Laaiqa - The game of Queens

Laaiqa is an Akkadian Board Game for two to four players. The goal of the game is to get your servants (pawns) through the hedge maze to the fountain in the center. This is done by casting rods and advancing servants until you get them through the maze and onto the fountain. Note the players can tag other servants and send them back to start.

History

The game has been played for thousands of years. It was said that the many Queens of Akkadian would sit on balconies that overlooked a hedge maze with a fountain in the center. They would command servants to move a number of spaces based on the casting of their rods. This game has transcended this royal start; when it was taken by the servants that were living pawns out of the palace. It has now spread through trade routes across the world. The game was named after queen Laaiqa who is credited with creating the game to play with her fellow queens.
The traditional game of Laaiqa used eight casting rods to induce random chance into the game. These rods are 4" long and 0.5" diameter cylinders, that are rounded on one side and flat on the other. There are two sets of four rods, half a light color, and the others dark. when cast you count the number of rounded sides up in your two colors. Each color of rods gives you 0 to 4 steps you can command a servant to make. The modern version includes dice with three sides containing a value of one and the other sides blank. Street games often have players using small value coins counting heads or tails as a point.
The game is very popular and sometimes you can find the board etched into the surface of tables in pubs and recreational areas. Many players bring custom pawns with the crests or totem animals carved into them.

Execution

Components

• 4 dice/coins/rods in a light color, and 4 in a dark color
• 16 pawns in 4 colors
• 8 blocking cubes in a single neutral color
• 1 game board

Setup

1. Place the board between the players with your fountain path in front of you.
2. Each player puts their four servant pawns on their respective entry space.
3. Place the eight Sentry Blockers on the eight starting sentry spaces.
4. The first player is selected by casting rods or another manner of the players choosing.

Player Turn
Starting with the first player, each player takes turns around the board in a widdershins direction. Counter to the path of the sun. Players will continue taking turns until the first player gets their fourth servant to the fountain, which will end the game immediately.

1. At the beginning of each turn, the active player casts the two sets of rods, light, and dark. The value of each set of rods grants the player up to two pawn activations. It can be the same pawn twice or two single pawns once.
2. Initial Entry of a pawn "Alqabul" can only be done when the combined value of the cast light and dark rod sets equal four. If this occurs the active player must put one of her pawns in play onto the start space of your color, immediately outside your entry. If you can not do this because it is blocked by your own pawn, then you forfeit the casted movement. If all four pawns are in play, you can continue moving as normal.
3. The active player selects one of her pawns and moves it a number of steps equal to the number shown on the selected set of rods (Light or Dark). That pawn must travel in a widdershins direction as shown by the arrows between the spaces. They may turn to continue through corners in the path, and pick at certain points when presented with a fork in the path either option. The pawn must use all the steps rolled on that set of rods, if a pawn can not move the number of steps required then that pawn can not move.
4. Repeat for your second unused set of rods movement for the same or different eligible pawn.
5. A pawn may not be moved if doing so would cause it either to pass a sentry block or to overshoot the fountain.
6. If none of your pawns can make a complete move with the selected set of rods or bonus movement, she may forgo her move if and only if none of her pawns may be moved. If you have the ability to move any of your pawns even one that would not be advantageous you are still compelled to use the movement.
7. Each player has a separate path to the fountain in their own color. You can not move your pawn into one of your opponent's fountain path. This also means that a pawn can not be captured once they reach this area, note that then can be made to fee from the space.
8. After movement is completed, you can Raha "comfort" any of your servants that have fled. Stand any pawn that fled and been placed on its side back up. If you rolled a Khajul, you must skip this step.

Capture and Sentry Blocks

1. During the course of your pawns steps, your pawn may pass other pawns regardless of the color with no effect. If however, a pawn finishes its move by landing on a space occupied by another player's pawn, then the pawn currently occupying the space is captured. A captured pawn must be returned to their respective entry spaces and then become available to rejoin play on their owner's next turn. You can not land on a space occupied by one of your pawns, and thus can not capture yourself.
2. If you capture a pawn, you may gain an immediate bonus move of eight spaces. This movement does not need to be done by the pawn that captured the opponent's pawn, but it must be made in its entirety.
3. Unlike pawns, sentry block pieces may not be passed. In order for a pawn to progress past a sentry block, the sentry block must be captured by a pawn who lands on it by exact movement. A player who captures a sentry block must relocate the sentry block to an unoccupied space on the board. Sentry blocks may NOT be placed in the four player's entry, on any player's path start space, a fountain victory point space, or the fountain space.

