There were Giants in the Earth. According to Irish legend, the Fomorian Giants were large grotesque semi-human creatures. Some descriptions say they had humanoid bodies with goat heads. Before the Celts arrived on the island, this race of beings inhabited the emerald isle.
One of these giants—who hailed form Ulster in the north of Ireland—was called Finn MacCool, and one of his adventures inspired our new board game Causeway.
The story goes like this —
Another giant named Benandonner lived across the Irish Sea in Scotland. Benandonner was planning to invade Ulster, and when Finn caught wind of this he flew into a rage (as Giants are wont to do).
McCool hurled great chunks of rock into the sea to build a causeway across to Scotland to stage a preemptive attack. When the land bridge was completed, he charged across the rocks at the head of his army ready to thrash the upstart Scot.
Unfortunately for Finn, Benandonner turned out to be a larger and more powerful adversary than Finn had expected. So Finn donned swaddling clothes and his wife carted him back to Ulster pretending he was a mere babe.
Upon seeing this bizarre scene, Benandonner was taken aback. He reasoned that if this monster was a mere babe, what might its father look like? So Benandonner tore up the causeway on his way back to Scotland to avoid a confrontation with Finn and his army.
What’s left of that desperate destruction is what now can be seen on the north coast of County Antrim, a rock formation popularly known as the Giant’s Causeway. That geological phenomenon is the result of volcanic activity over 60 million years ago — fascinating hexagonal pillars of crystalline basalt.
The game Causeway really belongs in the category of an abstract strategy game, although there is some hidden information.
The YouTube video includes a bit of a game being played and the actions taken by the players, but here is a quick summary.
The board is a field of hexagons, and there are color-coded spaces where each player’s giants (sets of ten colored pawns) will begin the conflict. Causeway was designed to accommodate six players, but when fewer players compete, they can play with one, two, or three armies each. These “teams” of armies can be arranged on the board in different patterns as well, offering dozens of possible starting configurations.
Each player will also receive a hand of FIVE cards from the deck of 72 which describe the choices they have for moving their armies on the board in an effort to eliminate all opponents. This may be a forward, backward, or angled move, and it may be one or two spaces as well.
The board includes an outline for each player to orient their card to be sure the move is made in the correct direction. Then the player moves as many “giants” as desired in the direction and distance indicated on that card.
If such a move lands a pawn on an enemy position, that enemy pawn is eliminated from the game. This may be several enemy pawns removed in one massive attack, and in some cases, enemy pawns belonging to more than one other player.
The player’s turn ends by drawing a replacement card from the deck. Simple as that.
Now the other players perform the same sequence - play a card, move their giants, and draw a replacement card.
You’re only required to move one giant per turn, so a bad card has a minimal impact in that case. But at other times, a sequence of moves can be executed to maneuver your giants into position for a future attack, or a retreat, when your turn comes ‘round again.
Multiple players could play in teams — two teams of two or three players, or three teams of two. You can form alliances with other players, and then (if you dare) turn against them later in the game.
Yes, there is player elimination in the game of Causeway. Not my favorite aspect of the game, but it’s generally a quick game so no one’s left watching for long, and a rematch can be set up within a few minutes.
There’s plenty of variety here as it is, both challenging and fun to play.
So when your private army of Fomarian Giants is getting restless, looking to stage a raid or conquer a neighboring tribe, set up your pawns and shuffle your cards for a spirited game of Causeway.
Please enjoy Causeway, and let me know what you think!