Tekumel Board Games: Changakárnikh of Tsoliyánu

(Magical Athlete is a roll-and-move board game designed by Takashi Ishida. This is an adaptation of the game to the world of Tékumel.)

Changakárnikh is a race game played by from 3 to 6 players. It is popular as a casual game in many clanhouses, but in the gambling houses of the big cities it is serious endeavor, always played with 4 players, and with scheduled play times and a vigorous side-betting world, similar to other race game gambling. Entry fees can be quite high and so most players are sponsored.

The game is said to represent the progress of sages towards a holy mountain, but it is also interpreted as a game representing the striving of political parties. In many rich clan houses one can probably find an old set of this game with pieces carved in caricature of political figures long forgotten.

The game uses a board of 30 spaces, five across and six tall. The bottom row of 5 spaces are often numbered 1-5 in small numerals. The upper 5x5 area of the path is often a pattern, usually meant to highlight the center piece and corners.

The board is understood as a spiral track going along the bottom row (called the village), then entering the 5x5 space (the mountain) and spiraling in towards the central space, called the threshold.

In the most stable Jakálla version of the game there are 25 unique pieces, each with special rules. Regional variations are common, however; more than one traveler has been surprised to discover that the local rules use different pieces.

The game also employs a single six-sided die and score markers. There is usually an officiant too; even in street games a trustworthy person will be found. In clan houses the role is often given to children.

Play

A first player and player order is determined. This is usually done by dicing.

The game has two phases, a draft called the parade where players assemble a team of 5 pieces, and then the races themselves.

In the parade, starting with the first player, a piece is added to the '4' spot of the board. If there is a piece there, it is bumped down to the '3', etc. If a piece is bumped off the '1' spot, the player must take it and play passes on and another piece is drawn. Otherwise, the player has the option to 'buy' any of the pieces onto his team, paying the price of the space the piece is on. When a player has their full team they are out of the draft.

This process leaves five pieces undrafted; they are moved off the board and out of play.

The pieces are bought with "shares", each player receiving 8. Sometimes this is the buy-in money itself. Unused shares are lost or still contributed to the pot anyway; it is seen as skillful to spend exactly one's shares.

Then play proceeds in a series of 5 races, where each race is between a single piece from the team of each player. In each race the first-place winner of the previous race goes last.

At the start of each race, payers pick a piece to compete in the race and hold it out, hidden in their clasped hands, and all simultaneously reveal them. Then play goes around. In normal play, the player simply rolls the die and moves their piece that number of spaces. On a player's first turn, the piece enters play on the number space of their order entering the race (eg the 3rd player to go receives, in effect, a 2-space handicap).

Pieces move around the track. When a piece would move one space past the threshold, it finishes the race and is moved out of play (and can have no more effect on play). Play goes on until first and second place finishers have been determined. First place receives 2/3/4/5/6 points depending on which race is being run, and second place receives two fewer points than first place.

Races are repeated until the players have raced all their pieces.

At the end of the final race the pot is usually split with first place scorer getting one half, second place getting one third, and third place getting one sixth.

The Pieces

This is the Jakálla set of pieces. Those marked with (f) are considered 'female' which matters for one of the pieces.

1. The Assassin. After the parade but before play, this piece may name any piece. That piece is removed from play and replaced with a different dead piece.
2. The Elder. After being revealed as the chosen piece to play, the Elder may be swapped with another piece from the player's team.
3. The Matron (f). After the reveal (and the Elder's play, if any), the player of the Matron secretly names another piece in the race as their ward. This can be written down or whispered into the officiant's ear. If that named piece comes in first place the Matron automatically comes in second place.
4. The Aridáni (f). Instead of rolling to move this piece can simply move ahead 5 spaces.
5. The Consort (f). Whenever a die is rolled 6, this piece moves forward a space.
6. The Hundred-Times Blessed Princess (f). Advances 1 space whenever another player uses their special ability. This is said to be limited to 100 times in a game, which only matters for infinite loops.
   
7. The Glorious Princess (f). At start of turn, all pieces are moved one space towards this piece simultaneously. Only those entering the space of the socialite herself count as 'landing on' other pieces.
8. The Ambitious Princess (f). Any piece that lands with her or she lands on, she may make them rest their next turn.
9. The Widow (f). When another character overtakes her (moves from a space behind her to a space ahead of her in one turn) she can cause them to rest their next turn. She must move back 1 space after.
   
10. The Matchmaker. Whenever a female piece lands on a non-female piece, this piece advances 5 spaces.
11. The Ahoggyá. This piece can never share a space with another piece. If that would happen, the other pieces are placed back one space and assumed to never have landed on the Ahoggyá at all.
    
12. The Boisterous Prince. The movement dice of other players are reduced by 1, to a minimum of 1, as if that was the natural roll. This power is assumed to be used unless the player declares otherwise just before another's movement roll.
    
13. The Ill-Omened Prince. May cancel another pieces power at any time as it is used, but that piece may move ahead one space. May not be used on the Ahoggyá or the Glorious Princess. 
14. The Pé Chói. When it moves it may skip over spaces containing other pieces.
15. The Adviser. When another player rolls a 1 on a movement roll, their piece does not move, and the Adviser moves 1 space instead.
16. The Spiteful Prince. After it moves, for each piece overtaken during the move (i.e. moved from behind to ahead) this piece may send them back 1 space.
17. The Philosopher. When it lands or or is landed on, this piece may demand an argument from another piece. The players both roll a die; high roll wins and ties go to the philosopher. The winning piece advances 2 spaces. No special powers 'see' the roll off dice.
18. The Kind-Hearted Prince. May advance the last place piece(s) ahead 2 spaces. If this is done, this piece moves ahead one space.
19. The Scheming Prince. Instead of rolling to move, the player may roll a die, move another piece back that many space, then advance this piece one space.
20. The Governor. Instead of rolling to move, may move to the square of any piece, then move that piece to this piece's previous square.
21. The Healthy Prince. May reroll the movement die but must take the second roll. No other piece 'sees' the first roll.
22. The Late-Born Prince. When it enters place, another player is named, and one of their score points is taken and transferred to this player.
23. The Companion. When sharing space with another piece, before that other piece rolls to move, the player may declare they are moving with that piece. Then when the other piece moves this piece moves along with them (or right after them, for purposes of who finishes first.)
24. The Lover. At the start of this piece's turn, it may move any other piece to its space.
25. The General. When this piece's player rolls a 1 or 2 on a movement roll, this piece may move 4 spaces instead.