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  Revision: 5
  All material copyright 2004 by M.A.R. Barker
  The Game
  of Kévuk
  
  Credits
  front layout and design
  Victor Raymond
  cover illustration
  Giovanna Fregni
  editorial help
  Chris Davis
  
  1
  ©  M. A.  R. Barker, 1982
  Revised 1996
  KÉVUK
  By
  M. A. R. Barker
  The peoples of the Five Empires love a good
  wager. The Hirilákte Arenas, the displays of
  duelling and wrestling provided at feasts, the
  skilfully staged puppet shows, in which
  miniature beasts fight with tiny heroes, gods,
  demigods, or other creatures, and the lavish
  gaming tables found at the entertainments of
  the wealthier nobles, clans, temples, and
  officials -- all offer opportunities for winning
  or losing great sums of money, slaves,
  jewels, and landed property.
  Mastery of the various gambling games forms
  an important part of one’s “social graces.”
  The “face” which one presents to one’s table
  companions is as important to one’s as the
  money itself.
  The Tsolyáni, for example,
  respect an urbane, sophisticated gamer, who
  demonstrates courage and verve, who is lavish
  and generous to a fault, who is not made angry
  by losing or arrogant by winning. The ideal is
  the ancient culture-hero, Hrúgga, who “won
  the world, the two moons, and half as much
  again” from the Goddess Avánthe -- yet who
  continued to stake everything he had on each
  play until he had lost it all back to her “because
  it is not seemly for a mere man to overmaster
  the immortal Gods.”
  The Mu’ugalavyáni, on the other hand, gamble
  with
  a
  fierce,
  cold
  concentration.
  The
  Salarvyáni are reckless, noisy, boisterous --
  and quick to insult, often leading to a duel.
  The Yán Koryáni and the northern peoples
  prefer wild betting and heroic bravado, while
  yet maintaining a facade of easy camaraderie.
  The Livyáni are cool and secretive, much like
  the image of the “riverboat gambler” of old
  Terra. The nonhumans are also diverse: The
  Pé Chói rarely participate, but when they do,
  they are clever and cautious; the Ahoggyá
  dislike gambling; the Shén are the reverse:
  easily addicted, but quickly enraged.
  The
  Páchi Léi are taciturn and calm, while the
  Swamp folk are the opposite. The Tinalíya are
  excellent at odds and calculations, which
  causes them to be quietly excluded from
  human gaming parties.
  There are several common games.
  For two
  players there is Daqú, a board game something
  like chequers. Multiple players may choose
  Dén-den, which employs a polygonal board
  and ranked sets of coloured pieces and
  counters. The commonest of all, however, is
  Tsahltén, a game developed in Mu’ugalavyá,
  which is popular throughout the Five Empires.
  Tsahltén involves the tossing of a number of
  coloured and marked sticks into the air and
  calling out a pattern. A judge (/tugrúntokoi/ in
  Tsolyáni) determines whether the pattern is
  made, not made, or neither made nor not made.
  The thrower wins or loses accordingly, as -do
  
