Widdershins
Celtic Backgammon
© 1999 Mad Scientist Games.
Widdershins is a backgammon game in a Celtic style. Much of the rules are the same, but many have been changed to fit the unique board. Widdershins is a free game, and you may redistribute it for free, as long as it is complete and unchanged. Since it is a free game, it only comes with the board, not the pieces. To play Widdershins you will also need 32 pieces, 16 each of two different colors, and two normal six-sided dice. It helps if the dice are two different colors. Glass beads work well for the pieces, but you can also use pennies and dimes.
Goal
The goal of Widdershins is to get five of your pieces off of the board and into the victory area. To do this you must capture your opponent's pieces.
Setup
Each player picks one of the two runes on the board, either the "x" or the "o" . Each player puts two pieces of their color on each of their rune. Each player rolls one of the dice, and whoever rolls highest goes first (reroll any ties).
The board is made up of two straight crossbars and a circle. You can download the pdf version.
The Player Turn
Players alternate taking turns. Each player rolls the dice on their turn, and moves one or two pieces the number indicated on the dice. The player who goes first must use the two numbers rolled to determine who went first.
Moving Pieces
Each die rolled represents a move for one of your pieces. You may make your moves with the same piece, or with different pieces. The following rules apply to moving pieces:
- Count the first space the piece moves into, but not the space it starts out in. You must move the number indicated on the die.
- You may not end a piece's move in a space that already has two stones in it (even if they are your pieces).
- You may move either direction along the crossbars.
- When moving around the circle, you must move in a counter-clockwise direction.
- You may turn at any of the five intersections. You may not turn so as to move counter-clockwise on the circle, and you may not make a U-turn.
You must make a move with each die, if possible. If it is impossible to move with that die, you lose the move. If it is impossible to move with either of your dice, you may not make any moves for that turn.
The Rule of Threes
If you roll a three, you can get an extra move. After you use the three to make a move, you may reroll that die and use it to make a move. You may not move more than four pieces a turn, no matter how many threes you roll. You may not reroll threes on the first turn of the game.
Capturing Pieces
If one of your pieces ends its move in a space with only one of your opponent's pieces, that piece is captured. Take it off the board and place it in the "captured" box.
If any of your pieces are in the captured box, you must use at least one of your moves to bring a piece back on to the board. You may do this at the intersections or at the ends of the crossbars. Note that each interesection is numbered. Instead of moving a piece that number of spaces, you may move a piece from the captured area on to that space. The ends of the crossbars are all numbered "1." You may only bring a captured piece in on a "1" if it also has the rune you chose at the begining of the game.
You may not bring a captured piece on if the space has two pieces in it already. If those two pieces are yours, you may use your first move to move one of them away, and then use your second move to bring a piece in at that space.
If you have captured pieces and you cannot bring one of them back onto the board, then you may not make any other moves that turn. If you have captured pieces, you may not reroll any threes until you bring one of those pieces back onto the board.
Scoring Pieces
If you capture a piece, you may move a piece off of the board and into the "victory" box. You must do this on the same turn as you captured a piece. The process for scoring a piece is the reverse of bringing one back from capture. Instead of using a die to make a move on the board, you use it to move a piece off a space with that number and into the victory box. When you have five pieces in the victory box, you win the game. Remember that you can only use "1" spaces if they also have the rune that you chose at the begining of the game.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: If I have two captured pieces, do I have to move them both onto the
board before I move other pieces?
A: No. As long as you return one of the captured pieces to the board, you
can move other pieces on the board that turn.
Q: Can I win the game if I have captured pieces?
A: Yes. Once you have five pieces in the victory box, you win the game.
Q: Do I have to turn at the intersections?
A: No, you can continue to go straight if you want.
Q: Say I roll a three and a five. Do I have to move the five before I
can reroll the three?
A: No, you just have to move the three before you reroll the three. You
can wait to move the five until you see what the reroll is.
Q: What if I have other questions?
A: Feel free to email ichabod@cstone.net
with any questions you have.
Credits
Dedication: To my sister Coleen and her husband David.
Game and Board Design: Craig "Ichabod" O'Brien.
Playtesters: Rick Britton and Brian Cartwright.
Special Thanks to: Don Dennis and Jason Hawkins.
Last Modified 10/3/99
Created 10/3/99