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>PERSUASION 3 SUCCESS: BROTHER FOR LIFE Quest revealed. Additionally, while officially still assigned duties with the Comitas stationed in Cathagi, Brother Rousseau will actively work to assist you during your time here without request.
>DOUBLE PASS: Underground Pilgrimage. Brother Rousseau confides to you a closely guarded Comitas secret.
>BROTHER FOR LIFE QUEST REVEALED: ‘Let My People Go’ – Aid Brother Marcel Rousseau in rescuing a substantial number of slaves from the bonds of captivity.
> INTRIGUE 1 SUCCESS: Lessons learned. You are soundly beaten, but at least you understand how the game works. The basics at least. Playing further games in the future will result in you gaining CASUAL AMATUER rank, regardless of outcome.
>You’ve stayed up a little later than you should drinking khave, but not nearly as much as you might otherwise have in different company. Gain Tired -2DC.
Your Comitas Companion is a man of less than few words, namely none. With patience he communicates the basic mechanics of the game through demonstration and a few test plays, to show the moves of each piece and some elementary combinations.
The game of Princeps at first glance appears simple. Two sides beginning at opposite ends of the board, one white and one black, each with straightforward sigils denoting their role. Surrounding objects of the opposite colour with those of your own at certain angles removes them from play. But it is there the simplicity ends. The object of the game is primarily to force the submission of the Dictator, but there is a significant boon to be held by subduing a choice piece, selected by each player in secret with a token kept turned over on their side of the field. The strength, movements and abilities of each piece change dramatically when stacked or attached alongside other stacks. One can guess what a combination is capable of only by seeing it utilised and having the lower stacks revealed or by deducing the contents of the hidden pieces underneath from what else is on the board.
For example the Magistrate piece has an extensive range of movement, able to tie down an opposing piece for more aggressive units to break apart. But when stacked with the more militaristic pieces such as an Archer or Equites it becomes a Consul, with more limited movement but able to tie down multiple pieces at once.
Suffice to say you lose handedly. Brother Rousseau is clearly going easy on you and still wins without effort when you play for real, but you did notice an approving nod or two when you formed your own very basic stacks in an effort to staunch a breakthrough in one of your flanks. You could learn to like this game, finding it a welcome way to pass the time in companionable silence.
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