Winter Solstice Gaming Tournaments

[Matthew Allen Newsome <mnewsome@warren-wilson.edu>]

Poster: Matthew Allen Newsome <mnewsome@warren-wilson.edu>

Greetings and well mot everychon on this brisk winter's day from Eogan Og!
I bring you news of two gaming tournaments to be held at Winter Solstice 
in Bealfire Dunn, Gluckshaus, and King's Table.
The first tournament will be Gluckshaus.
Gluckshaus (or "House of Luck") is a very simple German gambling game 
from the 13th century (it was still being played in this century in some 
parts of Germany).  The rules are very simple:  there is a board wiht 
squares numbered 2 through 12.  You have two dice.  You have monies.  You 
roll the dice.  You find the square with teh corresponding number.  Is it 
empty?  Then put mony on it.  Does it already have mony on it?  Then take 
it off.  These are the rules.  There are only 4 exceptions to these 
rules.  The first is teh number 4.  There is no number 4 on the board.  
If you roll a 4 you skip your turn.  The next is the number 7.  The 
number 7 space on the board is called Hoch Ziet (or "Wedding").  You 
cannot take money off of the Wedding square if you roll a 7.  You only 
put mony on this square.  The next special number is 2.  The 2 square is 
called Gluckswein (or "Lucky Pig").  If you roll the lucky pig then you 
get to take all the money on the board (except for what is on the 7 
square).  The last special number is the 12.  This square is called Konig 
(or "King").  If you roll the King, then you get to take ALL the money on 
the board, including what is on the 7 square.  Is good to be the king!
The Gluckshaus table will be open all day.  Simply come by, sign up, and 
you will receive ten tokens to use as your "money" for the day.  You can 
come by and play at teh table whenever you want and for as long as you 
want.  Whoever has the most "money" at the end of teh day will receive 
the PRIZE (oooo!  ahhhh!), a leather game board!  Copies of the rules and 
demonstrations of the game will be available at the Gluckshaus table.

KING'S TABLE:
This will be a single elimination strategy game tourney.  All games will 
be from the Hnefatafl ("King's Table") family of games.  Versions of 
these games were popular in Europe throughout the Middle Ages.  They were 
played and spread to other cultures by the Vikings.  Records of the game 
exist among the German tribes of 200 B.C.  It is most likely a variant of 
the Roman gmae Latrunculi ("soldiers").  The basic rules for all 
Hnefatafl games are the same.  The variation is mainly in board size and 
number of peices.  This tourney will feature a 7x7 version (Fichneil), a 
9x9 version (Tablut), a 13x13 version (Tawlbyund), and a 19x19 version 
(Alea evangeli). Here are the basic rules for the games, followed by the 
set-up for the 7x7 version.

This game is played between a King and his Defenders, and the opposing 
Attackers.  The defender's objective is to get the king safely off the 
board.  The attacker's objective is to prevent this from happening, by 
capturing the king.
Each player may move one peice per turn.  Moves are made as the rook in 
chess (any number of spaces, horizontaly or vertically).
Captures are made by surrounding an opposing peice on two sides, either 
along the horizontal or vertical.  This move must be completed by the 
person making the capture.  A peice can move between two opposing peices 
and not be captured.  The king must be surrounded on all four sides to be 
taken.
The center peice, where the King starts off play is the Throne.  Only the 
King may occupy, or pass over the throne.  When the King is not on the 
throne, it serves as an opposing peice for either side in captures.  Thus 
a peice can be trapped between an opposing peice and the throne.  This 
even applies to the King!  The King can be trapped between three opposing 
peices and his own throne.

Here is the layout for the 7x7 version, Fichneil
 - - - - - - -
|a| |a|a|a| |a|
 - - - - - - -
| | | |d| | | |
 - - - - - - -
|a| | |d| | |a|
 - - - - - - -
|a|d|d|K|d|d|a|
 - - - - - - -
|a| | |d| | |a|
 - - - - - - -
| | | |d| | | |
 - - - - - - -
|a| |a|a|a| |a|
 - - - - - - -

THERE ARE VARIATIONS ON THESE RULES.  However, these are the rules I will 
be using in the tournament.  Before the tournament begins, in the 
morning, I will hold a class ion how to play these games.  Everyone is 
welcome to attend, but if you want to compete in the tournament YOU MUST 
ATTEND, EVEN IF YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW TO PLAY.  This is to assure that we 
are all playing by the same rules, and to give me a number of 
participants, so I can plan around that.

If anyone has any questions about either of these games, or would like 
further information, please feel free to email me.  I hope to see you all 
there, and ready to game!
Aye,
Laird Eogan Og MacLaren


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