  2
  those who bet for or against his “making the
  pattern.” Patterns are ranked according to
  complexity, from the “single square” up to the
  “Dragon.” The thrower chooses how many or
  how few sticks he will use, thus raising or
  lowering the odds.
  The patterns themselves
  are given odds: the “single square” has about
  an 80% chance of success, whereas the
  “Dragon” has perhaps only a 10% chance --
  and even less if fewer than eight sticks are
  used. Intermediate patterns (e. g. the “double
  square,” the “single peak,” the “double peak,”
  the “triple peak,” the “High Forest,” etc.) are
  given chances ranging from 30% through 80%,
  with further modifiers added or subtracted
  according to the number of sticks used.
  The rules for judging Tsahltén are too complex
  to be explained here. There are books on the
  subject in most of the languages of Tékumel,
  but much depends upon the experience and
  subjective judgment of the /tugrúntokoi/. It is
  rare to find one of these judges being accused
  of bias or cheating; prestige and power depend
  upon the appearance of absolute impartiality,
  and a scandal can damage a clan’s, temple’s, or
  individual noble’s reputation for years to
  come. Sponsors may retain a professional
  /tugrúntokoi/, or they may purchase a slave and
  have him trained by the Clan of the Balanced
  Stone, which specialises in the education of
  body servants, secretaries, major domos,
  accountants, and judges of sports and games.
  The rules for Kévuk, a common dice game, are
  given below. Tables for this ancient pastime
  are provided at parties and feasts. Dice games
  are also popular with the lower classes and
  with the soldiery.
  Kévuk uses two 6-sided dice. These are
  somewhat larger than most Terran dice, and
  show different symbols. Tekumeláni dice are
  made of various substances: precious stones,
  metals, bone, Mu’ugalavyáni red glass,
  pottery, and the wood. Some versions of the
  game require more than two dice, and there are
  also 20-sided dice, “long” dice (long oblongs
  with four or six sides, the short ends not being
  counted), etc.
  Kévuk dice are of the same colour, but bear
  different symbols: one die displays a blue
  (/nírin/) “one,” a white (/abásun/) “two,” a
  silver (/ssímin/) “three,” a yellow (/páravün/)
  “four,” a black (/mikárun/) “five,” and a
  symbol for one of the Gods (see below). The
  other die shows a black “one,” a yellow “two,”
  a silver “three,” a white “four,” a blue “five,”
  and the symbol for the “opposing” deity. There
  is thus an “opposition” between blue/black and
  between
  white/yellow,
  but
  there
  is
  no
  opposition between silver and any other
  colour.
  Tsolyáni numerals for 1 through 5 are:
  1
  prúkh “1” ; 2
  gayál “2”; 3
  bíyal “3”; 4
  mriyál “4”; 5tloyál “5”
  Each of a pair of Kévuk dice also exhibits a
  glyph for one of the Gods, as mentioned above.
  These glyphs are enamelled in the deity’s
  symbolic
  colour.
  Traditional
  pairs
  of
  “opponents” are: Lord Hnálla versus Lord
  Hrü’ü, Lord Thúmis versus Lord Ksárul, Lady
  Avánthe versus Lady Dlamélish, and --
  interestingly enough -- Lord Vimúhla versus
  Lord Sárku. The ten Cohorts of the Tsolyáni
  gods are occasionally represented on Kévuk
  dice as well, and the gods of other lands are
  also found. The glyphs for the Gods differ
  somewhat from those used in writing. They
  are:
  
  3
  1. Hnálla and Drá:
  2.  Thúmis and Keténgku:
  3. Avánthe and Dilinála:
  4. Karakán and Chegárra:
  5. Belkhánu and Qón:
  6. Hrü’ü and Wurú:
  7. Ksárul and Grugánu:
  8. Sárku and Durritlámish:
  9. Vimúhla and Chiténg:
  10. Dlamélish and Hriháyal:
  The game begins with the host (or his
  representative) offering the dice to the highest
  ranking player. This “thrower” (/kevúmokoi/)
  may play or to pass to the next player to his
  right. He names one of the two deities and also
  one of the four colours -- excluding the silver
  three’s. Going around the table to the right,
  then, each player chooses a deity and a colour.
  At wealthy parties small plaques are provided
  to each player to identify his chosen deity and
  colour. These markers serve only to avoid
  misunderstandings and have no further use in
  the game.
  One is permitted to change deities and/or
  
  4
  colours whenever the dice are passed from one
  player to another. It is not considered polite to
  do so as long as one player continues to throw.
  Each player now places a bet or passes.
  In
  some games the amount is standardised: e.g.
  100 Káitars per player per throw.
  In other,
  more reckless games a player may stake as
  much or as little as he desires. A servant or
  judge serves as a croupier.
  The thrower then rolls the dice, and the results
  are determined. So long as two silver three’s
  are not thrown, he may continue to roll. The
  thrower may also opt to pass the dice to the
  next player to his right after a throw. A player
  may drop out of the game at any time, although
  it is not good manners to leave in the middle of
  one’s turn.
  The following abbreviations will help clarify
  the results.
  Symbol
  Meaning
  oG
  one’s own God’s symbol
  eG
  the “enemy” or opposing 
  deity
  oC
  one’s chosen colour
  eC
  the “enemy” or opposite 
  colour: blue is the opposite 
  of black, and yellow of 
  white. Silver has no 
  opposite; a player cannot 
  choose silver as his/her 
  colour.
  nC
  a “neutral” colour: one that 
  is not one’s own colour or its 
  opposite, and not silver: e. g. 
  black is a neutral colour to 
  white or yellow.
  B
  one’s bet, the amount 
  wagered
  N
  the number on a die
  D
  the difference between the 
  number on one die and that 
  on
  the other
  x
   times, multiplied by ...
  K
  the /kumesukán/ “treasury”: 
  a “kitty” into which and 
  from which amounts are 
  paid.
  3
  one of the silver three’s
  L
  loses
  W
  wins
  Results are read as follows:
  Dice
  Score
  Result
  oG - eG
  W 5 x B from K; W all B 
  from other players
  oG - oC
  W 5 x B from each player 
  backing eC
  oG - eC
  W N x B from each 
  player
  backing an eC
  oG - nC
  W N x B from each player 
  backing that nC
  oG - 3
  W 3 x B from K
  
