The Chessmaster: Difference between revisions

* In ''[[Old World of Darkness]]'', Kindred in ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade]]'' makes this about as literal as it gets. Powerful elders are known to play chess against each other; sometimes by themselves, others by Dominating skilled chess masters to play for them. The Jyhad being what it is, few games are actually played for fun. In the more complicated games, each piece has a corresponding real world henchman, location, or valuable resource. When that piece is taken, play is halted so that the attacking player can arrange for the relevant resource to be seized. Should a player advance a pawn, he can promote it to a piece previously taken and the matching objective is restored or released. And according to Camarilla social mores, to quit or forfeit a match should the losses become to severe would result in such a massive loss of status that it becomes less painful for the loser to see it through to the end and lose his stakes rather than quit and become a laughingstock. Such games can become so complex as to be microcosms of the Jyhad and can take years, if not decades, to play out completely, moves being sent to each other through trusted agents, letter drops, burnt into the skin of the ghoul assassin you sent against him whose body is left on your doorstep, etc. Savvy characters can learn much about an elder's political situation and resources just by seeing his chessboard.

* The yugoloths, a race of neutral evil fiends in ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'', were typically cast as executing secret, evil schemes across time and ''the [[Multiverse]]'', particularly in their most fleshed out appearances in the 2nd Edition ''[[Planescape]]'' campaign setting. In one source book, an illustration (by the impeccable hand of Tony Di Terlizzi), a pair of arcanoloths, the most ''[[Affably Evil]]'' of these fiends, are shown playing chess with pieces that resemble other races from the setting.

 

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