Cu'bikad

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Cu'bikad data created by user RobShanti.

The Mandalorian knife game Cu'bikad first appeared in the Karen Traviss novel Legacy of the Force: Revelation. There, she described Cu'bikad as a game played by Mandalorians involving stabbing knives into a checkered board; the game was rough enough non-Mandalorians were cautioned against playing it.

Stemming from the term bikadinir (bee-KAD-een-eer; to stab (with a broad blade)), Cu'bikad is popular in the city of Keldabe, on the planet Mandalore, during the years following the war against the Yuuzhan Vong. Then, it was played as a tabletop game. A life-sized version was popular long before, however, using an upright, man-sized board and rules that were a cross between darts, chess, and ludo.

The Playing Board

The checkered Cu'bikad board is a circular board of three concentric circles, same as a dejarik board.

The original version of the game features a man-sized board (2 meters in diameter) painted on or affixed vertically to a wall (as opposed to the horizontal, tabletop board used in the later, cantina-game version).

Game Play

Each participant dons a bandolier containing 8 knives. The pommels of one contestant's knives are black or dark-colored (matching the black/dark-colored spaces on the board) and the pommels of the other participant's knives are white or light-colored (matching the white/light-colored spaces on the board). The participants then have their secondary hands bound together at the wrists and stand together 10 paces away from the board.

At the signal (the dropping of a flag, the firing of a blaster, or someone yelling “Oya Manda!”), the participants run toward the board, each trying to plant his knife in a square of his own color on the outermost concentric circle of the board while simultaneously trying to prevent the other contestant from doing the same by pushing/pulling them, throwing them off balance, blocking their knife with a gauntlet (or even one's entire, armored body), parrying, etc.

When a contestant manages to plant their knife successfully, they then immediately draw another knife and attempt to do the same in the second, smaller concentric circle, while simultaneously trying to prevent the other contestant from doing the same.

When a contestant succeeds in planting their knife successfully in the second concentric circle, they then attempt to plant a knife in the bantha's-eye circle (center space), while simultaneously trying to prevent their opponent from doing the same.

The first one to plant a knife in the Bantha's Eye wins.

Optional Rule: If a contestant plants a knife in a space adjacent to a space containing an opponent's knife, they may attempt to “Capture” their opponent's knife by snatching it out of its space and tossing it to the ground. The opponent must then draw one of their spare knives (they have 5 spares, since captures may be attempted as many times as a contestant likes) and stab a space of their color in that same concentric circle. They must plant a knife in this concentric circle before attempting to plant a knife in any smaller concentric circle.

If a contestant runs out of knives before the Bantha's Eye is pierced, they lose the contest.

Needless to say, the game is “Rough” because the participants are often cut and stabbed from wayward knife-strikes during play, even though the object is to stab the board, not one's opponent. Hence, non-Mandalorians are advised to avoid playing the game. 

Sportsmanship and Cu'bikad

Deliberately attacking an opponent with a knife is discouraged and dishonorable, although not, technically, forbidden. Whether the audience would intervene in the event one or both opponents decided to play dirty or if someone is seriously hurt or killed while playing depends on the totality of the circumstances: the relationships between the contestants and among the audience members, the ratio of "Us" versus "Them" in the total assemblage, the events that led up to the contest, etc. For the most part, however, Cu'bikad is meant to be an enjoyable diversion among Mandalorians- a rough game, where some wayward nicks and cuts are to be expected, but a game nevertheless, conducted in the spirit of sportsmanship.

Non-Mandalorians are discouraged from playing it. The Mandalorians discourage it because they feel possessive about this aspect of their culture, and abhor the idea that the aruetiise might open up Cu'bikad-courts-with-tapcaf-tables on every street block of Coruscant. Non-Mandalorians discourage playing the game because it is considered "Too rough" for "Civilized Republic (or Imperial) society."

Simulating a Cu'bikad Game in Saga Edition

The following contains rules in which to integrate a Cu'bikad in a Saga Edition game.

Cu'bikad Actions:

• Drawing a knife from one's bandolier = 1 Move Action
• Stabbing at a space on the Cu'bikad board = 1 Standard Action
• Snatching an opponent's unattended knife from the board (“Capturing” their piece) & throwing it to the ground = 1 Move Action (see Manipulate an Item) +1 Swift Action (see Drop an Item)*

*This compound Action can be reduced to a single, Swift Action with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check, representing the contestant simply swiping at the knife and knocking it off the board. 

