Wah-ree was an ancient abstract strategy board game in Faerûn, popular among giants and played even by some of the gods.[1][2]
History
Legends stated that the game of wah-ree was invented by the gods themselves.[2]
The myths of the giants state that early in the history of the world, after thousands of years of war between the giants and the dragons, the god of giants, Annam All-Father, made a truce with the god Garyx[3] by agreeing with the dragon god to settle the war with a game of wah-ree. So skilled were the two opponents, that game ended in a stalemate, and the war came to an end.[1]
Another giant legend tells of two verbeegs who played a single game of wah-ree over a 40 year period![4]
Appendix
Inspiration
It has been speculated that wah-ree was inspired by the real-life game of oware, a game in the mancala family. However, the illustration of the game on p. 8 of Giantcraft does not look anything at all like mancala and instead appears to be similar to a Nine Men's Morris board combined with three circles. The placement of the pieces is also nothing like Nine Men's Morris, with the pieces placed in the spaces made by the circles and squares rather than on the intersections of the lines. If the illustration is indicative of the actual game play of wah-ree, it appears that it is a unique creation.
Reference
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 9. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 120. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.
- ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 8. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ Ray Winninger (September 1995). Giantcraft. Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc.), p. 35. ISBN 0-7869-0163-2.