Witch Chess (Lex'tid Aranaa)

Witch chess, or Lex'tid Aranaa in the Witch language, is a two player game played similarly to human chess, but with significant differences. The board is hexagonal, and covered in smaller hexes instead of squares. There are 15 unique pieces, each of which moves in its own way and has special abilities. Each player starts with 19 pieces on the board. The players each choose which pieces they start with, and they may choose up to two of any piece.

History

Witch chess was invented long before Witches left their home world. It appealed to the galaxy at large, and became a popular game for passing time on interstellar journeys. Its popularity declined among non-witches after the apocalypse, and since Witches are often more xenophobic than the average person, it has not become widely popular again.

Execution

After each player has chosen their pieces in secret, they take turns placing them on the board one at a time. The player who placed the first piece takes their turn first. Each turn, players move one piece and may activate its ability if it has one. Pieces may not be moved or activated two turns in a row. The game is won when one player removes all of the other player's pieces or occupies the back nine hexes of the other player's starting position with their pieces.

Components and tools

A full Witch Chess set includes a hexagonal board, 30 red pieces and 30 blue pieces.

Participants

Witches are by far the most common players of Witch chess, but a small amount of other people have learned the game.

Observance

Like most games, Witch chess is played when ever two people with a chess set want to play. It is traditionally played while Witches are creating Alchemagic potions or spells that take hours with a lot of waiting.