Balaz

I don't know the origins of Balaz, but the stories of it trace back to the first Mechanicals. All Mechanicals know how to play, as they typically learn in school. It is a way for them to practice using their magic, but it is also a form of gambling, as winners are usually awarded with the stones of their opponents.

Board

A Balaz board is shaped like an eye, with indentations (called pockets) where players place their spell stones. Boards come in all different sizes. The number of pockets is typically in multiples of 45, but is always an odd number. So the smallest boards have 45 pockets, the next size up have 91, and so on. I've seen them get as big as 361 pockets, though most players prefer smaller boards because each player theoretically needs enough Spell Stones to cover half the board. Most games don't see players using every single one of their stones, but it's not always good to count on, especially if your spell stones are on the line.

Player Turn

After deciding who goes first, players take turns doing one of two things:

1. Place a stone
2. Activate a stone

Players must place stones in the outermost available band of pockets or adjacent to one of their previously placed stones. So it's not unusual to see players placing rows of stones next to one another as they try to block each other off.

Once a stone is placed, the spell written into it can be activated on a future turn. Players may use their spells to duplicate stones, move stones around the board, and block off areas in order to set themselves up for a good play or force their opponants into a poor one. The game ends when a stone is placed in the very center pocket.

Scoring

The board is divided into bands--a series of concentric circles surrounding the center pocket, and rows of pockets forming the "white" of the eye. Each band is worth a different number of points, some negative. The central pocket can cause a player to either win or lose points depending on the configuration of pieces around it. So in some games, players race to the center in order to end the game early and cash in on their points, and in others, they try to drive their opponant in, so that they will lose points they cannot recoup.

At the end of the game, the winner is typically awarded their opponant's spell stones. In some games, especially with larger boards, the winner can only take some of the stones. In these cases, the number is agreed upon before the game. In many cases, especially among young players and in tournaments, it is agreed that only one stone can be taken. Winners are only allowed to take stones that were actually played during the game, so players may choose not to play their best spells if they are unsure they can win. Any stones selected by the winner have the locks removed and then belong to the winner. Of course, a winner may choose to be gracious and take fewer or none of their opponant's stones, even if they are entitled to them by the rules of the game. This rule of sportsmanship is reinforced by the story of Erutav's Revenge, which teaches the dangers of becoming greedy while playing Balaz.

Related Ethnicities

• Mechanicals

Common Spells Used During Balaz

While some Mechanicals do create stones specifically for playing Balaz, it is most common to use stones that were crafted for bigger things. When playing Balaz, stones must be used only to affect the board and pieces. This can give Mechanicals a way to test out new spells, play with old spells in new ways, and build control by keeping a spell small. The only real restrictions on the types of spells that can be used during a game are the players' own imaginations and creativity. But here are some common ones you're likely to see:

• Obscuring part or all of the board with fog, forcing your opponant to play blindly. This is a good way to get an opponant to play to the outer rings of the board, where they know they can play legally, or to force them to play on the opposite side
• Vision spells to cut through the aforementioned fog
• Movement spells that will cause pieces to roll to another pocket (while stones must be intially placed adjacent to others, it is not illegal for them to be moved to non-adjacent areas)
• Weight spells to prevent such movement
• Spells that block off areas of the board--this usually requires several stones to be activated over multiple turns to create a barrier, and can be very tricky to do without getting caught.
• General counterspells to render an opponant's stone temporarily inert, preventing them from activating it (this is called "killing a stone," though it would be bad sportsmanship to actually destroy one.)

Training Sets

Many of the larger Balaz boards come with non-magical stones to play with. These are white and black, to represent the two players, and stone has a symbol on it symbolizing a different ability, such as allowing the player to move an already placed stone, blocking off areas of the board, and fixing stones in place. When placing stones, the symbols are turned face-up, and when activated, they are turned face down. This is considered a low-stakes way for young Mechanicals to learn the game before they are good at spell work. Some people also believe that larger boards are more forgiving because there are more spaces to make up for early game mistakes.