Games and Contests

Many games and contests are commonly played at carnivals and festivals, with donations of food, drink, firewood, silks, animals, and such from the townsfolk and such, to go towards the prizes of the games. Oftentimes, slaves participate in many of these games, their owners wagering on the outcome of such games. Here are a few more of some of the popular games of Gor. Please note that while many games and modes of recreation are simply just that, there are the exceptions in which a gambling game, or specifically, Gorean Kaissa, are played for higher stakes.

• Amusements of Tharna
This event was popular in the days of Lara the Tatrix in the city of Tharna before Lara fell from power and the men of Tharna were liberated. A man of Tharna was required to attend this event a minimum of four (4) times per year. If he failed in meeting this requirement, he was forced to be a competitor. Normally, this event was not frequented by the Tatrix, although she did attend the day Tarl of Cabot was forced into competition.

I heard the voice of Andreas next to me. "Strange," said he, "usually the Tatrix does not attend the Amusements of Tharna." — Outlaw of Gor, page 109.

"Linna, in the dungeon, had told Andreas and me that a man of Tharna must attend the Amusements of Tharna at least four times a year, and that, failing that, he must take part in them himself." — Outlaw of Gor, page 110.

This event featured two contests, often with fatal consequences, in which male prisoners were forced to compete for the amusements of the women of the city. The two contests were the Contests of Oxen and the Battles of Oxen.

• Contests of Oxen
The first of the two contests held in the Amusements of Tharna. In this event, male prisoners are yoked, as if they were oxen, and forced to pull extremely heavy loads in a race pitted against other teams of "oxen."

"First," said the voice, "there will be the Contests of Oxen."
      There were perhaps forty yoked wretches in the arena. In a few moments the guards had divided us into teams of four, harnessing our yokes together with chains. Then, with their whips, they drove us to a set of large blocks of quarried granite, weighing perhaps a ton apiece, from the sides of which protruded heavy iron rings. More chains fixed each team to its own block.
      The course was indicated to us. The race would begin and end before the golden wall behind which, in lofty splendor, sat the Tatrix of Tharna. Each team would have its driver, who would bear a whip and ride upon the block. We painfully dragged the heavy blocks to the golden wall. The silver yoke, hot from the sun, burned my neck and shoulders… Savagely, our backs breaking, stinging under the frenzied lashing of our driver, cursing the colorful sands of the arena that mounted before the block as we dragged it foot by foot about the course, we managed to come first within the zone of the golden wall. When we were unchained we discovered we had been dragging one man who had died in the chains. — Outlaw of Gor, pages 111-112.

• Battles of Oxen
The second of the two contests held in the Amusements of Tharna. In this event, male prisoners, still yoked as if they were oxen, only this time, the yokes are fitted with steel horns, eighteen inches (18") long and pointed like nails. It becomes a death duel between two "oxen."

"The Battles of Oxen," cried the women of Tharna." Let them begin!"
      We were thrown on our feet again, and, to my horror, our yokes were fitted with steel horns, eighteen inches in length and pointed like nails… he said, "if we are matched and we do not fight, we will both be slain."
      My opponent was not Andreas, but a squat, powerful man with short-clipped yellow hair, Kron of Tharna, of the Caste of Metal Workers. His eyes were blue like steel. One ear had been torn from his head…" I have survived the Amusements of Tharna three times," he said as he faced me. I observed him carefully. He would be a dangerous opponent… And so Kron and I began to circle one another, slightly bent so that the projections on the yoke might be used to best advantage. Once, twice, he charged, but pulled up short, seeing if he could bring me forward, off balance to meet the charge. We moved cautiously, occasionally feinting with the terrible yokes. The stands grew restless. The man in wrist straps cracked his whip. "Let there be blood," he said. — Outlaw of Gor, pages 112-113.

• Bean Race
A common race of slave girls in which frees gamble on the outcome. In this race, slave girls are lined up on all fours, and when the signal is given, must push a bean with only her nose. The first girl across the finish line is the winner.

I stopped for a moment to watch an amusing race. Several slave girls are aligned, on all fours, poised, their heads down. Then, carefully, a line of beans, one to a girl, is placed before them. She must then, on all fours, push the bean before her, touching it only with her nose. The finish line was a few yards away. "Go!" I heard. "The crowd cheered on its favorites. On this sport, as well as on several others, small bets were placed. Sometimes a new slave, one who has recently been a haughty, arrogant free woman, is used in such a race. Such things, aside from their amusing, and fitting, aspects, some thought to be useful in accommodating her to her new reality, that of the female slave. In them she learns something more of the range of activities that may be required of her." — Magicians of Gor, pages 38-39.

• Bone Gambling
A wagering game of the Innuit. In this game, bones are carved in the shapes of animals, such as a bosk or tabuk. Each player takes a turn dropping these tiny bones; the one whose bone remain upright is the winner. If no bone remains upright, then another bone is thrown. If both players drop a bone which remains upright, they must again drop another bone each. The game continues until either one player has a bone remaining upright, or until a player is cleaned out of bones.

"Imnak and I sat across from one another, both cross-legged. He dropped a tiny bone to the fur mat between us. Each player, in turn, drops a bone, one of several in his supply. The bone Imnak had dropped was carved in the shape of a small tabuk. Each of the bones is carved to resemble an animal, such as an arctic gant, a northern bosk, a lart, a tabuk or sleen, and so on. The bone which remains upright is the winner. If both bones do not remain upright there is no winner on that throw. Similarly, if both bones should remain upright, they are dropped again. A bone which does not remain upright, if its opposing bone does remain upright, is placed in the stock of him whose bone remained upright. The game is finished when one of the two players is cleaned out of bones." — Beasts of Gor, pages 184-185.

"Before, when I had won in the bone gambling, the dropping of the tiny figures of bone and ivory…" — Beasts of Gor, page 224.

• Cat's Cradle
A game of using string to form a sort of cradle, transferring from one to another to form different patterns upon transfer. The "loser" is the one who cannot form the string into a cradle, or loses control of the string.

"A game in which an endless string looped in a cradlelike pattern on the fingers of one person's hands is transferred to the hands of another in such a way as to form a different symmetrical figure at each transfer." — Merriam-Webster Dictionary ©2003-2006.

"Elsewhere two girls, sitting cross-legged, were playing a cat's-cradle game, matching one another's intricate patterns with the twine. There were skillful. This game is popular in the north, particularly in the villages. It is also played frequently in Torvaldsland." — Hunters of Gor, page 115.

• Dice Games
There are many forms of dice games found on Gor, those played with a single die to as many as five dice. Unlike the manufactured "scooped-out" dice of Earth, on Gor, various symbols are painted on their surfaces to ensure a well-balanced die. The use of false dice can mean impalement for the one found cheating. Some dice on Gor are sold in sealed boxes bearing the city's imprint, supposedly having been pre-tested to ensure uniformity of weight and balance.

An example of a dice game involves throwing a number of dice, two or more, in an attempt to obtain all dice matching a set of animals (larls, urts, verr, sleen, etc.). Larls are considered the highs, while urts the low.

