Wooden Ram

From: Peter Nordstrand <petermnordstrand_at_...>
Date: Sun, 07 Apr 2002 19:20:19 +0200

There once was a discussion on this list about Heortling games. Here is a Lunar boardgame that we discovered when writing a Hero Wars scenario for GothCon.

WOODEN RAM
Wooden Ram is a strategy game based on the myth about how Yanafal Tarnils defeated Death. It is very popular among soldiers. Two players sit on opposing sides of a square board. Each player has seven stones and one wooden ram. The objective of the game is to surround the opponent's wooden ram with your own stones. You may remove your oppontent's stones from the game by "jumping over" them with a stone of your own. The player wins, who either first surrounds his opponent's wooden ram, or removes so many of his opponent's stones that he (the opponent) is unable to win.

RUNNING A GAME OF WOODEN RAM IN YOUR GAME It can be somewhat difficult to describe the playing of a boardgame in an entertaining manner. Here are a few ideas on what may happen during the game, assuming it is staged as an Extended Contest.

"You block his stones so that he is unable to move forward."

"He forces you to remove one of your stones."

"You force him to remove one of his stones."

"He moves his stones so that you are unable to move your's without
sacrificing a stone."

"You force him to retreat with his wooden ram, in order to avoid being
surrounded."

"He moves all his stones back one step. This places him in a tactically
disadvantageous position, but it allowes him to reintroduce one of the stones he has lost."

Remember: No-one (not even I, who thought this up) knows how Wooden Ram works in detail. Use your imagination to describe what happens. Your players will no doubt have suggestions of their own.

Cheers,
/Peter Nordstrand