Difference between revisions of "Gateway"

Latest revision as of 00:50, 23 August 2016

Gateway is a boardgame created by Cathak Cacek in RY466 during his time attending the House of Bells. The game uses several boards and a variety of pieces, demanding great skill to master. Its popularity within the Realm exploded soon after its Creation, and it now stands amongst the pillars of Dynastic skill, with every Great House Dragonblooded expected to have at least some skill.

The original copy of lord Cacek's rules was stored in a place of honour in the Cathak wing of the Imperial Palace until the night of the 23rd Descending Earth RY768, when a Sesus officer of the 4th Legion put it to the flame.

RULES

[The following system is based off Bodhisattva's ruleset on the White Wolf Wiki].

A game of Gateway consists of several Rounds, each taking approximately 15 minutes, between two players. Players roll off to determine who begins the game as the attacker, the remaining player beginning as defender.

Each round, the attacker rolls Int + War + Gateway specialty vs. a difficulty equal to the defender's War. The defender then rolls Wits + War + Gateway specialty vs. a difficulty of the attacker's threshold successes on the previous roll. If this roll fails to EXCEED the threshold then the attacker scores 1 Point against the defender. If the roll succeeds, no point is gained. If the roll has threshold successes equal or exceeding the attacker's Int, then the defender becomes the attacker for the next round.

For each Point scored against a player, that player suffers a -1 die penalty to subsequent rolls during the game, as pieces are lost and captured.

The game proceeds until one player has accumulated at least 5 Points against the other, and also has at least 2 more Points than the other player. If at the end of a round both players have at least 5 Points AND the same number of Points, the game ends in a draw. If either player botches a roll, their opponent immediately rolls Wits + War + Gateway specialty, winning the game automatically if they score even a single success as as the botched player leaves themselves open and vulnerable. A botch on THIS roll means embarrassment for all involved, that will set Dynasts giggling at the thought of it for years to come.

Variants

Gateway is a complex and robust set of rules, which have given rise to several variants emphasizing different approaches to the art of war.

Hunting Cat

Hunting Cat is a fast-paced variant of Gateway for between two and six players, with each round lasting 1 minute. It is played as above, substituting Wits with Dex and Int with Wits. As it may involve more than 2 players, each round the attacker nominates another player as defender against their move that round. Instead of winning after accumulating 5 Points and 2 over one's opponent, instead players are eliminated when a total of 5 or more points are scored against them, with the last remaining player the victor.

Guardian Gate

Guardian Gate is a defensive, methodical variant of Gateway for 2 players, though not quite so complex as the original, with each round lasting 10 minutes. It is played as above, substituting Wits with Int, and players take turns being attacker and defender one after the other, without need to seize the role.

Spirit Frog

Spirit Frog is a single-player game of Gateway, each round lasting 10 minutes, designed to teach basic Immaculate concepts. To play, a player rolls Int + Lore + Immaculate Doctrine specialty vs. difficulty 5. Each round, the difficulty drops by 1. To win, the player must accumulate 5 successes. If difficulty reaches 1 before this happens, the player loses the game.

Spirit Frog's name seems unusual to some as term for a tool of Immaculate study, given its iconic associations both with animal and divinity, but such uncomfortable naming is far from uncommon when the secular culture of the Scarlet Dynasty intersects with the religious culture of the Immaculate Faith.

Training

One of the major reasons for Gateway's popularity is the game's use as a training tool, honing skills with great effectiveness.

1 game of Gateway (except Spirit Frog) counts as 4 hours training a War (Gateway) specialty. If played against an opponent of equal or greater War, counts as having a tutor for that period of training.

1 game of Spirit Frog counts as 4 hours training with a tutor for a Lore (Immaculate Doctrine) specialty (maximum Lore 2) or an Occult (Gods) specialty (maximum Occult 1).

Design & Controversy

In the current era there are uncountable variants amongst Dynastic players when it comes to their Gateway boards and pieces, though it was not always so. Cathak Cacek's rules live unchanged but many eschew the simple tile sets first used to play the game, painted with meaningless aniconic patterns or single High Realm characters; these are still common among patricians who hone their skill in the game in hopes of Dynastic acknowledgement, or in the kits of learned mortal officers in the Imperial Legions. Three hundred years have passed, however, and the fashionable elite of the Realm have long since abandoned gilded boards for ones that better represent their fancies and interests.