  5
  eG - eC
  L 5 x B to each player
  backing an eC
  eG - oC
  Lose N x B to each player 
  backing an eC
  eG - nC
  L N x B to each player 
  backing that nC
  eG - 3
  L 3 x B to K
  oC - oC
  W D x B from K
   oC - eC
  High N wins; D x B to or 
  from thrower: e. g. thrower’s 
  blue 1 versus eC player’s 
  black 5: D is 4; thrower
  pays each eC player 4 x  his 
  (the thrower’s) bet. 
   If the 
  thrower has the black 5, 
  and black is his colour, he 
  receives 4 x the B of each eC 
  player.
  Dice
  Score
  Result
  oC - nC
  High N wins: D x B to or 
  from the thrower
  oC - 3
  W N x B from K
  eC - eC
  L D x B to K
  eC - nC
  L D x B to eC or to nC, 
  whichever has the higher 
  score
  eC - 3
  L 3 x B to K
  nC - nC
  No effect on the thrower
  nC - 3
  High N wins: D x B to or 
  from player(s) backing that 
  nC
  3 - 3
  L 3 x B to K; L all bets to 
  other players; dice pass
  5 - 5
  W 2 x B from backers of 
  blue and black
  4 - 4
  W 1 x B from backers of 
  white and yellow
  2 - 2
  L 1 x B to backers of white 
  and yellow
  1 - 1
  L 2 x B to backers of blue 
  and black
  nC - nC
  nC is neutral to the 
  thrower: e. g. the thrower’s 
  colour is black, and he 
  throws a white four and a 
  yellow 2.  High N wins: 
  those backing the high nC 
  win D x B from those
  Dice
  Score
  Result
  backing the losing nC. 
  Players backing yellow pay 
  2 x their B to those backing 
  white.
  When all players wish to quit, a final round is
  called to determine who gets any money
  remaining in the /kumesukán/ “treasury.” The
  first player to roll his own god symbol receives
  this sum.
  Side bets are common.
  One may bet that a
  certain roll will come up before another one,
  that a player will roll two three’s before rolling
  some other number, etc.
  Side bets do not
  affect the progress of the game itself and are
  
  6
  often made out of bravado. The Salarvyáni are
  particularly addicted to them, and some
  Salarvyáni noble houses provide special
  croupiers to circulate through the crowd and
  record these wagers in order to reduce strife.
  It will be noted that there is a greater difference
  between black and blue than between white
  and yellow: the former produce a difference of
  4 (5 - 1) versus 2 (4 - 2). Black and blue are
  termed “heroic colours,” while yellow and
  white are called “following colours.” Players
  backing one of the former stand a chance of
  winning or losing considerably more than
  those supporting the latter pair.
  As Kévuk shows, many games have a religious
  or mythological aspect to them. Daqú is said to
  represent the conflict between Stability and
  Change; Dén-den symbolises the mythological
  politics of the deities; and there are even epic
  connotations to the patterns of Tsahltén: e.g.
  the “triple peak” is one of the obstacles which
  faced Hruiggá during his quest for the Egg of
  the World. Few take the deity symbols on the
  dice too seriously, however, and it is not
  uncommon to find a devout priest of Hrü’ü
  blowing on the dice and calling upon Lord
  Hnálla to come to his aid! Only rarely do
  confrontations arise. An example of a serious
  quarrel is that which occurred in 2,360 A. S,
  when supporters of the Incandescent Blaze
  Society of the Temple of Vimúhla got into a
  brawl with priests of Lord Durritlámish at a
  party in Sokátis. This incident involved
  possible cheating: the use of telekinetic magic
  to influence the dice. This is strictly prohibited
  and guarded against in every noble household.
  The case was adjudicated in 2,365, with the
  Temple of Durritlámish being fined 3,000
  Káitars as Shámtla (“blood-money”). Two of
  the priests of Vimúhla were sentenced to brief
  terms in prison and were also demoted one
  priestly Circle. The consensu was that both
  parties were lucky. As stated above, “noble
  action” is strictly maintained in gambling, as in
  other spheres of life.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Empire of the Petal Throne/Tékumel Supplemental/Tékumel Netbook The Game of Kévuk.pdf