Zaruri Cismigiu

Zaruri Cismigiu is a single-player game of table, the Romanian take on backgammon, played on park benches in Bucharest. You sit down across from one of the park regulars, the walnut board between you, and play a proper match the way it is played on real benches: quick throws, sharp hits and a running commentary. Flick two wooden dice up from the bench to throw, then drag or tap your ivory checkers into place. The full rules of table are in Zaruri Cismigiu: doubles play four times, a lone checker that gets hit goes to the bar, you must use both dice when you can, and you bear off to finish. If the loser has borne off nothing, it is a marț and counts two points. Matches go to 3 points, and if you change your mind you can undo a move before you pass the dice. Four regulars wait in four parks across one year. Nea Costel plays safe in autumn Cișmigiu. Doamna Lili hits everything in snowy Parcul Carol. Vlad from Poli moves fast and runs in spring Tineretului. Domnul Mișu calculates every move by the lake at Herăstrău in summer. Each one plays differently and talks while they play, so a match with Doamna Lili feels nothing like a slow afternoon with Nea Costel. Beat a regular in Zaruri Cismigiu and the next park opens. What brings you back is the bench itself. The light on it follows the real Bucharest sky, so a game at lunch looks different from one at dusk. A chalk tally book keeps your record against each regular: run your eye down the columns and you can see who you have the measure of and who still has the measure of you. An optional evening reminder tells you the board is open, and your match is saved as you play, so you can close the game halfway through and find the bench exactly as you left it. Features: • Full rules of table: doubles play four times, hits go to the bar, both dice must be used when possible, bear off to finish • Marț scoring: a loser who has borne off nothing gives up two points • Matches to 3 points, with undo before you pass the dice • Flick the dice from the bench, then drag or tap to move your checkers • Four regulars, each with their own playing style and table talk • Four Bucharest parks across the seasons; beat a regular to open the next one • Bench lighting that follows the real Bucharest sky • Chalk tally book with wins and losses per regular, marț count, recent games and your own photo • Optional evening reminder that the board is open • Your match in progress is saved automatically • Walnut board, chalk and lamplight at dusk Take a seat on the bench in Zaruri Cismigiu. Nea Costel is already waiting in Cișmigiu.

First release.