1. The players of the contestants roll Initiative as a Free Action as the characters are assumed to be running toward the board. The winner of the opposed Initiative check may either
   1. Make an attack roll against the Cu'bikad board to try to plant their knife in a space of their color in the outermost concentric circle (note, for purposes of this roll, the Reflex Defense of one's opponent substitutes for the usual Reflex 10 for hitting a man-sized, immobile object, since it is assumed that the opponent is pushing, pulling, trying to throw their opponent off balance, or otherwise trying to impede their opponent from stabbing the board); if the attack roll fails, the contestant immediately makes another attack roll against their opponent as a Free Action to determine whether the wayward thrust of the knife accidentally hit the opponent (if this attack roll succeeds, the opponent takes 1d4 slashing or piercing damage, plus any appropriate Strength or Heroic Level bonuses that may apply from the attacker).
   2. Make a Grab attack to simulate trying to prevent the grabbed contestant from planting their knife in the board. (If the grabber has any grappling feats, such as Pin or Trip, they may use them. A Pinned or Tripped opponent cannot push, pull, try to throw off balance, or otherwise impede the grappler from stabbing the board, hence, the grappler need only hit a Reflex of 10 (a man-sized, immobile object) until the grappled contestant breaks the Pin or stands up from the Trip).
2. Once a contestant makes a successful attack roll (successfully plants a knife in a space of their color on the outermost concentric circle of the board), they may, when the appropriate actions are available to him, draw a new knife and either:
   1. Make an attack roll to stab at a space of their color in the second concentric circle of the board (as above).
   2. Make a Grab attack to simulate pushing, pulling, try to throw off balance, or otherwise trying to impede the grapplee from stabbing the board (as above).
3. Once a contestant makes a successful attack roll (successfully plants a knife in a space of their color on the second concentric circle of the board), they may, when the appropriate Actions are available to them, draw a new knife and either:
   1. Make an attack roll to stab at the Bantha's Eye (as above).
   2. Make a Grab attack to simulate pushing, pulling, try to throw off balance, or otherwise trying to impede the grapplee from stabbing the board (as above)
4. The first one to make a successful attack roll against the Bantha's Eye wins.
5. At any time, a contestant may forego drawing a new knife to use their free hand to attempt to “Capture” and discard a knife of their opponent that occupies a square adjacent to a square containing one of the contestant's own knives. A contestant plants their knife in a space adjacent to a space containing their adversary's knife by succeeding in their attack roll by 5 or more.

Example of Play: Alder versus Bendak

At the sound of the starting blast, Alder and Bendak ran for the Cu'bikad board, their secondary hands bound at their gauntleted wrists, their primary hands each clutching a knife. As they reached the midway point, five paces from the board, Alder (who rolled a 25 on his Initiative check) attempted a sly trick, throwing himself to the floor under Bendak's feet to trip him.

Unfortunately for Alder, the knife hand of Bendak (who rolled a 33 on his Initiative check) was already outstretched, the weapon leaving his fingers in an open-palmed thrust that sent the blade darting through the air like a blaster bolt (Bendak's Attack roll: 30), effortlessly striking the black space at the 2 o'clock position on the outermost ring of the Cu'bikad board.

A rousing cry of “OYA!” from the crowd punctuated the successful strike.

Bendak nearly stumbled as Alder threw all his own weight to the ground, but deftly hopped over his prone opponent, attempting to drag him away (with the Running Attack Feat) from reach of the Cu'bikad board before Alder could stab at it. (Opposed Strength rolls: Alder=4, Bendak=5 ... close one!) The fiber cord binding their gauntleted wrists grew tauter still as the two men engaged in a momentary tug of war with their secondary hands... but slowly, and just in time, Alder started to slide on his tailbone along the floor plating away from the Cu'bikad board, swiping his knife at empty air. The audience cheered and laughed, patting each other loudly on armored backs with armored hands.

