Tékumel Board Games: Monyalmó of Sa’á Allaqí

(Onitama is a game designed by Shimpei Sato; this is an adaptation of it to the world of Tèkumel.)

Monyalmó is a popular game in Sa’á Allaqí and the lands north around Salarvyá. It originates from Lake Parunál and is still popular around there. It is a mark of intelligence there to be able to play the game without needing the 'wind' pieces (below), and the phrase, "to play only with names", denoting someone who is alert and competent, refers to the game this way.

It is played on a board with 5x5 grid of peg holes for the pieces. The center holes on the two players' home rows are specially marked and are called houses.

 

Each player has 5 pegs of two types: 4 boats and 1 barge. These are arranged on the player's back row with the elder in the middle, in that player's house.

The game also uses 16 other marked stones, the 'winds'. Each bears a different symbol that represents how they allow a piece to move, and is known by a different name (not presented here). At the beginning of the game 5 winds are chosen at random and the remaining 11 are put away. Each player gets 2 winds and the fifth is put in the middle. When playing without the wind stones, the challenging player picks two winds to start with the challengee, and then the challengee accepts by picking two winds for the challenger and a middle wind.

On a player's turn they pick one of their 2 winds. They then move one of their pieces according to that wind. These moves are also capturing moves, and any piece may capture any opponent piece.

The used wind is then swapped with the center wind. Thus, any wind played will end up in the opponent's hand.

The game is won by capturing the opponent's barge, or by moving one's own barge into the opponent's house.