"I passed a few fellows playing dice. There are many forms of dice games on Gor, usually played with anywhere from a single die to five dice. The major difference, I think, between the dice Earth and those of Gor is that the Gorean dice usually have their numbers, or letters, or whatever pictures or devices are used, painted on their surfaces. It is difficult to manufacture a pair of fair dice, of course, in which the 'numbers,' two, three and so on, are represented by scooped out indentations. For example, the 'one' side of a die is likely to have less scooped-out material missing than the 'six' side of a die. Thus the 'one' side is slightly heavier and, in normal play, should tend to land face down more often than, say, the 'six' side, this bringing up the opposite side, the 'six' side in Earth dice, somewhat more frequently. To be sure, the differences in weight are slight and, given the forces on the dice, the differential is not dramatic. And, of course, this differential can be compensated for in a sophisticated die by trying to deduct equal amounts of material from all surfaces, for example, an amount from the 'one' side which will equal the amount of the 'six' side, and, indeed, on the various sides. At any rate, in the Gorean dice, as mentioned, the numbers or letters, or pictures or whatever devices are used, are usually painted on the dice. Some gamesmen, even so, attempt to expend the same amount of paint on all surfaces. To be sure, some Gorean dice I have seen the use the 'scooped-out' approach to marking the dice. And these, almost invariably, like the more sophisticated Earth dice, try to even out the material removed from each of the surfaces. Some Gorean dice are sold in sealed boxes, bearing the city's imprint. These, supposedly, have been each cast six hundred times, with results approximating the ideal mathematical probabilities. Also, it might be mentioned that dice are sometimes tampered with, or specially prepared, to favor certain numbers. These, I suppose, using the Earth term, might be spoken of as 'loaded.' My friend, the actor, magician, impresario and what-not, Boots Tarsk-Bit, once narrowly escaped an impalement in Besnit on the charge of using false dice. He was, however, it seems, framed. At any rate the charges were dismissed when a pair of identical false dice turned up in the pouch of the arresting magistrate, the original pair having, interestingly, at about the same time, vanished." — Magicians of Gor, page 59.

I stayed to watch the fellows playing dice for a few Ehn. I do not think they noticed me, so intent they were on their game. The stakes were small, only tarsk bits, but one would not have gathered that from the earnestness of the players. A slave girl was kneeling nearby, in a sort of improvised slave brace, a short, stout pole, drilled through in three places. Her ankles were fastened to the pole, by means of a thong threaded through one of the apertures, near its bottom, her wrists by another thong passing through a hole a few inches higher than the bottom hole, and her neck by a thong passed through the aperture in the top part of the pole, behind her neck. There are many arrangements for the keeping of slaves, bars, harnesses, and such. I will mention two simple ones, first, the short, hollow tube, usually used with a sitting slave, whose wrists are tied, the thong then passing through the tube to emerge at the far end, where it is used to secure her ankles, and, second, the longer pole, drilled four times, used with a prone or supine slave, in which it is impossible for her to rise to her feet. Her ankles are fastened some six inches or so from one end, and she is then, of course, secured, in one fashion or another, back or belly to the pole, as the master might please, at suitable intervals, by the wrists, belly and neck, the pole usually extending some six inches or so beyond her head. The girl near the gamblers was apparently not a stake in the game. On the other hand, it is not unusual for female slaves, like kaiila and other properties, to serve as stakes in such games, as in races, contests and such. Indeed, in many contests, female slaves are offered as prizes. I had once won one myself, in Torvaldsland, in archery. I had subsequently sold her to a warrior. I trust that she is happy, but it does not matter, as she is only a slave.
      "Larls, larls!" called a fellow. "I win!"
      "Alas," moaned the other. "I have only verr."
      "Larls" would be maximum highs, say, double highs, if two dice were being used, triple highs if three dice were in play, and so on. The chances of obtaining a "larl" with one throw of one die is one in six, of obtaining "larls"with two dice, one in thirty-six, of obtaining "larls" with three dice, one in two hundred and sixteen, and so on. Triple "larls is a rare throw, obviously. The fellow had double "larls." Other types of throws are "urts," "sleen," "verr ," and such. The lowest value on a single die is the "urt." The chances of obtaining, say, three "urts" is very slim, like that of obtaining three "larls" one in two hundred and sixteen. "Verr" is not a bad throw but it was not good enough to beat "larls." If two dice are in playa "verr" and a "larl" would be equivalent on a numerical scale to ten. — Magicians of Gor, page 60.

• Game of Favors
Many southern cities, most notably Port Kar, during the five days of the Twelfth Passage Hand, hold a celebration called simply Carnival. During this celebration it is often customary to garb oneself in outlandish costumes or masks and attend various masquerade fetes and feasts, much like the Mardi Gras of New Orleans and the Carnival celebrations of the Caribbean on Earth. As common with festivals, many games are played during this time. One such game is played by the free women is a game of favors.

In this game played by free women during Carnival, each woman is given ten scarves and must run about asking for the men to accept her favor; the goal to be the first to get rid of the scarves and run back. This game permits free women, in a socially acceptable manner, to expose their sexual needs to a small extent and make advances to men whom they may fancy.

A free woman, in swirling robes of concealment, veiled, appeared before me. "Accept my favor, please!" she laughed. She held forth the scarf, teasingly, coquettishly. "Please, handsome fellow!" she wheedled. "Please, please!" she said. "Please!"
      "Very well," I smiled.
      She came quite close to me. "Herewith," she said, "I, though a free woman, gladly and willingly, and of my own free will, dare to grant you my favor!" She then thrust the light scarf through an eyelet on the collar of my robes and drew it halfway through. In this fashion it would not be likely to be dislodged. "Thank you, kind sir, handsome sir!" she laughed. She then sped away, laughing.
      She had had only two favors left at her belt, I had noted. Normally in this game the woman begins with ten. The first to dispense her ten favors and return to the starting point wins. I looked after her, grinning. It would have been churlish, I thought, to have refused the favor. Too, she had begged so prettily. This must the type of boldness, of course, is one that a woman would be likely to resort to only in the time of carnival. The granting of such favors probably has a complex history. Its origin may even trace back to Earth. This is suggested by the fact that, traditionally, the favor, or the symbolic token of the favor, is a handkerchief, or scarf. Sometimes a lady's champion, as I understand it, might have borne such a favor, fastened perhaps to a helmet or thrust in a gauntlet.
      It is not difficult, however, aside from such possible historical antecedents, and the popular, superficial interpretations of such a custom, in one time or another, to speculate on the depth meaning of such favors. One must understand, first, that they are given by free women and of their own free will. Secondly, one must think of favors in the sense that one might speak of a free woman granting, or selling, her favors to a male. To be sure, her this understanding, as obvious and straightforward as it is, if brought to the clear light of consciousness, is likely to come as a revelatory and somewhat scandalous shock to the female. It is one of those cases in which a thing she has long striven to hide from herself is suddenly, perhaps to her consternation and dismay, made incontrovertibly clear to her. In support of the interpretation are such considerations as the fact that these favors, in these games, are bestowed by females on males, that, generally, at least, strong, handsome males seem to be the preferred recipients of such favors, that there is competition among the females in the distribution of these favors, and that she who first has her "favors" accepted therein accounts herself as somewhat superior to her less successful sisters, at least in this respect, and that the whole game, for these free women, is charged with an exciting, permissive aura of delicious naughtiness, this being indexed undoubtedly to the sexual stimulations involved, stimulations which, generally, are thought to be beneath the dignity of lofty free women.
      In short, the game of favors permits free women, in a socially acceptable context, by symbolic transformation, to assuage their sexual needs to at least some small extent, and, in some cases, if they wish, to make advances to interesting males. — Players of Gor, pages 44-45.