Victory Point Spaces

1. You must land on each victory point space by the exact movement of a single casted rod or bonus movement usage. Once you enter a victory point space, no further actions of any kind can remove a pawn from that space, they are locked for the rest of the game. You may not claim the center fountain space until all other of your color victory point spaces are full.
2. Landing in a victory point space grants an immediate bonus movement based on the space. You get two times the space value in bonus movement. Thus two-movement for the one-point victory space, four-movement for the two-point victory space, and six-movement for the three-point victory space. This movement must be used by another pawn not locked in victory, and it must be made in its entirety.

Special Rolls

1. Khajul: This is when the sum of both sets of cast rods equals zero. Your lead servant has caused shame to you. She is "Abashed", and must flee back to the entry. The lead pawn (not in a victory space) has fled and will be placed on their side next to your entry. Further, you have no movement and your turn ends immediately, so you can not stand this pawn or any others that already fled back up.
2. Alqabul: This is when the sum of both sets of cast rods equals four. This allows "Admittance" onto the board. If one or more of your Pawns are in your entry then you must enter them on the board or forfeit your cast movement. If all pawns are out of the entry, none have fled, and you rolled two on both castings; you have a blessing see Barika.
3. Ahmaq: This is when the sum of both sets of cast rods equals eight. You have evidence of one of your opponent's pawns failures. She is been found "Inept" a target pawn of your choice (not in a victory space) will flee and be placed on their side next to their queen's entry.
4. Barika: All your pawns are away from the entry, none have fled, and your casting was double twos. You have the gods "Blessing". Move four sets of two movement this turn split to different pawns, or the same one. At the end of your turn, you may take another turn. If you roll a Second Barika you are Aikhtiar "Chosen" take a second bonus turn. If you roll three Barika's in a row, you have been deemed Mutakabir 'aw Maghrur "Arrogant". Your turn is forfeit. Your lead Pawn is shamed as if you rolled Khajul.

Laaiqa Game Board

End Game Scoring

• If you are playing a series of games, add the number of each victory space occupied by one of your pawns. 1 through 4 points in the manner.
• Subtract 1 point for each pawn of your color that is not in your fountain path.
• Subtract 1 point for each pawn that is still stuck on your entry.
• Subtract 2 points if all four of your pawns are stuck on your entry.

Named Moves

• Harakat Alshilal: Due to the bonus points gained by capturing a victory space, you can move an additional pawn. This can chain into additional moves. This is known as "Cascade Movement".
• Tatali Aintisar: Using Cascade Movement to get more than one pawn in the same turn and capturing the fountain. This is known as "Cascade Victory".
• Laaiqa's Kaskid: Using Cascade movement to get all for pawns to victory and capturing the fountain on a single turn. This is known as "Laaiqa's Cascade"

Variants to Play

• The darker board spaces are counting squares. Used to help with counting as they are every 4 spaces on the board. Many kids will count these spaces as safe spaces and not allow capture of enemy pawns on these spaces.
• Some players have simplified the rod casting to using 2 dice. The values on the faces are ( 0, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4 ). This flattens the cure a little making it a bit more likely to roll a 0 or 8 at the cost of your initial entry being closer to once every 5 rolls instead of every 4 rolls.

Trivia

• It was believed that Queen Laaiqa was rebelling against the God of the Sun when she created this game as she refused to worship him. As such she designed the game to be played in the widdershins direction (Counter to the path of the sun) instead of the more common deisul direction (With the sun or sunwise).

Other Terms

• Harab: A state of a servant that is Khajul "Abashed" or Ahmaq "Inept" and as now "Fled". They are on their side at your entrance. They can not gain Alqabul "Admittance" in this state.
• Barika: All your pawns are away from the entry, none have fled, and your casting was double twos. You have the gods "Blessing". Move four sets of two movements this turn split to different pawns or the same one. Gain a bonus turn.
• Aikhtiar: If you roll a Second Barika you are "Chosen" take a second bonus turn.
• Mutakabir 'aw Maghrur: If you roll a third Barika in a row, the gods have found you to be "Arrogant". Your turn is forfeit. Your lead Pawn is shamed as if you rolled Khajul.
• Raha: One or more of your Servants have fled for some reason back to the entry. The queen must "comfort" them to calm them and get them back in service.