Awithlaknakwe

Awithlaknakwe also known as the Game of the Stone Warriors is an abstract strategy game from the Zuni Native American Indians of the American Southwest. It can be played as a two-player game or a four player game with East, West, North, and South players. The board is very large. One of the largest game boards in history. The game was described by Stewart Culin in his book Games of the North American Indians (1893). It was also included in Board and Table Games from Many Civilization by R.C. Bell (1969).

Goal

Two-Player Game: To bring one's pieces to the other player's rank, and to capture as many of the other player's pieces. However, the rules to this ancient game is incomplete, and the winning parameters are not completely defined. Please see the Incomplete Rules section regarding this issue. Four-Player Game: East and West partner up with each other against North and South. Again, please see the Incomplete Rules section regarding this issue.

Equipment

The board is a 12 x 12 square grid with 6 extra squares centered on each of the four sides of the board which makes for 168 squares with left and right diagonal lines running through each of them. Each player has six normal pieces, and a seventh piece called the Priest of the Bow which is larger than the others. For two players, one player plays black, and another plays the white pieces. However, any two colors will suffice. The same applies to four players where each player plays pieces of their own color.

Rules and Game Play

1. When the game is played by two players, each player sits on opposite sides of the board. One player plays the white pieces, and the other player plays the black pieces.

2. The six normal pieces are initially placed at the six squares nearest the player (in this article the six squares will be called the home rank).

3. The pieces move diagonally one space at a time. They can only move forward.

4. Enemy pieces can be captured through the custodian method; two pieces flank both sides of an adjacent enemy piece from a diagonal position. Captured pieces are removed from the board.

5. The first enemy piece captured is removed, but is replaced with the Priest of the Bow. The Priest of the Bow can move orthogonally (right, left, and straight forward) as well as diagonally. However, it cannot move backwards. The Priest of the Bow either replaced the captured piece on the same spot, or was introduced at the player's home rank. No account specifically clarifies this.

Incomplete Rules

The general goal for a two-player game is for one player to bring their pieces to the other player's home rank, and capture as many of the other player's pieces along the way as described by Stewart Culin and R.C. Bell . However, there is no specific description as to how a player can win. One could conjecture that the total number of pieces that reaches the other's players home rank and the number of pieces captured are totaled to determine who the winner is. The same problem applies to the four-player game.

Also, the Priest of the Bow either replaced the captured piece on the same spot, or was introduced at the player's home rank, or introduced somewhere else on the board. No account specifically clarifies this.

It is also unknown which player traditionally starts first, or how the first player is chosen, but it seems that the game does not require any one particular player to start first.

External Links

http://books.google.com/books?id=IyFHvy-SCIYC&pg=PA227&lpg=PA227&dq=awithlaknakwe&source=web&ots=jGwpaR329A&sig=PnynaI95v9J-sq4p5ikklJ5IJ9c&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result#PPA227,M1

http://www.quadibloc.com/other/bo0104.htm

http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/34481