• Girl Catch
Also: Slave Catch
There are many variations of this contest. Sometimes the game is used to settle disputes between cities. In such an event, one hundred (100) young men of each city and one hundred (100) of the most beautiful young free women of each city participate. The object being to secure the women of each city by removing his opponents from the field. No weapons are permitted in such contest, and spectator seating is made available for those interested in watching. Those women captured during this contest become enslaved. Other variations it is simply mere sport of young men. One such variation of simple sport is hooding slave girls and blindfolding or hooding the males. On each girl is placed a set of bells and she must move about, the sound of the bells directing the blindfolded men to their capture.

"He had a naked girl over his shoulder, bound hand and foot. He had won her in Girl Catch, in a contest to decide a trade dispute between two small cities … In the contest a hundred young men of each city, and a hundred young women, the most beautiful in each city, participate. The object of the game is to secure the women of the enemy. Weapons are not permitted. The contest takes place in an area outside the perimeters of the great fair, for in it slaves are made. The area is enclosed by a low wooden wall, and spectators observe. When a male is forced beyond the wall he is removed from the competition and may not, upon pain of death, reenter the area for the duration of the contest. When a girl is taken she is bound hand and foot and thrown to a girl pit, of which there are two, one in each city's end of the 'field.' These pits are circular, marked off with a small wooden fence, sand-bottomed, and sunk some two feet below the surface of the 'field.' If she cannot free herself she counts as a catch. The object of the male is to remove his opponents from the field and capture the girls of the other city. The object of the girl, of course, is to elude capture.
      Both the young men and women wear tunics in this sport. The tunics of the young women are cut briefly, to better reveal their charms. The young man wears binding fiber about his left wrist, with which to secure prizes. The young women, who are free, if the rules permit, as they sometimes do not, commonly wear masks, that their modesty be less grievously compromised by the brevity of their costume. Should the girl be caught, however, her mask is removed. The tunics of the girls are not removed, however, except those of the girls of the losing city, when the match has ended and the winner decided. The win is determined when the young men of one city, or those left on the field, have secured the full hundred of the women of the 'enemy.' A woman once bound and thrown to the girl pit, incidentally, may not be fetched forth by the young men of her city, except at the end of the match, and on the condition that they have proved victorious. The captured women of the victorious city at the conclusion of the contest are of course released; they are robed and honored; the girls of the losing city, of course, are simply stripped and made slaves. This may seem a cruel sport but some regard it as superior to a war; surely it is cleaner and there is less loss of life; this method of settling disputes, incidentally, is not used if it is felt that honor is somehow involved in the disagreement. Honor is important to Goreans, in a way that those of Earth might find hard to understand; for example, those of Earth find it natural that men should go to war over matters of gold and riches, but not honor; the Gorean, contrariwise, is more willing to submit matters of honor to the adjudication of steel than he is matters of riches and gold; there is a simple explanation for this; honor is more important to him. Strangely the girls of the cities are eager to participate in this sport. Doubtless each believes her standard will be victorious and she will return in honor to her city.
      The numbers in the game are set at a hundred young men and a hundred young women, in order that there be a young woman for each winning male. I looked after the young man. He was going to the palisade. There he would climb one of the platforms and, putting the girl on her knees, her ankles and wrists crossed and bound, at his feet, facing the Sardar, he would unbind her hair. Then he would lift her in his arms, hair unbound, before the mountains of the Sardar, rejoicing, and giving thanks to Priest-Kings that she was now his." — Beasts of Gor, pages 41-43.

"In one place, hearing a jangling of bells, I went over to a large open circle of fellows to watch a game of 'girl catch.' There are many ways in which this game, or sort of game, is played. In this one, which was not untypical, a female slave, within an enclosure, her hands bound behind her back, and hooded, is belled, usually with common slave bells at the collar, wrists and ankles and a larger bell, a guide bell, with its particular note, at her left hip. Some fellows then, also hooded, or blindfolded, enter the enclosure, to catch her. Neither the quarry or the hunters can see each other. The girl is forbidden to remain still for more than a certain interval, usually a few Ihn. She is under the control of a referee. His switch can encourage her to move, and, simultaneously, of course, mark her position. She is hooded in order that she may not determine into whose power she comes. When she is caught that game, or one of its rounds, is concluded. The victor's prize, of course, is the use of the slave." — Magicians of Gor, page 40.

• Greased Wineskin Balancing Game
A rather jovial game in which the object is to balance on a wineskin filled with wine and which has been greased.

I saw some fellows gathered about a filled, greased wineskin. There was mach laughter. I went over to watch. He who manages to balance on it for a given time, usually an Ehn, wins both the skin and its contents. One pays a tarsk bit for the chance to compete. It is extremely difficult, incidentally, to balance on such an object, not only became of the slickness of the skin, heavily coated with grease, but even more so because of its rotundity and unpredictable movements, the wine surging within it. "Ai!" cried a fellow flailing about and then spilling from its surface. There was much laughter. "Who is next?" called the owner of the skin. This sort of thing is a sport common at peasant festivals, incidentally, though there, of course, usually far from a city, within the circle of the palisade, the competition is free, the skin and wine being donated by one fellow or another, usually as his gift to the festival to which all in one way or another contribute, for example, by the donation of produce, meat or firewood. At such festivals there are often various games, and contests and prizes. — Magicians of Gor, page 37.

• Kaissa
(Translation: "Game")
The game of Kaissa, a board game similar to chess, is far more than just a simple recreational game. Battles have been strategized over a Kaissa board. Competitions amongst cities' Players are battled with high stakes payoffs.

The Background of the Word "Kaissa" It is most probable that John Norman, in his research of cultures, happened upon the word "Caissa" with reference to the game we know as Chess, revamping the word to his Gorean language, thus, Kaissa. Caissa (kah-EE-suh) is the "patron goddess" of chess players. She was created in 1763 by Sir William Jones in a poem called Caissa inspired by Vida's Scacchia Ludus, the poem tells of the invention of chess by Mars. Here is a bit of that poem:

"… fram'd a tablet of celestial mold
Inlay'd with squares of silver and gold;
Then of two metals form'd the warlike band,
That here compact in show of battle stand;
He taught the rules that guide the pensive game,
And call'd it Caissa from the dryad's name.
Whence Albion's sons, who most its praise confess,
Approved the play and named it thoughtful Chess."

• Gorean Kaissa
The literal Gorean translation of Kaissa is Game. Although the term is general, if used without qualification, then it refers to the board game much favored on Gor. It is based on the game of chess of Earth.

The board is marked with one hundred (100) squares, colored alternately red and yellow; there are twenty (20) pieces per side. Kaissa is played much like chess, the object being to capture one's opponent's Home Stone. Some men play Kaissa professionally, the wealth they receive in winning not monetarily, but from notariety and fame. It is considered a grave defamation for the Game to be played by women and slaves.

"The word actually cried was 'Kaissa,' which is Gorean for 'Game.' It is a general term, but when used without qualification, it stands for only one game." — Assassin of Gor, page 26.

"… the game board, of similar squares, with ten ranks and ten files, giving a hundred squares… the pieces, twenty to a side, red and yellow, representing Spearmen, Tarnsmen, the Riders of the High Tharlarion, and so on. The object of the game is the capture of the opponent's Home Stone. Capturings of individual pieces and continuations take place much as in chess. The affinities of this game with chess are, I am confident, more than incidental. I recalled that men from many periods and cultures of Earth had been brought, from time to time, to Gor, our Counter-Earth. With them they would have brought their customs, their skills, their habits, their games, which, in time, would presumably have undergone considerable modification. I have suspected that chess, with its fascinating history and development, as played on Earth, may actually have derived from a common ancestor with the Gorean game, both of them perhaps tracing their lineage to some long-forgotten game, perhaps the draughts of Egypt or some primitive board game of India. It might be mentioned that the game, as I shall speak of it, for in Gorean it has no other designation, is extremely popular on Gor, and even children find among their playthings the pieces of the game; there are numerous clubs and competitions among various castes and cylinders; careful records of important games are kept and studied; lists of competitions and tournaments and their winners are filed in the Cylinder of Documents; there is even in most Gorean libraries a section containing an incredible number of scrolls pertaining to the techniques, tactics and strategy of the game. Almost all civilized Goreans, of whatever caste, play. It is not unusual to find even children of twelve or fourteen years who play with a depth and sophistication, a subtlety and a brilliance, that might be the envy of the chess masters of Earth." — Assassin of Gor, pages 26-27.

