Parchís
Encyclopedia
Parchís is a Spanish
board game
of the Cross and Circle
family. It is an adaptation of the Indian game Pachisi
.
Parchís was a very popular game in Spain at one point, and it is still popular. Since it uses dice
, Parchís is not usually regarded as an abstract strategy game
like checkers or chess
. It does not depend entirely on luck either, since the four pawns under a player's command demand some sort of strategy.
Parchís is license-free in Spain, so in stores it is just as easy to find as a deck of cards
, and is usually cheaper. Although the original game allows up to four players (that is, the board counts four colors: yellow, blue, red and green), six-player versions are not hard to find (adding orange and purple, in that order), and eight-player boards can be found in big toy stores.
Traditionally, each player has a cubilete (dice cup) to shake and toss the dice. This does not affect the course of the game itself, but most habitual players find it imperative.
On the reverse of the board it is usual to find a board for the Game of the Goose
.
and 4 pawns per player. Dice cups are optional, but most game sets include them. As in Pachisi
, the aim is simple: players compete on leading their four pawns out of their nest, around the whole board, into the color track and up to the center of the board, chasing and "eating" each other in the process.
A roll of 5 forces the player to release one pawn from the nest (if there are any left), and a roll of 6 gives the player an extra turn. When the player has 4 pawns in the game (outside the nest), whenever he gets a 6, he can move 7 squares.
If ever three 6's are rolled in a row, the last piece moved is killed and returned to the nest. If the last piece moved was in the final coloured ramp, it is only moved to the bottom of it.
When a pawn "eats" an opponent's pawn (by landing on the same square, if it is not a safe square), it "kills" it, sending it back to the nest, and advances 20 squares. When a pawn reaches the end, one of the other pawns of the same color can advance 10 squares.
Blockades can also be made with 2 pawns, but only in safe squares. In some variants, a blockade can be formed in any square, if both pawns belong to the same player—otherwise the last to arrive would kill the first. Pawns cannot jump over blockades, which causes "jams", making it easy for players to "eat" each other. A player must open a blockade if he tosses a 6.
(The image from the playboard is not exactly right. On the original boardgame the yellow startposition is on 5 (not on 4)! So all the 'save' squares has to be one square position higher.)
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
of the Cross and Circle
Cross and Circle game
Cross and Circle is a board game design used for race games played throughout the world.-Design:Strictly, the design comprises a circle divided into four equal portions by a cross inscribed inside it; the classic example of this design is Yut...
family. It is an adaptation of the Indian game Pachisi
Pachisi
Pachisi is a cross and circle board game that originated in ancient India which has been described as the "national game of India". It is played on a board shaped like a symmetrical cross...
.
Parchís was a very popular game in Spain at one point, and it is still popular. Since it uses dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
, Parchís is not usually regarded as an abstract strategy game
Abstract strategy game
An abstract strategy game is a strategy game, aiming to minimise luck, and without a theme. Almost all abstract strategy games will conform to the strictest definition of: a board or card game, in which there is no hidden information, no non-deterministic elements , in which two players or teams...
like checkers or chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
. It does not depend entirely on luck either, since the four pawns under a player's command demand some sort of strategy.
Parchís is license-free in Spain, so in stores it is just as easy to find as a deck of cards
Playing card
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic, marked with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing card games...
, and is usually cheaper. Although the original game allows up to four players (that is, the board counts four colors: yellow, blue, red and green), six-player versions are not hard to find (adding orange and purple, in that order), and eight-player boards can be found in big toy stores.
Traditionally, each player has a cubilete (dice cup) to shake and toss the dice. This does not affect the course of the game itself, but most habitual players find it imperative.
On the reverse of the board it is usual to find a board for the Game of the Goose
Game of the Goose
The Game Of The Goose is a board game with uncertain origins. Some people connect the game with the Phaistos Disc , others claim that it was originally a gift from Francesco I de' Medici of Florence to King Philip II of Spain sometime between 1574 and 1587, while the latest theories attribute to...
.
Rules
This game is played with 1 dieDice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
and 4 pawns per player. Dice cups are optional, but most game sets include them. As in Pachisi
Pachisi
Pachisi is a cross and circle board game that originated in ancient India which has been described as the "national game of India". It is played on a board shaped like a symmetrical cross...
, the aim is simple: players compete on leading their four pawns out of their nest, around the whole board, into the color track and up to the center of the board, chasing and "eating" each other in the process.
A roll of 5 forces the player to release one pawn from the nest (if there are any left), and a roll of 6 gives the player an extra turn. When the player has 4 pawns in the game (outside the nest), whenever he gets a 6, he can move 7 squares.
If ever three 6's are rolled in a row, the last piece moved is killed and returned to the nest. If the last piece moved was in the final coloured ramp, it is only moved to the bottom of it.
When a pawn "eats" an opponent's pawn (by landing on the same square, if it is not a safe square), it "kills" it, sending it back to the nest, and advances 20 squares. When a pawn reaches the end, one of the other pawns of the same color can advance 10 squares.
Blockades can also be made with 2 pawns, but only in safe squares. In some variants, a blockade can be formed in any square, if both pawns belong to the same player—otherwise the last to arrive would kill the first. Pawns cannot jump over blockades, which causes "jams", making it easy for players to "eat" each other. A player must open a blockade if he tosses a 6.
(The image from the playboard is not exactly right. On the original boardgame the yellow startposition is on 5 (not on 4)! So all the 'save' squares has to be one square position higher.)