Latrunculi:

History Of Latrunculi:

Latrunculi is a very old game that is similar to Petteia in game-play and history. It is known to be commonly played during the time of the Roman Empire.

Equipment:

To play Latrunculi you need a board that is 12X8 squared with 96 squares. Also needed are 12 beads for each player, 12 of one colour and 12 of another.

How To Play Latrunculi:

Latrunculi has simply rules and plays very similarly to Petteia.

The main objective of the game is to capture all of the opposing player’s beads or by surrounding their king bead on 4 sides.

1. Players take turns to move 1 bead on a board through any number of empty spaces either horizontally or vertically.

2. Beads are only allowed to move onto empty squares and can’t jump over other beads.

3. A bead is “alligatus” (blocked) when it is surrounded on 2 sides (left and right, or top and bottom) by the beads of their opponent’s beads. A row of beads that are straight and uninterrupted can also be alligatus.

4. A bead that is alligatus cannot move and should be flipped upside down.

5. A player is able to protect their beads that are alligatus by surrounding one one of the beans surrounding their alligatus bead.

6. During the next turn, a player who has put the opposing player in alligatus is able to capture the surrounded beads and remove them from play.

7. Beads can only be captured if the beads are still holding their position on either side of the bead that is alligatus and are also alligatus.

8. If a player moves their bead in between 2 of the opposing player’s beads the bead is alligatus.

9. A bead in a corner can be captured when it is surrounded on both sides of the corner.

10. The king bead is able to move just like a regular bead and can also jump over any number of beads of the same colour in a straight line (horizontally or vertically) to an empty space on the board. You can chain these moves together. Beads that are jumped over cant’t be captured.

11. A king bead can only be captured if you surround it on all 4 sides.

12. All beads that are captured are removed from play.

Strategy Involved:

Thinking ahead is a key aspect to playing this. You are able to bait your opponent’s into moving where you want them to and capture their pieces.

My Thoughts On Latrunculi:

Latrunculi is a great game with many similarities to Petteia and it can be argued that it is a better version of the two. It really gets you thinking.