begin, or
end their move in the same square occupied by a DUNE.
ASSASSINS, HALFLINGS, LIZARDS and TEMPLARS take (ie. "kill", remove from
play) any other opposing piece if they end their move on the same
square as that piece. TEMPLARS may also "slay" adjacent pieces
at the end of their move {see above.}
WAGONS can never take a piece; thus wagons can never move though an
*opponents* pieces.
ARCHERS canNOT take pieces by landing on them. However, instead of
moving an archer may "fire" on any opposing piece, other than DUNES or
the WAGON, which is AT LEAST 2 squares away in UNBLOCKED line of
sight. (ie. h|v, OR slantwise). That piece is thusly taken.
# WAGON RULES:
+ WAGONS may hold UP TO 3 pieces within them at any one time.
+ TEMPLARS and DUNES may never be loaded onto the WAGON; thus, the
WAGON may never move through (past) your own DUNES or TEMPLAR.
+ WAGONS may load or unload pieces along their path freely during their
alloted move. The only strictures are that the WAGON may never
contain more than 3 pieces at once, and the WAGON and an
unloaded piece cannot occupy the same square at the end of its turn.
(ie. there must be room to load that piece, and it must be on-board)
+ Pieces thus exit the WAGON either by being unloaded during ITS move,
OR if the wagon is NOT moving this turn, may exit from its
squaremaking THEIR move as normal.
+ ARCHERS may NOT "fire" out from within the WAGON.
Compiled by Sanvean, Assassin's Izdari written by Branchala.
© 2000 Armageddon MUD. All rights reserved.
