Kitunda (Swahili for chess pawn) is the 4-player battle royal board game combining chess-like strategy but with each pawn having the ability of a bishop, rook, knight or king determined with the roll of the dice rolling dice. Find out if your Kitunda will be the last one standing in this fun, easy-to-learn, quick game for the whole family who enjoy chance & strategy.
2 to 4 Players
15 Minutes
Ages 12+
A Queen resides in her castle to tending to her sick husband, the King, who is afflicted by a plague. Her court of Bishops, Knights, and Grand Houses have also been afflicted with the illness and have been disbanded.
All who remain healthy within the royal court are the Queen’s eight loyal Kitunda (pawns) to help keep her kingdom safe from being captured by warring kingdoms whom are similarly afflicted by the plague.
Thus, in order to strengthen their Kitunda, the Queens of each kingdom requested the council of powerful mystics whom offered each Queen a six-sided enchanted crystal, that when rolled, would bestow the abilities and attributes of the nobles onto their Kitunda.
With enchanted power in hand, the Queens ordered their loyal Kitunda into their respective trenches, ready to defend their kingdoms with honor from intruders on the awaiting battlefield.
*The Kitunda Game Board (Battlefield)*
A Kitunda enters the battlefield by activating their Crystal (rolling the die) revealing their move and leaving the safety of their Trench. Once on the battlefield, a Kitunda cannot return to its trench or enter an opponents' trench. On every turn, you roll the crystal, choose a Kitunda, and that Kitunda receives the ability designated by the crystal; so plan your movements accordingly to maximize the highest opportunity of defeating your opponents.
**Each Side of the Board Has a Colored Trench for Each Player
A Die roll of 1 allows a Kitunda to move rank and file in the style of a Rook.
It is said that the Crystal will go critical when held by its last bearer. So when a player has only one Kitunda remaining, they have three turns to get within “attack position” of an opponent’s piece (any position that would allow you to capture an opponent within one roll of the die – this does not include Kitunda starting in the trench).
As the last piece, however, the flawed Crystal does allow a player to roll twice per a turn if they did not begin their turn in attack position. The first roll is used to move into attack position, and then the second roll to attempt to attack. If on the FIRST ROLL the player fails to enter attack position, it is a consider a STRIKE against the player and there is no second roll and the player ends their turn. If the player misses an attack during the Second Roll, then the player may simply move to a legal spot according the ability of the die and will not receive a penalty.
There is no stalemate in Kitunda.
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