Dubh Solus

This board game is a favorite pastime in scoil among the younger apprentices; once they get in the habit they can no longer play the standard rules, which makes the game a lot less interesting. It was introduced in chapter 25 of Taken Child but it wasn’t until Darkness Bright that I actually had to do any thinking about what the rules were. Here’s how to play:

THE BOARD:

Dubh Solus is played on a square board inlaid with a seven-pointed star. Each point of the star is divided horizontally into two triangles; there is a heptagonal space in the center divided into seven triangles. The rest of the board is in a contrasting color, and the shapes between the points are divided into more irregular triangles. At the scoil the boards are usually made with light wood for the star and dark wood for the rest of the board, but this is arbitrary.

THE PIECES:

Your army of 28 pieces breaks down into 4 groups, each affiliated with one of the four major elements:

7 spirits (fire)

7 geniuses (water)

7 farmers (earth)

7 sailors (air)

THE CARDS:

Dubh Solus is played with a deck of cards containing the standard Ideiren suits (air, earth, water and fire). At the beginning of the game five cards are dealt to each player; the player does not show the cards to her opponent, although she can be required to answer questions about them.

OBJECT:

The object of the game is to take control of the board. You win if your pieces control the star in the center of the board and your opponent’s pieces are either captured or blocked inside the triangles between the points.

MOVING:

The rules of play are different for each side:

BOTH PLAYERS: 

• The cards you are dealt restrict how your pieces move. Each suit applies to the pieces affiliated with it (i.e., earth cards apply to the farmers, fire cards apply to the spirits). The number of cards you get from each suit determines the number of spaces you can move in a turn; if there are no cards for one suit, those pieces are "free" and can move as many spaces as other circumstances will allow.
• You are allowed to stop play at three points during the game and ask your opponent questions, which she has to answer.
• A triangle is "blocked" once a player gets two of the same kind of piece on it. Once a triangle is blocked the opponent cannot land on it or capture pieces resting there.
• Farmers can only move along triangles that are adjacent (share a common side) and cannot pass through triangles that are blocked. Sailors can travel from one triangle to any other triangle that has a point in common with it, but cannot pass through triangles that are blocked. Geniuses can travel from one triangle to any other triangle that shares a point and can pass through blocked triangles unless they are blocked by the opponent’s geniuses. Spirits can travel as far as they want in a straight line, and can pass over a blocked triangle unless it is blocked by two spirits.
• A spirit can capture any piece (including spirits) by landing on the triangle it occupies. Geniuses can capture geniuses and sailors; sailors can capture farmers; farmers can capture other farmers and cannot be captured by geniuses.

 BRIGHT PLAYER:

• If a piece is captured, you have seven turns to get to the heptagonal space at the center of the board, at which point the captured piece reenters play. After that, your piece is lost for good.
• If asked a question relating to the game, you must answer truthfully. (Rude personal questions, etc. need not be answered.)
• A farmer who lands on the heptagonal space can be converted into a spirit; a sailor can be converted into a genius.
• You can recapture a "turned" piece (see below) by forcing it onto the heptagonal space.

 DARK PLAYER:

• If a piece is captured, you can return it to play at any time by landing on the heptagonal space at the center of the star.
• If asked a question relating to the game, you may lie although you do not necessarily have to.
• If you can isolate one of your opponent’s farmers or sailors so that he can’t move, you can turn him into one of your own pieces.

The game can also be played according to "glas rules," where both players use the Bright rules of play.