Marlenus smiled, rather grimly. "But position must figure in any adjudication," he said. Then, with an imperious gesture, Marlenus swept his Ubar into the file opened by the movement of Mintar's capturing Spear Slave. It covered the Home Stone. — Tarnsman of Gor, page 170.

Mintar was idly arranging the pieces on the game board, first in one pattern and then in another. "In large matters, as the pieces are now set," he said, the girl is unimportant, but only the Priest-Kings can foresee all possible variations. It might be well to remove the girl from the board." So saying, he picked a piece, the Ubar's Consort, or Ubara, from the board and dropped it into the game box. — Tarnsman of Gor, page 173.

Kaissa Variations
Indeed there are many forms of Kaissa played on Gor. Let us explore a few of them.

• Merchant Kaissa vs. Player Kaissa vs. Kaissa of En'Kara
The caste of Players had been attempting for several years to standardize the game. albeit unsuccessfully. However, the caste of Merchants, which organizes and manages the great fairs of the Sardar, in conjunction with the high council of the caste of Players, was successful in a standardized version for the tournaments played at the Sardar fairs. In order to distinguish the forms of Kaissa, this version is referred to as Merchant Kaissa, also known as the Kaissa of En'Kara as it was officially decreed for the first time at one of the fairs of En'Kara in 10,124 C.A. ("Contasta Ar"). Player Kaissa is the codified form of Kaissa developed by the caste of Players.

"Incidentally, there are many versions of Kaissa played on Gor. In some of these versions, the names of the pieces differ, and, in some, even more alarmingly, their nature and power. The caste of Players, to its credit, has been attempting to standardize Kaissa for years. A major victory in this matter was secured a few years ago when the caste of Merchants, which organizes and manages the Sardar Fairs, agreed to a standardized version, proposed by, and provisionally approved by, the high council of the caste of Players, for the Sardar tournaments, one of the attractions of the Sardar Fairs. This form of Kaissa, now utilized in the tournaments, is generally referred to, like the other variations, simply as Kaissa. Sometimes, however, to distinguish it from differing forms of the game, it is spoken of as Merchant Kaissa, from the role of the Merchants in making it the official form of Kaissa for the fairs, Player Kaissa, from the role of the Players in its codification, or the Kaissa of En'Kara, for it was officially promulgated for the first time at one of the fairs of En'Kara, that which occurred in 10,124 C.A., Contasta Ar, from the Founding of Ar, or in Year 5 of the Sovereignty of the Council of Captains, in Port Kar." — Players of Gor, page 8.

• Torvaldslander Kaissa
The Kaissa of Torvaldsland is muchly similar to that of the south, though certain pieces differ. For example, the southern Ubar piece is a Jarl, though remains as the most powerful piece. There is no Ubara piece; in its place there is a piece called the Jarl's Woman, which is more powerful than the southern Ubara. Instead of Tarnsmen, there are two pieces called the Axes; there are no Initiates, but there are corresponding pieces called Rune-Priests. There are no Scribes, but in its place a piece called the Singer, which moves identically to the Scribes. The Spearmen moved identically with the southern Spearmen.

"I studied the board before me. It was set on a square chest. It was a board made for play at sea, and such boards are common with the men of Torvaldsland. In the center of each square was a tiny peg. The pieces, correspondingly, are drilled to match the pegs, and fit over them. This keeps them steady in the movements at sea. The board was of red and yellow squares. The Kaissa of the men of Torvaldsland is quite similar to that of the south, though certain of the pieces differ. There is, for example, not a Ubar but a Jarl, as the most powerful piece. Moreover, there is no Ubara. Instead, there is a piece called the Jarl's Woman, which is quite powerful, more so than the southern Ubara. Instead of Tarnsmen, there are two pieces called the Axes. The board has no Initiates, but there are corresponding pieces called Rune-Priests. Similarly there are no Scribes, but a piece, which moves identically, called the Singer. I thought that Andreas of Tor, a friend, of the caste of Singers, might have been pleased to learn that his caste was represented, and honored, on the boards of the north. The Spearmen moved identically with the southern Spearmen. It did not take me much time to adapt to the Kaissa of Torvaldsland, for it is quite similar to the Kaissa of the south. On the other hand, feeling my way on the board, I had lost the first two games to the Forkbeard. Interestingly, he had been eager to familiarize me with the game, and was abundant in his explanations and advice. Clearly, he wished me to play him at my full efficiency, without handicap, as soon as possible. I had beaten him the third game, and he had then, delighted, ceased in his explanations and advice and, together, the board between us, each in our way a warrior, we had played Kaissa.
      "The Forkbeard's game was much more varied, and tactical, than was that of, say, Marlenus of Ar, much more devious, and it was far removed from the careful, conservative, positional play of a man such as Mintar, of the caste of Merchants. The Forkbeard made great use of diversions and feints, and double strategies, in which an attack is double edged, being in effect two attacks, an open one and a concealed one, either of which, depending on a misplay by the opponent, may be forced through, the concealed attack requiring usually only an extra move to make it effective, a move which, ideally, threatened or pinned an opponent's piece, giving him the option of surrendering it or facing a devastating attack, he then a move behind. In the beginning I had played Forkbeard positionally, learning his game. When I felt I knew him better, I played him more openly. His wiliest tricks, of course, I knew, he would seldom use saving them for games of greater import, or perhaps for players of Torvaldsland. Among them, even more than in the south, Kaissa is a passion. In the long winters of Torvaldsland, when the snow, the darkness, the ice and wintry winds are upon the land, when the frost breaks open the rocks, groaning, at night, when the serpents hide in their roofed sheds, many hours, under swinging soapstone lamps, burning the oil of sea sleen, are given to Kaissa. At such times, even the bond-maids, rolling and restless, naked, in the furs of their masters, their ankles chained to a nearby ring, must wait." — Marauders of Gor, pages 56-58.

