sumpimei "Great Struggle" classic tabletop game

  A sumpimei board is 20 squares to a side, each player has four pawns, a Monk, a Sorceress, a Priestess, one Warrior, one Guard and a Sheriff. Only one of the players can have a sheriff per board, the others can pick an extra warrior and guard. The starting positions are divided into: 'tower' square, a home row, a hearth row, and a field row.
 

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  Here's what this means:

The tower square: one of the board's four corners, each one is assigned to a 'side' or 'faction' which has a colour.

 

The home row: the two squares directly adjacent to the tower square towards the center.

 

The hearth row: the two squares directly adjacent to the home row, towards the center.

 

The field row:

 

A pawn is a slow-moving, can only move forward, one square at a time in any of three directions. They start on the 'field' row.

 

A Monk is a fast-moving, can only move horizontally and vertically, but can cross the board in a single move, can start on 'home' or 'hearth' row.

 

A Sorceress is a fast-moving, can only move horizontally and vertically, but can almost cross the board in one move, but it cannot move to the actual board edges, must start on the 'hearth' row.

 

A Priestess is slow-moving, can move in all eight directions, but one square at a time. Can start on the 'home' row or the 'tower' square.

 

A Warrior is fast-moving, but can only move to odd-numbered rows, jumping over even-numbered rows, including ones occupied by friendly or enemy pieces. Must start on the 'home' row, or beyond the field row, closer to the 'enemy'.

 

Guard is fast-moving, but can only move to even-numbered rows, jumping over odd-numbered rows, including ones occupied by friendly or enemy pieces. Must start on the 'hearth' row, or beyond the field row, closer to the 'enemy'.

 

Sheriff is fast-moving, and can move in all eight directions, but can only move to a row where another piece of its side is on. Must start on the 'hearth' row.

  There are ten colours. eight faction colours: Purple Orange Blue DarkGreen Red Yellow SlateGrey LightGreen
  And two square colours: Black White
  Each square colour adds a die result to attacks made from a piece on that colour. The white's results are more middling, while dark dice are practically extremophile. This affects pawns the most, as their attack value is often doubled when moving to a dark square, then halved when advancing on white.
 

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  The game's detractors mention the game is incredibly slow to start.
 

