KAISSA Torvaldsland has its own version of Kaissa. They have a greater passion for the game than even those in the south. They will sometimes settle differences over the Kaissa board rather than battle with weapons. They construct Kaissa boards that they can use at sea. Each square of the board has a tiny peg in its center. The pieces all have holes so they can fit over the pegs. Thus, the pieces will not move around the board in rough waters. Some of the pieces in their version differ from the southern version. They have a Jarl instead of a Ubar. The Jarl is the most powerful piece on the board. They have a Jarl's Woman instead of a Ubara and it is a more powerful piece than the Ubara. Instead of Tarnsmen, they have Axes. The Axe is a valuable piece, especially in the early and middle game. Instead of Scribes, they have Singers that move the same. Singers are valued the same as Axes but their usefulness does depend on the phase of the game. In the end game, a Singer is often more valuable as it can control more spaces than the Axe. Instead of Initiates, they have Rune-Priests. They do have Spearman and they move identically as in the southern game. Instead of a Home Stone, they have a Hall. One strong opening is the Jarl's Axe Gambit. That would be akin to the Ubar's Tarnsman Gambit. |