Alder had to make up for lost space. To close it, he had to get to his feet again. Deftly, he rolled into a fighting stance (Alder's Move Action), and attempted to drag Bendak back toward the board. As evidenced by the earlier contest, the men were clearly evenly matched in strength, but Alder had not fully risen to his full height before pulling; knowing that a lower center of gravity would give him an advantage, he remained in a crouch as he yanked Bendak back toward the Cu'bikad board (Alder's Standard Action). It worked! The two men moved toward the board, but Alder had lost tempo, and Bendak was ready to strike.

Bendak jabbed at the Cu'bikad board with his knife (a Standard Action, resulting in a total attack roll of 15... one point short of the Reflex Defense of the board, which borrows Alder's Reflex Defense for purposes of this strike). Bendak jabbed at air, and tried to reposition himself better in front of the board (thus foregoing his Move Action).

As Bendak did so, Alder thrust his knife at the white space at the 3 o'clock position, piercing it in the exact center (with a Critical Hit!). Then, with an upward thrust of his gauntleted arm, he swiped at Bendak's knife (rolling another Natural 20 on the DC 15 Dexterity check to swipe the knife off the board as a Swift Action), planted above his, and knocked it clear off the board. A “Capture,” and the first one of the game!

The audience moaned in shock as Bendak's knife left the Cu'bikad board, sailed through the air in a high arc, and, after a quick descent, stuck squarely into the codpiece of the Neo-Crusader who had fired the starting shot. His lowering T-visor obscured his face, but every man in the room knew well the mixed expression of shock and relief that must have crossed his countenance when he realized the grievous wound from which his beskar'gam had just saved him. He quickly yanked the knife out of its embarrassing location, and nearly everyone's knees buckled in unison at the gesture...

...Except Alder and Bendak, who were locked in a dueling dance, throttling each other with their free hands, each attempting to forcefully maneuver his opponent into a position more advantageous to himself.

Bendak had underestimated his adversary. He would now have to plant another knife into a black space of the outermost circle again before he could move inward towards the Bantha's Eye; he had lost his advantage, and Alder had gained the upper hand. Bendak now had to take this contest seriously and play catch-up.

Releasing his grip on Alder's throat to free a hand, Bendak drew a spare knife (usually, a Move Action, but only a Swift Action for Bendak, thanks to the Quick Draw Feat) and thrust it at the Cu'bikad board (a Standard Action) as Alder yanked and danced, trying to deny his adversary aim and reach. (Bendak rolled an attack roll of 16, exactly matching the Reflex Defense of the board, which borrows Alder's Reflex Defense of 16 for purposes of this attack.) Alder was putting up much more of a fight than Bendak had expected. With a lumbering pirouette, Alder twirled Bendak away from the black square adjoining his own knife, thus denying his adversary the opportunity to plant his knife next to Alder's (which requires beating the board's Reflex Defense by 5 or more), and set him up for a “Capture.” Instead, Bendak's knife found purchase in a space clear across the board from Alder's, a black space at the 10 o'clock position. Both adversaries had completed the outermost circle. It was time to move inward, for better or for worse. (Bendak foregoes his Move Action to stay close to the board.)

Alder, now enjoying the advantage, drew his knife (usually a Move Action, but only a Swift Action for Alder, thanks to the Quick Draw Feat) and thrust it at the Cu'bikad board (a Standard Action) as Bendak drove his own gold-gauntleted forearm into the underside of Alder's chin to push him off balance and away from the target. It worked. Alder's head snapped back, and Bendak's strike sent Alder's helmet flying off and to the ground causing Alder to stumble backward over it. As Alder's foot sent the helmet skidding across the floor, he flailed, and his knife nicked his own ear, drawing blood (and inflicting 6 points of damage). Bendak had regained the upper hand, but could he keep it? (Alder foregoes his Move Action to stay close to the board.)

Bendak drew another knife from the five remaining in his bandolier (a Swift Action for him), and jabbed at the Cu'bikad board (a Standard Action), aiming for the black square at the 3 o'clock position on the second concentric circle, adjacent to Alder's knife at that same position on the outermost circle. Alder twisted and contorted, struggling ferociously to keep his adversary off-balance. Bendak now knew Alder's strength and maneuverability, but that alone was not enough to allow him to overcome his adversary's tenacious efforts. With a knee to Bendak's gut, Alder managed to drive his opponent backward a few paces, and away from the 3 o'clock position. Bendak's knife found purchase, but across the board again, at the 11 o'clock position, too far to capture Alder's knife. His hand now free, in a stunningly fast move, Bendak drew another knife in a blur (another Swift Action), leaving only three more spares in his bandolier.