A wide array of boards use pieces carved from precious metals or stones in the form of military units, most using standard Legion doctrine while rarer, exotic examples sport pieces displaying foreign units such as elephants or satrapy auxiliaries. The latter can often be used to hint at campaigns fought and won by the owner of the board. For some among House Peleps and a few Vneef naval Gateway boards are commissioned, ships taking the place of Cacek's original pieces instead of infantry. While military board styles are dominant, there is little to no commonality on how each board depicts each of Cacek's original pieces; the game was designed as one of purest strategy and as such there is no obvious counterpart for each piece to any given unit in an army. The devout praise the original design for its absolute adherence to Immaculate proscriptions over boards of fangs, talons and wings, condemning them idolatrous and graphic images of war.

But military themes are still but a fraction of the artistry used in the game's depiction. Elemental themes are popular with those who wish to add flair without stepping far outside the bounds of Immaculate consideration, paying homage to the Dragons considered acceptable compromise. Boards with figures resembling predatory animals fall in and out of fashion frequently, with carved ivory birds of prey favored by Sesii masters of the game. Stories abound of more exotic boards used to impress important guests, such as a game played with freshly cut blossoms at a memorable Cynis gala or another waged at a private estate with pliant slaves taking the place of pieces.

The Five Gateway Animals

Though some of Immaculate faith frown on the terminology, it is common in the society surrounding Gateway to classify the styles and personalities of players into several different groups, each named for a beast considered to represent the thoughts of such players and together termed the The Five Gateway Animals.

The Frog

The stereotypical conservative player who focuses on defense above all else. The Frog almost never bluffs or sacrifices its pieces towards greater stratagems, only attacking when it greatly favors them immediately. A frog victory is always a methodical affair, a long bout of maneuvering and attrition until their opponent is forced into concession. This makes frogs the most predictable on every Gateway circuit, the best ranking consistently above jackals and elephants even as they earn stodgy reputations. The frog playstyle is common among patricians who see Gateway tournaments as a chance to impress their Dynastic betters. That it shares an animal association with the methodical, solitaire Spirit Frog variant of the game is certainly no coincidence.

The Jackal

Jackals are the direct opposite of frogs, preparing for assault before their pieces are deployed. Some jackals utilize complex bluffs and strategies, others decisive strikes in hope of ending matches early; what unites them is unpredictability and willingness to sacrifice with abandon. Jackals often speak of themselves as mighty hunters, but true eagles and lions see them as the scavengers they are, preying on the weakest players of the circuit.

The Elephant

Popularity in the Dynasty means Gateway circuits are as much social events as competitive tournaments, always drawing the local herd of Elephants. The best elephants often focus on the intangibles of the game, reading the intentions of their opponent through seemingly idle chatter or provoking emotions to influence play. Unfortunately many elephants are less devoted to Gateway's traditions, seeing only what playing can do for status and connections.

The Eagle

Eagles are a rare breed of Gateway player. When a board calls for defense, they can hold with the patience of the frog, but an eagle understands the moment to seize initiative and strike as well. Where jackals love flashy feints and clever entrapment, the eagle sparingly employ such stratagems; every opponent must respect an eagle's movements. Eagles are the greatest players most ever face, regularly winning circuits wherever they play with their adaptive style. The original eagles were the Sesii champions in the first official Gateway circuits, giving rise to the other three common archetypes from the imaginative poems honoring their early victories.

The Lion

Most Gateway players will never face a Lion in their lifetime. Where eagles shift upon the winds of their opponent's movements, a lion makes no movement at all. The pinnacle of the Gateway world are said to lack any style whatsoever; they favor no ploys or strategies, for only without bias can the perfect choice be found. Only a handful of Gateway players in all Creation are recognized as lions in the present era, the dominance of the Realm's circuits required calling for extensive travel across the Blessed Isle. The rivalries between lions are the stuff of circuit legend, though sometimes enduring friendships form instead. The most famous pair of lions are Ragara Szaya and her husband Ledaal Kes, two childhood Gateway prodigies who petitioned their families for marriage.

Though many amongst the lesser ranks assume it is true as a matter of course, it is notable that despite his House's longstanding favour for leonine imagery and his own place as creator of Gateway, few of those in the upper echelons of Gateway consider Cathak Cacek to have been a Lion player at his own game.