Author's Notes
Rodenec, the Player
It started with me wanting a board game, but not just adding Chess. So, I thought "Where would it come from?", and it had to be Zarhalem or Mataraaj, and I went with Zarhalem. That set the theme for the game.
I poked around with some rules, to actually make it a playable game. Heavily influenced by Chess, but with some additional rules, such as the Wadi, the guards and the vizier promotion. Here, heavy influence came from the comic Iznogoud, about the Grand Vizier who want to be Caliph instead of the Caliph. I think you can see the traces in the rules.
I don't expect it to have the depth of chess, but it is playable.
Then, the question became: How do we bring this into play, without actually having players play it in the RPG context, and still being more than just a name being mentioned.
I decided to have a professional player, one of the best in the world meet, and eventually join the crew. His wild hair is a nod to the king of kings of Chess, Magnus Carlsen.
But, simply being a good player isn't that interesting. So, I made him a tactical analyst. He is the guy you see in movies who never stops thinking, and in the middle of a fight notice the crucial detail everyone else miss. I really like the "Don't look at what they are doing. Look at why they are doing it. Then look at what they are really doing." line of thinking. Always play the deep game.
Even so, I wanted him to be more than a human computer. So, I look to another great inspiration, Caravaggio. A great painter, but also a brawler, quick to react emotionally, good or bad.
To connect to the crew, I went back to Khalif. Redenec loves that game, and will teach them.
He also needed to be a bit more practically useful, which is why I added the sailor background. To add some motivation and personal drama, I added the Morvelyn back story.