Alder stabbed at the board with the knife he still held, its edge bearing his own blood (a Standard Action). Again another Natural 20, a Critical Hit!), Alder's knife fell squarely in the center of the white square at the 10 o'clock position of the second concentric circle- directly under Bendak's knife! Repeating his earlier maneuver, Alder swiped his gauntleted arm upward, knocking Bendak's knife off the board (a mere Swift Action if the contestant beats a DC 15 Dexterity check, which Alder did!). Another capture! The audience howled as Alder succeeded in the second capture of the game! (With a Swift Action), Alder then drew his next knife from his bandolier in a blur of motion, ready to continue the contest (and foregoes his Move Action to stay close to the board).

Duly chagrined, Bendak had not only lost the upper hand yet again, he would have to play catch up once more.

As Alder brought his armored knee upward, under the golden codpiece of Bendak's armor and into the unprotected area beneath his crotch, Bendak stabbed outward toward the Cu'bikad board with his knife. (On his Standard Action, Bendak totals a 20 on the attack roll- not a Natural 20- and beats the board's Reflex Defense, which uses Alder's for purposes of this strike, by only 4- one point short of what is needed to set up for a capture!)

Alder's gambit was a desperate one, but it worked. Bendak doubled over from the pain just enough that the space adjacent to Alder's knife was out of reach. He planted his knife in the black square at the 7 o'clock position of the second concentric circle before drawing (with a Swift Action) another knife and keeping his ground (by foregoing his Move Action).

Both adversaries had completed the second concentric circle, and there would be no more “captures” in this contest. It was now down to a desperate race to be the first to strike the Bantha's Eye. (And it's Alder's turn in the Initiative!)

The men wrangled and wrestled, lumbered and listed, twisting and turning in a chaotic cotillion of combat as each struggled to be the first to stab the Bantha's Eye. Alder thrust his knife at the center of the Cu'bikad board (his Standard Action) but Bendak thrust his helmeted head forward as Alder did so, connecting, buy'ce-to-forehead, in an echoing head-butt that resounded with a crack like a slugthrower discharge. Alder, to his credit, had steeled himself for a distracting blow, and took the concussive force of Bendak's head-butt with characteristic hard-headedness.

Alder blinked from the pain, and stumbled a step back, but only a step. The single backward pace was enough, however, to prevent his knife from striking the Bantha's Eye. Instead, it pierced a square in the next outer concentric circle. The audience cheered nervously.

Alder yanked the knife back out (a Move Action), and struggled to get closer to the Bantha's Eye.

Bendak's knife blade gleamed under the docking bay lights, an extension of his golden-armored arm, as he thrust it toward the Bantha's Eye. (He fails to match Alder's Reflex Defense with his attack roll.) Alder would NOT be defeated without giving Bendak the fight of his life. With a hearty war cry, Alder barreled his entire body into Bendak's midsection with all his strength. Bendak was like a mountain in his gleaming beskar'gam, but his booted soles slid slightly backward a pace under Alder's furious assault. His blade struck a square in the second concentric circle, and he yanked it back out (with his Move Action). The Neo-Crusaders howled in disheartened amazement.

Alder stabbed again at the board from his hunched-over position, grappling Bendak's waist, but Bendak brought his armored elbow down squarely into Alder's back, forcing the knife-jab to go wild, and missing the board altogether. Bendak wasted no time. He could see that Alder was a worthy adversary, and to attempt anything less than the swiftest endgame maneuver possible would be a fool's errand. He stabbed one last time at the board (rolling a total attack roll of 27, beating Alder's Reflex Defense by 3 points) and his blade pierced the Bantha's Eye, bringing the contest to an end, punctuated with a rousing cheer from the onlookers. With his now free hand, Bendak grabbed Alder by the fabric of his collar, and lifted him upright, facing him toward the Cu'bikad board so he could see his defeat. Releasing his grip so his adversary was bearing his own weight again on his two feet, Bendak slapped Alder hard on his back shouting a congratulatory “Ori'jate!”