Modern Gambat

Modern Gambat
Artist's representation of Modern Gambat

Modern Gambat is a complex game utilizing holographic and stasis technology to create a board of dangers through which various pieces, called marques, are manipulated and moved against each other until one player can no longer move or add marques to the board.

The Game Pieces

The Plinth

A table which contains a holo-emitter and built-in stasis field projector. Players take turns placing physical obstacles called ‘terrain’ upon the table until a mutual starting boardstate is agreed upon.

The Pieces

Geometric tokens called marques are used to play the game. There are numerous shapes and sizes of tokens with their own unique effects that are often dependent upon their spatial relation to other marques. Each marque has an inherent point value depending on its power and function in the game.

The Coterie

Players bring their chosen marques usually in a bag or box, this is called their coterie. The total combined point value for all a player’s marques cannot exceed a previously-agreed maximum negotiated at the start of the game.

The Cup

During this pre-game negotiation, marques are wagered and placed into a communal chalice set to the side of the game table. This becomes the ‘commons‘ or communal cup from which marques may be drawn from for a price and is added to as the game progresses.

The Board

A stasis field in the shape of a large cube equal to the dimensions of the table is generated. A 3d vector grid is projected onto the field to delineate positioning for placing marques. Previously placed objects of various shapes and sizes create a unique ‘terrain’ in which the game is played. The closer to the centre of the table one gets, the stronger the effects of the stasis field. This translates to: the further one reaches into the field, the more resistance to further penetration and motion in general one encounters. It is like reaching into a tank of water where the density/pressure increased drastically with depth. The plinth manipulates the physics and properties of the stasis field in response to the abilities and proximities of each marque to one another.

Play

The Start

Players may choose 3-21 marques from their coteries to start the game with. Players take turns placing these marques onto the surface of the field aligned to the vector-grid’s outermost layer until there are no more left to place. These starting marques and their starting arrangement upon the grid are called a lattice or constellation. The entire starting phase of placement is called the enfilade. A player may ‘pass’ on placing a marque, but there can never be more than two passes in a row; either by two players passing or the same player passing on two of their consecutive turns.

The Play

Once the constellations have been placed, the enfilade is over. The last player to place a starting marque goes second. Players may choose to place another marque from their coterie or move an existing marque deployed in the field. How far, and in what directions these marques move is determined by what kind of marque they are, and sometimes their proximity to other kinds of marques. Thus, it can be desirable to field many more marques than your opponent in order to overwhelm them, but because one can only move one marque at a time, larger coteries can become unwieldy.

The Chain

Marques can hit and move other marques, bouncing off one another accordingly. This is where personal attributes come into play: intelligence to calculate the angles and counter-angles, the finesse to aim the marques correctly, and the strength to move marques within the deeper stasis field. Since each marque has its own effects they have their own preferred forms of motion; some may curve or be harder to shift in certain directions. The player moves a marque as best they can according to its individual properties and this may begin a chain reaction of bouncing marks. The turn ends once the subsequent motion of all affected marques ceases and the chain is over.

The Score

If a marque is pinned between two opposing marques or against terrain at the end of a turn, it is considered captured. It is removed from the field and placed in the commons. The point value of the captured marque is added to the capturer’s game score. Capturing marques as part of chains can add point value modifiers which can be good or bad.  (Some marques are like decoys or defenders, adversely affecting your opponents score if struck.) Failing to capture a marque, or causing your own marque to go beyond the borders of the stasis field can result in penalties to scores.

The Pot

Players can choose to forgo placing or moving an existing marque, and instead spend points to retrieve marques from the commons. The player makes a blind bid of points meeting a minimum value affixed to each marque, and the opposing player is free to make a blind counter. The highest bidder gets the marque to then place on the exterior of the field as they desire. Bluffing opponents into over/under spending can be a key facet to winning.

The Pit

Players may also use a chain to cause a marque to bounce into the centre of the stasis field, effectively being considered lost or stuck at that point. The centre of the stasis field is so resistant to motion, it is all but impossible to retrieve or affect pieces there. Sacrificing lesser marques to trap greater ones is a common tactic, as is using trapped marques as a bounce pad for greater angles of motion.

The End

Victory is achieved when the opponent is unable or unwilling to place and/or move anymore marques. This can mean psyching an opponent out from losing more marques, capturing all enemy marques, or casting them into the centre of the field. Professional gambat players can often see the outcomes of the game many moves ahead, often leading to shorter games and early concessions when the outcome becomes apparent/inevitable. The winner is rewarded all the marques wagered at the beginning of the game, whether they are still in the commons or on the field.

The After

The winner may also spend their game points to buy marques from the commons at the end of the game. This is the catch with spending points during the game, one has less to spend afterward. The winner pays points equal to the default value of a marque to take it from the commons and keep it, adding it to their own collection. (This can mean buying your opponents good pieces, or protecting your own by removing them from the pot.) The loser may then spend the same amount of points to invalidate the purchase and keep the marque in the pot. It is then the loser’s turn to make a selection and repeat the process. This goes back and forth until all points are spent or neither party wishes to spend further.  All remaining marques on the board and in the commons, neither having been wagered or purchased, return to their original owners’ possession.

The Grace

It is possible to surrender the game when one has far more points than the opponent, and then just outspend them to empty the commons. However, one will quickly garner a reputation for such underhanded behaviour and soon no one will wish to play against them. Appearances are very important during matches, including maintaining a certain ritualised decorum. There are ceremonial phrases and gestures that traditionally go along with each stage of a match, and while not technically required, it becomes part of the pageantry of the hobby. It is generally agreed among players that one should strive to appear polite and honorable at all times. A crushing victory against a neophyte is considered terrible form. Far greater skill is shown in manipulating your opponent into playing better than they actually can, or barely winning in an exciting way without being obvious about it. It is not just about winning the game but how one plays it. Deception, baits, and traps are all perfectly acceptable behavior when the opponent has done it to themselves. Ie, they feel like they have made a terrible choice and are now paying for it, rather than having been screwed over. Such perceived ‘fair chicanery’ is to be lauded and respected, and is the hallmark of a true master.