Go

From L5r: Legend of the Five Rings

Go (also called Ishii, lit. "stones") is a strategic game played on a rectangular board with black and white stones. The two players alternate placing one stone on the board with the objective of capturing as much area of the board as possible. Once placed on the board, stones are not moved; however, it is possible to remove the opponent's stones by surrounding them. This game is very common among samurai, but not as common among heimin. At some events, such as Winter court, there may be Go tournaments where a skilled player can gain a good deal of renown.

[edit] Equipment of Go

A full Go set includes the board, which is marked by 19 vertical and 19 horizontal lines (thus creating 361 intersections on which stones are played), a set of identical black and white stones, and bowls to hold stones that are not in play. The board itself is usually one solid piece such that it has legs like a table and sits directly on the ground with the playing surface at a height that players who sit on mats can comfortably play. The stones are circular, but have a bulge such that they are much thicker at the center than at the edges. Although they are always referred to as "stones" the actual composition can be a variety of materials, and very ornate sets are made from such exotic materials as ivory, ground and smoothed clam shells, or even obsidian (although its association with the Shadowlands makes many Rokugani uneasy). The wooden bowls generally hold all the extra stones until a player uses them in the game. The lids to the bowls are turned over and used to hold opponent's captured stones.

Although an ornate set may cost several koku, smaller travel sets exist as a less expensive and more mobile option.

[edit] Significance of Go

Because the objective is for the player to extend his control but not to overextend, many view Go as a game of balance. Shugenja often see it as a balance similar to the Celestial Order, while courtiers are familiar with such a balancing act in conversations and negotiations.

Another interesting aspect is that many consider Go to be symbolic of combat: the players as generals and the stones as his/her armies. For this reason, skilled bushi often are excellent Go players. Emperor Toturi III is widely known to be the best Go player in Rokugan, but because of his position as emperor he has little time for such games.

[edit] Major References

• Legend of the Five Rings; Third Edition pages 31-32

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Go (board game). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with L5r: Legend of the Five Rings, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.