Forkbeard put his First Singer to his own Ax four, threatening my Ax. I covered my piece with my own First Singer, moving it to my own Ax five. He exchanged, taking my Ax at Jarl six, and I his First Singer with my First Singer. I now had a Singer on a central square, but he had freed his Ax four, on which he might now situate the Jarl for an attack on the Jarl's Woman's Ax's file. The tempo, at this point, was mine. He had played to open position; I had played to direct position.
      The Ax is a valuable piece, of course, but particularly in the early and middle game, when the board is more crowded; in the end game when the board is freer, it seems to me the Singer is often of greater power, because of the greater number of squares it can control. Scholars weight the pieces equally, at three points in adjudications, but I would weight the Ax four points in the early and middle game, and the Singer two, and reverse these weights in the end game.
      Both pieces are, however, quite valuable. And I am fond of the Ax. "You should not have surrendered your Ax," said Fork-beard.
      "In not doing so," I said, "I would have lost the tempo, and position. Too, the Ax is regarded as less valuable in the end game."
      "You play the Ax well," said Forkbeard. "What is true for many men may not be true for you. The weapons you use best perhaps you should retain."
      I thought on what he had said. Kaissa is not played by mechanical puppets, but, deeply and subtly, by men, idiosyncratic men, with individual strengths and weaknesses. I recalled I had, many times, late in the game, regretted the surrender of the Ax, or its equivalent in the south, the Tarnsman, when I had simply, as I thought rationally, moved in accordance with what were reputed to be the principles of sound strategy. I knew, of course, that game context was a decisive matter in such considerations but only now, playing Forkbeard, did I suspect that there was another context involved, that of the inclinations, capacities and dispositions of the individual player. Too, it seemed to me that the Ax, or Tarnsman, might be a valuable piece in the end game, where it is seldom found. People would be less used to defending against it in the end game; its capacity to surprise, and to be used unexpectedly, might be genuinely profitable at such a time in the game. I felt a surge of power. Then I noted, uneasily, the Forkbeard moving his Jarl to the now freed Ax four. — Marauders of Gor, pages 60-61.

Kaissa and Military Strategy
Following is a passage in the book demonstrating how Kaissa is used in military strategy.

"And Pa-Kur," I said, "is the Assassin."
      "Yes," agreed Marlenus, "and Ar is the City."
      "And I am the Tarnsman?" I asked.
      "Yes," said Marlenus.
      "And who," I asked, "is the Spear Slave?"
      "Does it matter?" asked Marlenus, sifting several of the Spear Slaves through his fingers, letting them drop, one by one, to the board. "Any of them will do."
      "If the Assassin should take the city," I said, "the rule of the Initiates will be broken, and eventually the horde with its loot will scatter, leaving a garrison.
      Mintar shifted comfortably, settling his great bulk more deeply into the cushions. "The young tarnsman plays the game well," he said.
      "And," I went on, "when Pa-Kur falls, the garrison will be divided, and a revolution may take place—"
      "Led by a Ubar," said Marlenus, looking fixedly at the game piece in his hand. It was a Ubar. He smashed it down on the board, scattering the other pieces to the silken cushions. "By a Ubar!" he exclaimed.
      "You are willing," I asked, "to turn the city over to Pa-Kur — that his horde should swarm into the cylinders, that the city may be looted and burned, the people destroyed or enslaved?" I shuddered involuntarily at the thought of the uncontrolled hordes of Pa-Kur among the spires of Ar, butchering, pillaging, burning, raping — or, as the Goreans will have it, washing the bridges in blood.
      The eyes of Marlenus flashed. "No," he said. "But Ar will fall. The Initiates can only mumble prayers to the Priest- Kings, arrange the details of their meaningless, innumerable sacrifices. They crave political power, but can't understand or manipulate it. They will never withstand a well-mounted siege. They will never keep the city."
      "Can't you enter the city and take power?" I asked. "You could return the Home Stone. You could gather a following."
      "Yes," said Marlenus. "I could return the Home Stone — and there are those who would follow me — but there are not enough, not enough. How many would rally to the banner of an outlaw? No, the power of the Initiates must first be broken." — Tarnsman of Gor, pages 170-171.

"An absorbing game," said Marlenus, almost absent-mindedly." To some men this game is music and women. It can give them pleasure. It can help them forget. It is Ka-la-na wine, and the night on which such wine is drunk. — Tarnsman of Gor, page 170.

"There, lost to the bustle in the tavern, oblivious to the music, sat two men across a board of one hundred red and yellow squares, playing Kaissa, the game. One was a Player, a master who makes his living, though commonly poorly, from the game playing for a cup of paga perhaps and the right to sleep in the tavern at night. The other, sitting cross-legged with him, was the broad-shouldered, blond giant from Torvaldsland whom I had seen earlier. He wore a shaggy jacket. His hair was braided. His feet and legs were bound in skins and cords. The large, double-bladed, long-handled ax lay beside him. On his large brown leather belt, confining the long shaggy jacket he wore, which would have fallen to his knees, were carved the luck signs of the north. Kaissa is popular in Torvaldsland as well as elsewhere on Gor. In halls, it is often played far into the night, by fires, by the northern giants. Sometimes disputes, which otherwise might be settled only by ax or sword, are willingly surrendered to a game of Kaissa, if only for the joy of engaging in the game. The big fellow was of Torvaldsland. The master might have been from as far away as Ar, or Tor, or Turia. But they had between them the game, its fascination and its beauty, reconciling whatever differences, in dialect, custom or way of light might divide them. The game was beautiful." — Hunters of Gor, page 47.

Kaissa Pieces
There are twenty (20) pieces per side. The pieces are named for various castes, specifically the High Castes, but there are also pieces representing slaves (the equivalent of the pawn in chess). Pieces mentioned in the books are:

  • Ubar
  • Ubara
  • Initiates
  • Scribes
  • Builders
  • Physicians
  • City
  • Riders of the High Tharlarion
  • Spearmen (Tarnsman's Spearman, Scribe's Spearman, Second Spearman)
  • Tarnsman (First Tarnsman)
  • Assassin
  • Spear Slaves
  • Home Stone

In Torvaldsland, the Ubar, Ubara, Tarnsman, Initiate, and Scribes are replaced by the Jarl, Jarl's Woman, Ax, Rune-Priest, and Singer, respectively. Naturally, the highest "caste" of the playing piece conquers another of a lower ranked "caste."

In the center of the great tent, seated alone on cushions before a small fire, were two men, a game board between them… Mintar was lost in thought, his small eyes fastened to the red and yellow squares of the board. Having recognized our presence, Marlenus, too, turned his attention to the game. A brief, craft light flickered momentarily in Mintar's small eyes, and his pudgy hand hovered, hesitating an instant, over one of the pieces of the hundred-squared board, a centered Tarnsman. He touched it, committing himself to move it. A brief exchange followed, like a chain reaction, neither man considering his moves for a moment, First Tarnsman took First Tarnsman, Second Spearman responded by neutralizing First Tarnsman, City neutralized Spearman, Assassin took City, Assassin fell to Second Tarnsman, Tarnsman to Spear Slave, Spear Slave to Spear Slave. Mintar relaxed on the cushions. "You have taken the City," he said, "but not the Home Stone." His eyes gleamed with pleasure. "I permitted that, in order that I might capture the Spear Slave. Let us now adjudicate the game. The Spear Slave gives me the point I need, a small point but decisive." — Tarnsman of Gor, page 169.

Mintar was idly arranging the pieces on the game board, first in one pattern and then in another. "In large matters, as the pieces are now set," he said, the girl is unimportant, but only the Priest-Kings can foresee all possible variations. It might be well to remove the girl from the board." So saying, he picked a piece, the Ubar's Consort, or Ubara, from the board and dropped it into the game box. — Tarnsman of Gor, page 173.

"… the game board, of similar squares, with ten ranks and ten files, giving a hundred squares… the pieces, twenty to a side, red and yellow, representing Spearmen, Tarnsmen, the Riders of the High Tharlarion, and so on. The object of the game is the capture of the opponent's Home Stone." — Assassin of Gor, page 26.

Kaissa Strategic Variations
There are many variations to types of strategies used in playing Kaissa. Many of these strategies are named for the Player, or after a true military strategy employed by a particular city.

"Look here," said Marlenus, reconstructing the board. "I have used the Assassin to take the City. Then, the Assassin is felled by the Tarnsman… an unorthodox, but interesting variation…"
      "And the Tarnsman is felled by the Spear Slave," I observed.
      "True," said Marlenus, shaking his head, "but thusly did I win." — Tarnsman of Gor, page 170.

