Roman board games
Latrunculi (Little Brigands) is a “Roman chess” game played with an agreed number of counters on boards of varying sizes. Game rule reconstructions:
1. Counters are either preset, or opponents take turns distributing counters on the board.
2. The centurion is captured by four counters surround. You are defeated if only 3 counters remain.
3. Game play (a) move counters orthogonally, or (b) move in straight lines and jump counters.
4. A counter is trapped by placing two counters either side. Next turn you can kill the trapped counter, provided your two surrounding pieces are still free. The trapped piece is freed if one of its two enemies is itself surrounded. A player can move a piece between two enemies ("suicide") only if by this move one of the two is trapped. Alternately, if a piece is moved voluntarily between two enemy pieces, it is not captured. A man in a corner is captured if the opponent places his men on the two squares adjacent to the corner.
Below: Club copies of Latruculi
1. Counters are either preset, or opponents take turns distributing counters on the board.
2. The centurion is captured by four counters surround. You are defeated if only 3 counters remain.
3. Game play (a) move counters orthogonally, or (b) move in straight lines and jump counters.
4. A counter is trapped by placing two counters either side. Next turn you can kill the trapped counter, provided your two surrounding pieces are still free. The trapped piece is freed if one of its two enemies is itself surrounded. A player can move a piece between two enemies ("suicide") only if by this move one of the two is trapped. Alternately, if a piece is moved voluntarily between two enemy pieces, it is not captured. A man in a corner is captured if the opponent places his men on the two squares adjacent to the corner.
Below: Club copies of Latruculi
