PROJECT KELLS (Tailten Games; 2 players, ages 9 and up, 30-45 minutes; about $40)

   Inspiration comes from many sources. For Murray Heasman, inspiration from Ireland's Celtic heritage and the patterns found in the Book of Kells has yielded Project Kells, a beauty of an abstract game.

   Project Kells comes with a board, 6 kings, 6 variant cards, an illustration sheet, a rules booklet and 146 hand painted plastic parts in red and blue further divided into two types: "ringforts" and "bridges". Ringforts are basically squares; bridges link two adjacently placed ringforts. Within that booklet are the rules for TWO different games (Sacred Hill and High Kings of Tara) using the same pieces and a variation on the basic ideas. 

   In Sacred Hill, players, in turn, begin by seeding the open board by alternately placing ringforts on empty spaces. Once the first piece of each player is placed, additional pieces are played with the following restrictions: a piece may only be placed away from another of that player's piece at a "knight's move" (as in chess) and such placement may not leave a new piece less than a knight's move away from another friendly piece. (A piece MAY be placed close to an enemy piece.) When such placement is no longer possible (for one player or both), the battle phase of the game commences. 

   During the battle phase, ringforts may be placed anywhere with a different  restriction. They may only be placed adjacent to a friendly piece, linking pieces together. Once a link is created, the linking pieces are joined together by the placement of bridges. Should one ringfort be isolated and surrounded by enemy pieces, that ringfort is considered besieged. On the next turn, your opponent MUST capture that ringfort by substituting his piece for that one and linking it to his forces. In no case may a player pass his turn.  When no further moves are possible and the board completely filled, we score.

   Scoring is based on the variation chosen. You may score by counting "kingdoms" or "knots" as determined before play begins. The variant tiles are used to indicate which game and scoring mechanism is in play.) 

   A kingdom is simply a group of the same colored ringforts linked together. A knot is a little trickier. A knot is a continuous loop (or strand) within a kingdom. Whichever method is used, the scoring is the same. The player with the LEAST number of kingdoms or knots wins. He scores 2 points for the victory plus the difference in the number of kingdoms or knots. (So, for example, if blue has 2 kingdoms and red has 3, blue wins and scores 2 points for the win plus 1 additional point for having one less kingdom.) If there is a tie, then territory (spaces occupied) is counted. The player with the most occupied spaces wins and gets 2 points PLUS the difference in occupied spaces. Whoever has accumulated the most points after two games is the winner. 

   With High Kings of Tara, the king pieces come into play. The game is similar to Sacred Hill but, after placing a ringfort, the active player also places one of his three king pieces on top of it. This is done until all six kings (3 for each player) are in play. From that point, the king moves (as a knight in chess) to a vacant area, placing ringforts underneath the space he occupies. (The same movement restrictions as in Sacred Hill apply.) When no legal movement is possible, players move onto the battle phase.

   The battle rules, particularly as they apply to capture, change in High Kings of Tara. Now, kings (still moving as knights) may build friendly ringforts adjacent to each other, When NONE of your own kings can move legally (termed as not being "in play"), the kings get the added powers of backtracking and/or capturing enemy pieces (powers lost once legal movement is again possible).

   Backtracking enables a king to move to ANY space on the board. This allows a player to capture an enemy ringfort  (if already besieged) by moving onto the enemy piece, replacing - and linking it - with one of your own. Backtracking may also result in a capture of an enemy king. Should a king be standing on a single ringfort that is or is about to be surrounded, the king is captured and removed from the game! (Passing is possible if BOTH players have all their kings not in play.)

   Once the last empty hill is occupied or two enemy kings captured (or both players pass), the game ends and we score.

   Each captured king is worth 1 point so with 2 enemy kings captured, the winning player will score 2 points. If that game-ending condition is not met, then the player with the least kingdoms (or knots) receives 2 points PLUS the difference in the count. If tied, the player with the largest territory receives 2 points plus the difference in the count. If still tied, each player scores 1 point. Again, the player with the most accumulated points after two games is the winner.

   Both of these games are considered Level I. Plans for Level II rules are in the works and have been announced for publication at the company's web site (www.projectkells.com).

   Project Kells is the start of what seems to be a series of games using similar components and basic rules. In this goal, it seems a little like Kris Burm's Gipf (Spring 1998 GA REPORT). The games are challenging. Since there are no dice here, planning and skillful movement is completely at your discretion and luck is not a factor. The player who makes the best moves will win. For maximum effect, you should try to maneuver to as to split your opponent's holdings so that you link a large kingdom and the opposition is splintered. You should also try to move into the battle phase quickly. Once in the battle phase, movement is less restrictive giving you more flexibility in attacking and limiting your opponent's options. The linking of ringforts via bridges creates a "woven" effect, a virtual board tapestry that emerges from the game play, that is both clever and attractive. On the other hand, the swirling effect caused by these linkages, especially when playing the "knot" variations, can cause a real headache for those sensitive to spatial distortion. 

   As abstract games go, Project Kells offers something new and different in a package that works well as both a quality abstract game and as an attractive conversation piece for your coffee table. Project Kells is certainly a game that fans of this genre of play would do well to check out. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Herb Levy