Kaissa Ciphers
Kaissa ciphers are a series of codes for the transmission of private messages, and are often quite difficult to decipher. These ciphers are utilized mostly by the Caste of Players, although they can be used by anyone.

Etymology:Middle English, from Middle French cifre, from Medieval Latin cifra zero, from Arabic vifr empty, cipher, zero;
      "A method of transforming a text in order to conceal its meaning (1) by systematically replacing the letters of the plaintext by substitutes in the same sequence either singly or in pairs or other polygraphs (as by writing 1 for A, 2 for B, etc., or F for A, S for B, etc., or QL for AB, etc.) or (2) by systematically rearranging the plaintext letters into another sequence (as by writing them normally in a rectangle and then copying them off from the columns taken in an arbitrary succession) - called also respectively (1) substitution cipher and (2) transposition cipher." — Merriam-Webster Dictionary ©2003-2006.

"What are Kaissa ciphers?" I asked. I did not doubt that the papers contained enciphered messages. That conjecture seemed obvious, if not inevitable, given the importance attached to them by the Lady Yanina, she of Brundisium, and her colleague, Flaminius, perhaps also of Brundisium. I had hoped, of course, that the player might be able to help me with this sort of thing, that he, ideally, might be familiar with the ciphers, or their keys.
      "There are many varieties of Kaissa ciphers," he said. "They are often used by the caste of players for the transmission of private messages, by they may, of course, be used by anyone. Originally they were probably invented by the caste of players. They are often extremely difficult to decipher because of the use of multiples and nulls, and the multiplicity of boards." — Players of Gor, page 243.

• Knucklebones
wagering game using the knucklebones of animals, most commonly verr, as dice.

"At one corner in the descending ramp there was a small knot of young men, weavers by their garments, who were gambling with the inked knucklebones of verr, shaking them in a small leather cup and spilling them to the stones." — Assassin of Gor, page 155.

• Meat Catch
In this game, slave girls are knelt on the ground, hands tied behind their backs. Then, bits of meat are tossed to them, the girls must then catch the meat i their mouths. Again this is a contest in which their masters, of course, earn the points, and much betting is made on the outcome.

"I saw a line of five slave girls, kneeling, abreast, their hands tied behind their backs. Bits of meat were thrown to them, one after the other, A catch scored two points for the master. A missed piece might be sought by any of the girls, scrambling about, on their bellies. She who managed to obtain it received one point for her master. The girls were encouraged from the sidelines, not only by their masters but by the crowd as well, some of whom placed bets on the outcome." — Magicians of Gor, page 37.

"Lana, Ute and I knelt in a line, facing the players. Our hands were bound behind our backs with binding fiber. The men, wagering, tossed us pieces of meat. We caught them, in the firelight. A catch was two points. A piece which was dropped was fair game for any. We fought for the dropped pieces. The retrieval of such a piece was one point." — Captive of Gor, page 112.

• Stones
A guessing game in which one must guess how many "stones" the other holds in his hand. This game often goes beyond the simple game, but has been known to play a role in business transactions.

"Stones! Guess stones!" called a fellow. "Who will play stones?"
      This is a guessing game, in which a certain number of a given number of "stones," usually from two to five, is held in the hand and the opponent is to guess the number. There are many variations of "Stones," but usually one receives one point for a correct guess. If one guesses successfully, one may guess again. If one does not guess successfully, one holds the "stones" and the opponent takes his turn. The game is usually set at a given number of points, usually fifty. Whereas the "stones" are often tiny pebbles, they may be any small object. Sometime beads are used, sometimes even gems. Intricately carved and painted game boxes carefully wrought "stones" are available for the affluent enthusiast. The game, as it is played on Gor, is not an idle pastime. Psychological subtleties, and strategies, are involved. Estates have sometimes changed hands as a result of "stones." Similarly, certain individuals are recognized as champions of the game. In certain cities, tournaments are held. — Magicians of Gor, page 35.

Zar
A favored boardgame of the Tahari, marked like a Kaissa board, but the pieces, nine (9) per player, and called "pebbles," are placed at the intersections of the lines; movement is somewhat like that of checkers, but without capturing of pieces the object of the game is to effect a complete exchange of the original placement of the pieces.

"He retired to the canopy beneath which, with water, he sat, cross-legged, with his companion. Between them they had, in the crusts, scratched a board for Zar. This resembles the Kaissa board. Pieces, however, may he placed only on the intersections of lines either within or at the edges of the board. Each player has nine pieces of equal value which are originally placed on the intersections of the nine interior vertical lines with what would be the rear horizontal line, constituted by the back edge of the board, from each player's point of view. The corners are not used in the original placement, though they constitute legitimate move points after play begins. The pieces are commonly pebbles, or bits of verr dung, and sticks. The 'pebbles' move first. Pieces move one intersection at a time, unless jumping. One may jump either the opponent's pieces or one's own. A jump must be made to an unoccupied point. Multiple jumps are permissible. The object is to effect a complete exchange of original placements. The first player to fully occupy the opponent's initial position wins. Capturing, of course, does not occur. The game is one of strategy and maneuverability." — Tribesmen of Gor, page 265.

Sports Events and Contests of Arms

The Goreans enjoyed sports, both watching and engaging in, and often teams are formed of young men and boys, to represent their city and compete in such events as javelin throwing, both for distance and accuracy, in all sorts of races, in jumping, in wrestling, and such. There are meets and local championships, ending in finality in one large tournament. Such sporting events are played at a palastrae (gymnasium). It's also common to see at fairs, festivals and the like, sports contests of weapons, such as archery.

"… by the managers or owners of palestrae, or gymnasiums…" — Magicians of Gor, page 75.

"Sometimes there is a choice of donated prizes for the victors. For example, a bolt of red doth, a tethered verr or a slave. More than one urban girl, formerly a perfumed slave, sold into the countryside, who held herself above peasants, despising them for their supposed filth and stink, has found herself, kneeling and muchly roped among such a set of prizes. And, to her chagrin, she is likely to find that she is not the first chosen." — Magicians of Gor, page 37.

• Archery
Competitions of the skills of the bow and arrow.

"Archery is popular with the peasants and combats with the great staff." — Magicians of Gor, page 37.

• Great Staff Contests of Combat
Contests of arms with the peasant staff (great staff).

"Archery is popular with the peasants and combats with the great staff." — Magicians of Gor, page 37.
      There was, from one side, a sudden sound of grunting and the cracking of great staffs, and urging cries from men. Two fellows, brawny lads, in half tunics, were doing staff contest. Both were good. I could scarcely follow the movement of these weapons. "Watch him!" called a fellow to one of the contestants. "Cheers for Rarir!" called another. "Aii!" cried one of the lads, blood at the side of his head and ear, stumbling to the side. "Good blow!" cried an onlooker. But the lad came back with redoubled energy. I stayed for a moment. The lad from Rarir, as I understood it, then managed to pierce the guard of his opponent and thrust the staff into the fellow's chest. He followed this with a smiting to the side of the fellow's head which staggered him. He then at the last moment, held back. The opponent, dazed, sat back in the dirt, laughing. "Victory for Rarir!" cried a man. "pay us!" called another. Extending his hand to the foe the victor pulled him to his feet. They embraced. "Paga! Paga for both!" called a fellow. — Magicians of Gor, pages 39-40.

