The “Battle Of The Trees” ™ Celtic Board Game : "The Banishing or Neutral Zone"

 There are a couple of inspiring passages in connection with “Fidchell” on Irish literature. In the tale of "Eachtra Airt meic Cuind ocus Tochmarc Delbchaime ingine Morgain", Art is playing with Becuma, and the fairy-folk are stealing his men. He then exclaims, "The men are stealing the pieces from me, girl. It is not you who are winning but they." 

Art was at Tara playing with Cromdes, his father's druid. In the course of the play, the druid exclaims, "a move of banishment (bent indarba) on thee my son. Because of the women thy father marries, thou art being banished." 

The teller of the tale has worked in a pun on Art's own banishment and a winning move of some sort in “Fidchell”.

 This magickal banishing move, inspired me to create a "Banishing Zone", (like the Neutral Zone of the German "Weltkriegsspiel" board game). You will easily recognize it since it is the only one with light brown- and red-colored squares.

·       Only one Attacking piece is allowed to enter the "Banishing Zone" at each turn. Only four “Attacker's” pieces are allowed, (just the same or less number as “Defender's pieces are left on the board). For example, if the "Defender" only has five pieces remaining on the board, the "Attacker" may only have four pieces in the Banishing Zone. However, if the "Defender" only has three or two pieces left, the "Attacker" may only have three or two pieces in the Banishing Zone.

·       Defenders cannot enter the “Banishing Zone”,”Attackers” are allowed to enter the Annwn by jumping from the space next to the Banishing Zone. “Remember that within this zone no Attacking pieces shall be captured. They are safe and invisible here.”

·       Once in the "Banishing Zone", Attacking pieces can leap over and seize a sideways opponent's piece, landing on the vacant square on the opposite side of the same ring. As an Attacker, you can only jump a single opposing piece per turn. Remember that you cannot land over any piece, but only over an unoccupied position.

·       Captures or jumps are never mandatory.

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The featured information and artworks belong to the “Battle Of The Trees” ™ Celtic Board Game  , a creative and inventive chase and battle game that retains part of the spirit of the ancient Irish "Brandub" and "Fidchell" board games.

One of its main features is that you may not only play it as a battle game, but also as a way for divination... You play as Gwydion, the bard and magician. “Lord of Knowledge” and “Lord of Trees”, and you will be responsible for animating the trees of the forest on their final quest.

 For further information about this game, I wrote a whole eBook as an extended version of the companion handbook, comprising the complete information upon the context and basis of “Battle Of The Trees” ™ Celtic Board Game, and now available on Kindle format at Amazon

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“Battle Of The Trees” ™ Celtic Board Game