Explanation of the game: SHEPHERDS AND WARRIORS

Shepherds and Warriors

Abstract strategy board game for 2 players.

Description and purpose

Shepherds and Warriors is a competitive game of abstract strategy for two players to play against each other.

The objective of the game is to remove all the opponent's stones.

A stone is defined as the piece that is played with because historically board games have been played with stones and/or seeds.

About the game

The game has been created to play on a 12 (25 point) alquerque board.
It is a great introduction to young people to board games, there are only 2 types of stone with 2 moves and a large logical-strategic component.
This game can be used for quick games, for example on the beach or in the countryside (easy creation of board on land, paper etc).
In addition, any material can be used for the stones: plates, bowling pins, stones etc.. In my case I play with 8 checkers of which 3 are marked to differentiate the 2 types of stones.

History of the creation of the game

The game was created in 2025 and is called "Shepherds and Warriors" thinking of the pre-Hispanic wars for the pastoral territory of my native Tenerife.

In Tenerife (Canary Islands), before the conquest, it was normal for shepherds and some warriors of the different kingdoms (Menceyatos) to fight for the goats' grazing territory. With this idea in mind and being a great fan of the game of Checkers and Alquerque I came up with this variant, more complex than checkers and alquerque but simpler than chess, easy to learn and with a great strategic component.

During the process, it was christened in different ways, eventually arriving at the current "Shepherds and Warriors," which are listed for preservation and curiosity.

The Menceyes

The Shepherds

Queens and Pawns (Referred to as the type of stone we play with at home)

Type of stones

Each player plays with 8 stones named as follows:

5 Shepherds
3 Warriors

The stones do not have a certain color or shape, they only need to be well differentiated from each other.

In the explanatory representations the colors for the players are Yellow/Blue and the stones are represented as follows:

Shepherds = Circles.
Warriors = Squares.

Playing

The game is played in 2 parts as in other alquerques such as the Nine Men's Morris or the Three Men's Morris, the placement part and the movement part.

Placement of the stones

It is determined who starts either way among the players.

One at a time per player per turn without any pre-established order or position is placed in the 2 rows closest to the player as shown in the figure below.

A Warrior can be placed at the start in a point that does not have diagonals to position him after the start of the game, the placement determines to a large extent the strategy to be followed by both players and is extremely important.

Movement of the stones

In the representation Shepherds are shown as circles and warriors as squares. The stones always move along the lines of the board.

Shepherds can move (and capture) crosswise (↔️, ↕️) to the next nearby point.
Warriors can move (and capture) diagonally (↖️, ↗️, ↘️, ↙️) to the next nearby point. If diagonal movement is not possible they can move laterally (↔️) but not capture.

Stones can only move to the next empty space around them following the rules listed above or capture enemy stones if they are in some of these adjacent spaces and the movement allows it.

Stones cannot substitute or capture stones of their own.

Capturing opponent's stones

When two stones are close and joined by a line, if the move and the turn allows it, one of them can be "captured" (as in chess), the capturing stone will take the place of the captured one. Once this is done, the captured stone will be removed from the game board.

Observe a diagram of how the stones move, both normal displacement and capture of enemy stones:

1 vs 1 and draw

Sometimes the end of the game is determined in a 1 vs 1.

These are the rules of the 1 vs 1 final, regardless of the stone.

Only 5 turns can be played.
If 5 turns are reached without a winner the game will end in a draw.

When the game becomes 2 vs 1 the player with a stone will try to force a draw and the other to win.

Other rules

These are not rules to be followed (everyone plays at home as he/she wants) but at least at home we play like this and it is good to share them:

The stone that touches the hand is the one that is moved or placed, this forces to analyze the board before starting an action.
The winner always shakes hands with the loser.

More information

Capture points

There are 25 points in total on the board. 12 of them are used to capture crosswise and 13 diagonally (see figure 3).

Playing on a standard 8 by 8 chessboard

It is possible to play on a standard 8 by 8 chessboard, in my case what I did before printing an alquerque board is to leave a black block at the bottom right and so in 5 x 5 blocks you have: White Squares (only moves for Shepherds) Black Squares: diagonal moves.

For a better understanding of this concept I leave an explanatory image:

Didactic benefits

Shepherds and Warriors has didactic benefits and “lessons” for children and upwards due to its rules and regulations, apart from the logical thinking and strategic

typical of this kind of games.

The randomness at the time of placing the stones makes the starting strategies very varied (each game is different since each player has 2520 ways to place the stones at the beginning).
The board has 25 points of which 16 are occupied in the first turn after the placement phase, this means that stones must be sacrificed before the third turn to open holes in the board, especially in the initial turns the sacrifice is almost mandatory, it is up to the player to decide which piece to sacrifice and how this will affect the rest of the turns. (You must choose to sacrifice to advance).
The stone that is touched is the one that is moved and/or placed (it is necessary to assume the decisions that are taken by mistake).
Not having the obligation to capture or the possibility of crowning the strategy, the medium term vision (1 or 2 turns ahead) and the sacrifice of pieces are key to victory. (It is necessary to think about the consequences of the decisions taken).
You must have respect for the opponent, this comes from the Canarian wrestling where the winner has to lift the defeated from the ground to give him the victory (you have to be polite with everyone).

In addition to these points, Shepherds and Warriors can be learned in minutes, both the board and the stones can be made in disposable and/or recycled materials, and it is easy to understand. All this makes it ideal for an approach to abstract strategy in schools. It is easier to learn than Chess and more complex than Checkers or Alquerque.

Example game

An example game in .GIF format