• Death Matches
The one-on-one fights resulting in the death of one combatant to rule the other the winner. In some cities, these are popular. Such matches are never allowed, however, at the fairs of the Sardar.

"Contests of arms, fought to the death, whereas they may not take place at the fairs are not unknown on Gor, and are popular in some cities. Contests of this sort, most often involving criminals and impoverished soldiers of fortune, offer prizes of amnesty or gold and are customarily sponsored by rich men to win the approval of the populace of their cities. Sometimes these men are merchants who wish thereby to secure goodwill for their products; sometimes they are practitioners of law, who hope to sway the votes of jury men; sometimes they are Ubars or High Initiates who find it in their interests to keep the crowds amused. Such contests, in which life is lost, used to be popular at Ar, for example, being sponsored in that city by the Caste of Initiates, who regard themselves as being the intermediaries between Priest-Kings and men, though I suspect that, at least on the whole, they know as little about the Priest-Kings as do other men. These contests, it might be mentioned, were banned in Ar when Kazrak of Port Kar became administrator of that city. It was not an action which was popular with the powerful Caste of Initiates." — Priest-Kings of Gor, page 11.

• Organized Team Sports
Various organized team sports exist on Gor, such as races, hurling the javelin, jumping competitions, et al.

"We turned to look at the street. Approaching, singing, was a group of youths, in rows, a sports team, marching together. Their colors were of both Ar and Cos. Such teams, drawn from various parts of the city, competed in various games, in hurling the stone, in hurling the thonged javelin, both for distance accuracy, in races of various sorts, in jumping, in wrestling and such. There were meets, and local championships, with awards, such as fillets of the wool of the bounding hurt, dyed different colors, and for champions, crowns woven of the leaves of the mighty Tur tree. Eventually various teams, in their respective age brackets, would become city champions. Such sports as these were familial to Goreans, and had for years been privately practiced at numerous palestrae throughout the city. Indeed, such palestrae, upon occasion, would compete with another." — Magicians of Gor, page 206.

Stadium of Blades

These bloody, cruel games are held in Ar in which men meet men, females meet females, men (and females) meet beasts, and at times, even men meeting female slaves; and are often fought to the death. The combatants are slaves (both male and female) or criminals, or low caste citizens, just as in the contests of the gladiator. John Norman, in the quote which I will post following information on the ludi and the gladiatorial contests of ancient Rome, eludes that some of the games in the Stadium of Blades are representative of the ludi. However, if you note the following information, the games of the ludi were peaceful, comprised of chariot races and theatrical performances. The ludi were games of honor, and warriors eagerly participated. Of course, it is possible that in John Norman's reference to "ludi" was not to the Ludi Saeculares, but rather to the literal Latin translation, "games". It's easy, I suppose, to make that mistake, as the school for gladiators was called a ludus.

The Stadium of Blades is more representative of the gladitorial contests of ancient Rome. In John Norman's quote which follows my research information, Norman states that in the games of the ludi, one such popular game was the net and the trident. However, that is not true. The net and trident were representative of the gladiatorial contests, of the retiarius ("net man") and the secutor ("pursuer"). Another example is the blind helmets worn in the Stadium of Blades. This too is representative of the gladitorial contests, that of the fabled equites (also: andabatae). The beastarii are also represented here in the games is bestiarii in a venatio (contests between man and beast.)

Note that the name Marlenus used as "Murmillius" is based on the term murmillo (also: mirmillones), known for the high crest in the image of a fish upon their helmets. Please also refer to my page, the Fighting Slave, for detailed information of fighting slaves, as well as, the Gladiator, for more information on the gladiators of ancient Rome.

"The Ludi Saeculares (translation: "new generation games") were celebrations held in ancient Rome to mark the commencement of a new saeculum, or generation. The games originated with the Etruscans , who, at the end of a mean period of 100 years (as representing the longest human life in a generation), presented the underworld deities with an expiatory offering on behalf of the coming generation. As practiced by the Romans the festival lasted three days and three nights, during which sacrifices were made to various deities. Originally the gods of the underworld were worshiped in the ceremony, but later Apollo, Diana, and Leto were introduced, probably by the emperor Augustus (reigned 27 BC-AD 14).
      "The first definitely attested Roman celebration of the games took place in 249 BC, the second was in 146, and the third, under Augustus, in 17 BC. Other celebrations, also commemorating the founding of Rome, took place in AD 47, 88, 147, 204, 248, and 262. In 1300 they were revived by Pope Boniface VIII and called the papal jubilees. The Ludi Publici (translation: "public games"), ancient Roman spectacles, primarily consisted of chariot races and various kinds of theatrical performances, usually held at regular intervals in honour of some god; they are distinct from the gladiatorial contests (associated with funeral rites). A special magistrate presided over them. Oldest and most famous were the Ludi Romani, or Magni, dedicated to Jupiter and celebrated each year in September. Like the Ludi Apollinares (for Apollo) and the Ludi Cereales (for Ceres), they centred on the chariot races of the Circus Maximus. A special feature of the Megalensia, or Megalesia, held in April and dedicated to Cybele, the Great Mother, were the ludi scaenici, consisting of plays and farces.
      "The Ludi Scaenici, (translation: "stage games"), in ancient Rome, were theatrical performances associated with the celebration of public games (ludi publici), in which Greek dramatic forms were first used by the Romans. Although originally performed at the Ludi Romani (for which Livius Andronicus wrote the first Latin tragedy and the first Latin comedy in 240 BC), the ludi scaenici became the characteristic feature of the Megalensia, or Megalesia, the festival of the goddess Cybele (established in 204 BC). They originally included serious dramas but later, under the Roman Empire, were almost wholly devoted to farces and pantomime. The Ludi Saeculares (Secular Games) were celebrated only once in a century." — Encyclopaedia Britannica ©2003-2006

