07.13f: Meet and Greet

The goings on of courts
misfit
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07.13f: Meet and Greet

Post by misfit »

Harrune returns from him visit with Ossian. As he moves into the crowd his concerned appearance fades and is replace by an easy affability. He moves through the crowd, greeting people (always by name) as he goes. He doesn't stay long with any one person or group, but he welcomes each in turn.

Soon he makes his way back to the entrance so that he can greet the new arrivals. Two notables show up.

"Greetings Lord Odin. Greetings Krajk. Welcome to Tir-Na Ng'oth. Please enjoy our hospitality. Is there anything in particular I can help you with?"
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Joshua
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Re: 07.13f: Meet and Greet

Post by Joshua »

Odin will nod. "Interesting setup. To be honest, I'm a bigger fan of the spectacle we saw yesterday, but... Quiet contemplation has its place as well. I am not familiar with a number of these games. Perhaps, you could introduce me to a few of your favorites?"
misfit
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Re: 07.13f: Meet and Greet

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'Gladly. Spectacles like yesterday's have their place, but I fear that I shall never be fond of them. Quiet contemplation has its place as well, but I prefer not to take that to the extreme."

Harrune will start guiding Odin through the grounds, showing him the various games and giving the basic concepts as they go. "My own preference is for a game that I can chat over while playing. Most of the simpler board and card games work for that. I do not gamble often as few are willing to bet against me, and those that will tend avoid the more social aspects of the event. I am fond of chess and many of its variants. I am versed in over a dozen such variations."

"My favorite game is called akamu. It is a game from my homeworld. I have yet to find a good translation for the name. To the best of knowledge there is not a set to play it with in Amber. I should bring one back the next time I am there. Few other than Cani appreciate the nuances. It requires at least eight players and deals in shifting alliances and conflicting commitments."

"Is there anything in particular that appeals to you?"
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Re: 07.13f: Meet and Greet

Post by Krajk »

At least for the moment Krajk is just drifting along in Odin's wake. So long as Odin sticks to the ground so does Krajk, but in the event his client takes alternative routes to some location or another various and sundry others* may find it of some degree of interest to note that Krajk appears to be one of the ones for whom the area flight spell manifests more akin to swimming than traditional flight.

(*Also for various and sundry others, though possibly not the same ones, Krajk is wearing the exact same outfit he did for the Rebma ball. It fit disconcertingly well, didn't limit his movements, and if it was frippery-ish enough for one silly event then it's frippery-ish enough for this one too.)
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Joshua
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Re: 07.13f: Meet and Greet

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"A game to talk over would be fine. Unless you are interested in trying Shogi." Odin will gesture to the group playing the chess variant. "The concept of returning captured pieces to the board is interesting." He will shrug. "Krajk, you are welcome to join us, but I suspect that I am relatively safe here."

he will head over to the oriental games area, picking up the rules fairly quickly. "Harrune, was there something you wished to talk about over the game? A talk of alliances perhaps?"
misfit
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Re: 07.13f: Meet and Greet

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Harrune smiles. "Oh, I think I manage talking and Shogi together if that is acceptable to you?" Odin agrees and the two sit down and set up the board. (I'm assuming that Odin knows the rules since he did mention drops. If not, Harrune will explain as they go). Harrune politely offers Odin choice of colors. Odin chooses black, which means that the first move is his.

After the first few moves have been made, Harrune speaks. "So Lord Odin, you spoke of alliances. That is a very broad topic. There are many types of alliances: economic, military, political and so on. And of course the scope can very greatly as well, from individuals, to families, clans, even nations. Unfortunately I have not had much opportunity to learn of you, your home and who you are allied with. No doubt you could have learned much of me by simply asking...pretty much anyone at all really. At need I can fill in gaps in that knowledge for you."

"So Odin, who do you speak for in this theoretical alliance and what terms might we be discussing?"
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Joshua
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Re: 07.13f: Meet and Greet

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"You mentioned a game of shiftin aliances between eight people. In my homeland there is a game* with an interesting set of rules, I think I can explain it**..." Odin will go on. From his behavior, it's clear he understands shogi, although how he is doing that is not readily apparent***.

"The point of the game, is that it's really hard to win, but easy to make someone else win or lose. In tournaments, there are rules for how much other players can be bribed, what they're allowed to be bribed to do, and most importantly, how one is not allowed to retaliate against them unless the agreement was actually broken. The best players lose constantly, and get paid by two or even three of the participants, let a fourth win, and collect the bribes from all involved."
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*: First mentioned in the previous game, by previous incarnation Alys.
**: Reposted so this game is complete in and of itself.
it's a fairly standard trick-taking game - bid on number of tricks you can win, highest card played wins the trick, variable trump suit, yadda, yadda, with a twist: you play cards two at a time; one face up, and one face down. The face up cards determine who wins the trick, but the face down cards get added in when scoring it - and certain cards or combinations of cards result in a "poisoned" trick that reduces your score. Of course, there are also ways to counteract poisoned tricks (starting with not winning them in the first place), and counter the counters, and so on and so forth; it's fairly clearly designed for cut-throat play in the same lines as the board game Diplomacy, where victory goes to the person best able to negotiate shifting alliances, find the right time to backstab his or her (former) allies, and lie about what cards they played face-down. The dealer gets a slight advantage, but - at least for those with strong warfare - it's equally clear that that's intended to merely set the stage for the game; it's a small imbalance to kick-start the diplomacy-like aspects of the game by providing someone the other players need to ally against, and is easily overcome by even a little bit of teamwork.
***: Weird senses anyone? PM me. At the least, it seems like, although he knows all the rules, he's never actually played a game. He will also make odd moves then say "oh, that's how it works." or similar, like he didn't know the rule until it came up.
misfit
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Re: 07.13f: Meet and Greet

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"Hmmm...sounds like an interesting challenge. The bribery aspect could be quite profitable a skilled player I would think. Of course, bribes don't have to financial...any advantage could do. Hmmm...yes, many interesting possibilities there. One could lose the game but win a richer prize. Reminds me of politics. But in the end aren't all of our games metaphors for life, or at least some aspect of it?"

As for the shogi game, Harrune will try to make it an interesting one for Odin. He will be trying to win, but he's more interested in showing the finer points of the game than winning by a large margin.
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Joshua
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Re: 07.13f: Meet and Greet

Post by Joshua »

Odin is no slouch at the game, but you are clearly able to outpace him. Still, it's all about checkmate, so even with that it is a close game. The promotion aspect and the drop aspect do complicate things severely.

"Still, that is about the metagame. Is the one from your homeland about aliances outside the game?"
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Re: 07.13f: Meet and Greet

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Harrune smiles. "No, it is not. In fact, that is part of the appeal of it. That lends the game a simplicity that life usually lacks. It also keeps the stakes lower. When they stakes are low you can focus more on the enjoyment of the game rather than the price of loss. Also, if it included alliances beyond the game, then it would not stay an eight player game either. We sacrificing realism for simplicity."
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