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  "Do you play sumpimei, young Namei?"
  "Only when my opponent won't be offended if I lose."
  "And if you win? Can they be offended?"
  "Most of them don't work that hard..."
  "Oh, a clever twist."
  "Surely, not that clever, I imagine you've heard it before."
  "Perhaps, but they weren't a prince of the realm."
  "Please stop, I am hardly a Namei of Kagomei, I an only a Feyd here."
  "Yet, those in the know know you call the Bameito cousin, if not brother. Those who pay attention consider you carefully."
  "I am but the Kitten-Ra of Kagomei, for many, that is my highest distinction."
  "There was a time where that would be enough, where the Kitten-Ra himself was a prince of the realm, by edict."
  "Me, a prince? That is very funny, are we playing, just the two of us?"
  "Ah, no, we are joining a game being set up."
  "Ah, that is not very genteel, who am I joining?"
  "We are flying in, I've just gotten the pilot to set up our skycutter..."
  "A skycutter, who could warrant such treatment?"
  "Why, your Miptun and your Namei of a brother."
  "A game, with Shibué and Amarat? And whose side will I be on?"
  "Why Amarat's, you know it is against the rules to play on the same team as your spouse, if you only have the one."
  "Somehow, I doubt people will marry multiply, just to be able to play their spouse."
  "It is our shame, do not rub our nose into it."
  "Sorry, I forgot."
  "We shall go, for that is duty, and we shall play, your Miptun and I, to your side and the Bameimeito's. I daresay, it is a more traditional game than most."
  "Are there external stakes?"
  "Why, no, well not monetary ones..."
  "Extra shifts, am I right?"
  "If we guards win, we get to blacklist two principals, possibly even you, you cannot know in advance. If you royals win, we grant you two nights of 'what happens in Megamisama, stays in Megamisama', where you'd get enhanced privacy."
  "Wouldn't my Miptun want the enhanced privacy?"
  "And have to suffer a loss to get it? I doubt I know her better than you do, but I do know she'd consider that beyond the pale."
  "Hmm, obviously, you know her well."
  "And enhanced privacy?"
  "You've not heard armed services non-coms swear until you tell them they have to manage a full detail of a royal on enhanced privacy."
  "I don't think I've ever had a night of enhanced privacy."
  "You have, your wedding night, but no one begrudged you that, and it's official policy, anyways. For your Miptun if not you, that you both had earned it just guaranteed we'd make it happen. I cleared some staff just to make it happen, myself."
  "What, you were aware when I got married?"
  "You've married our sovereign's principal bodyguard and detail commander, you thought people were unaware of you?"
  "Err, no, but I thought I'd make a mark, by my own, actually."
  "Hmm, just how high are you at State?"
  "Second for Megamisama, probably twelfth in all State."
  "Whoever put you that low can't count... Third for Megamisama is sixth, by edict."
  "That Edict came after my wedding... Not their fault."
  "Oh, so you're the REASON for the edict?"
  "Well, not just me, specifically, but the whole kerfluffle where I was the highest ranking in Megamisama for a while?"
  "Oh, yeah, that'd ruffle feathers, you were a CI-07 at the time?"
  "CI-06 Assistant Auxiliary Vice-Undersecretary of state for information technology."
  "And now you're?"
  "Ci-07 Auxiliary Vice-Undersecretary for technology."
  "Brace yourself for impact lad, my orders were to accompany the CI-09† Undersecretary of State for Classification to Megamisama for this game... Someone likes you, and even more, likes surprises."
  "For Classification?"
  "The number three spot at State, I have to salute you now. And you're higher than that for a lot of things, I mean, I'm the Netamei, but I report to you for some classification issues."
  "What?"
  "Seriously, you're so close to Secretary of State, you've got powers of Tribunal, which, last I checked, did not grow on trees at State, since you're all so independant."
  "Tribunal, me?"
  "What's your sister doing now?"
  "She's got tribunal for the last year."
  "That explains it."
  "What?"
  "Whoever reviewed you and your sister figured keeping you two too far apart was doing no one any favors. And your sister's been unofficial number two at State for so long people were writing letters to Nameihomei."
  "What kind of letters." They walked up to the skycutter waiting on the landing pad.
  "Why do you hate Luci, you deserve a proper deputy. And the like. That they wrote this to Nameihomei just shows how unbalanced it is. She practically raised you."
  "And Luci, and she knows better than anyone, what Luci's weaknesses are."
  "Hmm, so they were writing her mom, why she wasn't promoting her adopted daughter?"
  "Close enough. Ok, helmet on, ear protection on, we good?"
  "We ready to fly, skycutter pilot, take us away."
  "Roge-roge. We are Vee-One, Vee-R, rotate. 100m altitude. 500m altitude, inbound, Mei Palace of Megamisama, by way of Valkyrie Bay, checks every 100km. All green so far, no Invader signals."
  "Acknowledged, this is Netamei-One. Keep this frequency clear for us."
  "Frequency claimed by Netamei-One, inbound for Kagomei-TWO, acknowledged."
  "Kagomei-TWO?"
  "Your bother, Bameimeito. Privilege of Rank, and besides, we're heading to his crib..."
  "We are, is his sweet patootie around?"
  "Aumhavar Megamisama is not in attendance, 1KAG duties."
  "1CAG?"
  "No, 1KAG, first Kagomine Air Group, basically, first Air Division, Kagomine FlyForces."
  "She's a divisional flag now?"
  "Not the only one with tribunal powers there, boy. But yes, neither is it exactly thick on the ground."
  "She's been first-naming Nessuns so long, she'd have a hard time breaking the habit."
  "Ahaha, that's a good one. Most of them been expecting her in the Aerie for a while, anyways."
  "An eagle? I hardly know how they reckon rank anyways, but doesn't that feel overdue?"
  "I'm not betting against her, lad, but she's barely legal age to hold higher command."
  "What?"
  "She's not even come into her sorcerous powers, once she's 35, I expect those promotions will come. Until then, she's... encouraged to wait a little, I mean, for what my opinion is worth, even a Merit can't do THAT much."
  "Wait, I knew she was younger than me, but she's not even 34?"
  "No. Luci and Amarat are the only other persons you're known to associate with who are even 35, you're so ageist."
  "I'm not, not really, I just..."
  "What, you just associate only with young folk?"
  "I just disrespect experience so much, whoever I listen to doesn't have any!"
  "Ahah, that's a good one! Your sister's on sixteen years at state, pull the other one."
  "She's just turned 35 and not a sorceress, not inexperienced."
  "She's just kicking ass and taking names, as I understand. Secretary of State when she grows up, which can't be that far off."
  "Sorry to say, me and my sister probably won't."
  "Why not? And who'se your money on, I reckon there's an office pool."
  "Me and my sister have ties to Brunswick, Sarn, Sarnath, Bart and Luxem, and Brescia. By the time they're done, we're extra-territorial."
  "Oh, Noyjitat, how could I forget that?"
  "My money's on Voice of Meihomei Mahirkama Wallander, Voice of Meihomei to Lolland."
  "Why?"
  "Lolland's part of Eurani. And whoever gets promoted up from eurani's on the fast-track."
  "Everyone knows that, who's this lady though?"
  "She's Amarat's friend, can't hurt to have friends at court."
  "Oh, hardly. But I got the feeling you're not telling me everything."
  "You're outside state, if you can follow us, we're not moving fast enough."
  "I guess that's fair, everyone knows you keep the other diplomatic delegations guessing a lot of the time."
  "It's our special power, I'd hate to disappoint them."
  "We're clear to taxi on Megamisama-roof-tarmac in thirty. Repeat thirty seconds. Please make sure flight restraints are fully engaged, thank you for flying air skycutter."
  "So droll, do they do that all the time?"
  "Do what?"
  "The Air Skycutter bit, feels rehearsed."
  "Only with guests."
  "Do lifeguards count as guests?"
  "Oh, yes, they're the worse guests, know enough to get into trouble."