"The Gladiator, (Latin "swordsman," from gladius, "sword"), a professional combatant in ancient Rome. The gladiators originally performed at Etruscan funerals, no doubt with intent to give the dead man armed attendants in the next world; hence the fights were usually to the death. At shows in Rome these exhibitions became wildly popular and increased in size from three pairs at the first known exhibition in 264 BC (at the funeral of a Brutus) to 300 pairs in the time of Julius Caesar (d. 44 BC). Hence the shows extended from one day to as many as a hundred, under the emperor Titus; while the emperor Trajan in his triumph (AD 107) had 5,000 pairs of gladiators. Shows were also given in other towns of the Roman Empire, as can be seen from the traces of amphitheatres.
      There were various classes of gladiators, distinguished by their arms or modes of fighting. The Samnites fought with the national weapons—a large oblong shield, a visor, a plumed helmet, and a short sword. The Thraces ("Thracians") had a small round buckler and a dagger curved like a scythe; they were generally pitted against the mirmillones, who were armed in Gallic fashion with helmet, sword, and shield and were so called from the name of the fish that served as the crest of their helmet. In like manner the retiarius ("net man") was matched with the secutor ("pursuer"); the former wore nothing but a short tunic or apron and sought to entangle his pursuer, who was fully armed, with the cast net he carried in his right hand; if successful, he dispatched him with the trident he carried in his left. There were also the andabatae, who are believed to have fought on horseback and to have worn helmets with closed visors—that is, to have fought blindfolded; the dimachaeri ("two-knife men") of the later empire, who carried a short sword in each hand; the essedarii ("chariot men"), who fought from chariots like the ancient Britons; the hoplomachi ("fighters in armour"), who wore a complete suit of armour; and the laquearii ("lasso men"), who tried to lasso their antagonists.
      The shows were announced several days before they took place by bills affixed to the walls of houses and public buildings; copies were also sold in the streets. These bills gave the names of the chief pairs of competitors, the date of the show, the name of the giver, and the different kinds of combats. The spectacle began with a procession of the gladiators through the arena, and the proceedings opened with a sham fight (praelusio, prolusio) with wooden swords and javelins. The signal for real fighting was given by the sound of the trumpet, and those who showed fear were driven into the arena with whips and red-hot irons. When a gladiator was wounded, the spectators shouted "Habet" ("He is wounded"); if he was at the mercy of his adversary, he lifted up his forefinger to implore the clemency of the people, to whom (in the later times of the Republic) the giver left the decision as to his life or death. If the spectators were in favour of mercy they waved their handkerchiefs; if they desired the death of the conquered gladiator they turned their thumbs downward. (This is the popular view; another view is that those who wanted the death of the defeated gladiator turned their thumbs toward their breasts as a signal to stab him, and those who wished him to be spared turned their thumbs downward as a signal to drop the sword.) The reward of victory consisted of branches of palm, and sometimes of money.
      If a gladiator survived a number of combats he might be discharged from further service; he could, however, reengage after discharge. On occasion gladiators became politically important, because many of the more turbulent public men had bodyguards composed of them. This of course led to occasional clashes with bloodshed on both sides. Gladiators acting on their own initiative, as in the rising led by Spartacus (q.v.) in 73–71 BC, were considered still more of a menace.
      Gladiators were drawn from various sources but were chiefly slaves and criminals. Discipline was strict, but a successful gladiator not only was famous but, according to the satires of Juvenal, enjoyed the favours of society women. A curious addition to the ranks of gladiators was not uncommon under the Empire: a ruined man, perhaps of high social position, might engage himself as a gladiator, thus getting at least a means of livelihood, however precarious. One of the peculiarities of the emperor Domitian was to have unusual gladiators (dwarfs and women), and the half-mad Commodus appeared in person in the arena, of course winning his bouts.
      To be the head of a school (ludus) of gladiators was a well-known but disgraceful occupation. To own gladiators and hire them out was, however, a regular and legitimate branch of commerce.
      With the coming of Christianity, gladiatorial shows began to fall into disfavour. The emperor Constantine I actually abolished gladiatorial games in AD 325, but apparently without much effect since they were again abolished by the emperor Honorius (393–423) and may perhaps even have continued for a century after that." &mdash Encyclopaedia Britannica ©2003-2006

"I learned such things as the pacing of the bird, the model trajectories for negotiating the rings, techniques of avoiding birds and blocking others, sometimes forcing them to hit or miss the rings; racing could be, and, often was, as dangerous and cruel as the games in the Stadium of Blades, where men met men and beasts, and often fought to the death." — Assassin of Gor, page 188.

"The games in the Stadium of Blades finished their season at the end of Se'Kara, a month following the season of races. I attended the games only once, and found that I did not much care for them. To the credit of the men of Ar I point out that the races were more closely followed. I do not choose to describe the nature of the games, except in certain general detail. There seems to me little of beauty in them and much of blood. Matches are arranged between single armed fighters, or teams of such. Generally Warriors do not participate in these matches, but men of low caste, slaves, condemned criminals and such. Some of them, however, are quite skillful with the weapons of their choice, surely the equal of many Warriors. The crowd is fond of seeing various types of weapons used against others, and styles of fighting. Buckler and short sword are perhaps most popular, but there are few weapons on Gor which are not seen over a period of three or four days of the games. Another popular set of weapons, as in the ancient ludi of Rome is net and trident. Usually those most skilled with this set of weapons are from the shore and islands of distant, gleaming Thassa, the sea, where they doubtless originally developed among fishermen. Sometimes men fight locked in iron hoods, unable to see their opponents. Sometimes men wrestle to the death or use the spiked gauntlets. Sometimes slave girls are forced to fight slave girls, perhaps with steel claws fastened on their fingers, or several girls, variously armed, will be forced to fight a single man, or a small number of men. Surviving girls, of course, become the property of those whom they have fought; men who lose are, of course, slain. Beasts are also popular in the Stadium of Blades, and fights between various animals, half starved and goaded into fury by hot irons and whips, are common; sometimes the beasts fight beasts of the same species, and other times not; sometimes the beasts fight men, variously armed, or armed slave girls; sometimes, for the sport of the crowd, slaves or criminals are fed to the beasts. The training of slaves and criminals for these fights, and the acquisition and training of the beasts is a large business in Ar, there being training schools for men, and compounds where the beasts, captured on expeditions to various parts of Gor and shipped to Ar, may be kept and taught to kill under the unnatural conditions of the stadium spectacle. Upon occasion, and it had happened early in Se'Kara this year, the arena is flooded and a sea fight is staged, the waters for the occasion being filled with a variety of unpleasant sea life, water tharlarion, Vosk turtles, and the nine gilled Gorean shark, the latter brought in tanks on river barges up the Vosk, to be then transported in tanks on wagons across the margin of desolation to Ar for the event.
      "Both the games and the races are popular in Ar, but, as I have indicated, the average man of Ar follows the races much more closely. There are no factions, it might be mentioned, at the games. Further, as might be expected, those who favor the games do not much go to the races, and those who favor the races do not often appear at the games. The adherents of each entertainment, though perhaps equaling one another in their fanaticism, tend not to be the same men. The one time I did attend the games I suppose I was fortunate in seeing Murmillius fight. He was an extremely large man and a truly unusual and superb swordsman. Murmillius always fought alone, never in teams, and in more than one hundred and fifteen fights, sometimes fighting three and four times in one afternoon, he had never lost a contest. It was not known if he had been originally slave or not, but had he been he surely would have won his freedom ten times over and more; again and again, even after he would have won his freedom had he first been slave, he returned to the sand of the arena, steel in hand; I supposed it might be the gold of victory, or the plaudits of the screaming crowd that brought Murmillius ever again striding helmeted in the sunlight onto the white sand." — Assassin of Gor, pages 189-190.

• Wrestling Matches
Not much is explained on the wrestling matches; we can only assume they are similar to what we know on earth.

"I passed two fellows wrestling in a circle, others watching." — Magicians of Gor, page 39.

Editor's Note

This page is an on-going project and will be updated as time allows.

 

 

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Special Note

Because of the differences in publishing the books, depending upon whether published in the U.S. or Europe, depending upon whether a first publishing or a Masquerade Books release, page numbers will often vary. All of my quotes are from original, first-printing U.S. publications (see The Books page for a listing of publishers and dates) with the exception of the following books:

  • Tarnsman of Gor (2nd Printing, Balantine)
  • Outlaw of Gor (11th Printing, Balantine)
  • Priest-Kings of Gor (2nd Printing, Balantine)
  • Assassin of Gor (10th Printing, Balantine)
  • Raiders of Gor (15th Printing, Balantine)
  • Captive of Gor (3rd Printing, Balantine)

Disclaimer

These pages are not written for any specific home, but rather as informational pages for those not able to get ahold of the books and read them yourself. Opinions and commentaries are strictly my own personal views, therefore, if you don't like what you are reading — then don't. The information in these pages is realistic to what is found within the books. Many sites have added information, assuming the existences of certain products and practices, such as willowbark and agrimony for healing, and travel to earth and back for the collection of goods. I've explored the books, the flora, the fauna, and the beasts, and have compiled from those mentioned, the probabilities of certain practices, and what vegetation mentioned in the books is suitable for healing purposes, as well as given practicalities to other sorts of roleplaying assumptions.