MANDUA - The Game of Tomorrow

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Historical Background

and the Original "Sassak" Game Board

This game is designed to emulate a real tiger hunt, conducted instinctively and without compromise, just as the traditional tiger hunts were pursued during the time of the Maharaja in the early days of India, Sumatra, Malaysia and Singapore.

The numerical superiority of the native hunters has an oppressive effect in the realm of the tiger. However, once aroused by threatening danger, the animal can stage a devastating counterattack. If the players now immerse themselves into the identity, behavior, and the situation of the individual protagonists, and at the same time consider their own strategy, then a masterful fight for life will ensue.

Stories of tiger hunts in the numerous island nations of Asia penetrated into the remotest areas. These stories were transmitted by word of mouth from generation to generation over hundreds of years. As a result, the island populations created their own ideas and imagination about what tigers look alike. In fact, only oral transmission prevailed throughout the innumerable islands; however there is no evidence of tiger carvings until this game was manufactured. For the first time in the world, two game boards which contain these tiger hunts, were produced in November 1998, the original "Sassak" game boards; and for the first time ever, they contain the hand-carved image of the tiger as the natives perceived the animal.

Therefore the game also made a small historical contribution to the carving arts of these islands, especially to the first primitive carvings of the tiger. These preconditions provided the signposts for today's production workplace, where these game board carvings are produced on one of these islands. This wood-working craft - typical of the islands - emphasizes the originality and creates the character and appearance of the "Sassak" game boards. The figures of the natives have been carved for centuries in the indigenous native forms; although for the first time in an appearance which is appropriate for the game. The differences in the carving of these figures are symbolic representation of the individual villages from which the hunters originated. For instance, there are the rice peasants; the Ikat-weavers; woodworking villages; pottery settlements; smiting villages; and several others.

To guarantee the exclusivity of each individual piece, each one has been provided with a certificate of authenticity. It identifies the game as an original one, and contains the numerical identification of the edition. Furthermore, an encryption-and-identification procedure, specifically developed for this game, protects these artistic handiwork's. This procedure also enables the owner of one of these board games to reorder original replacement figures for his specific limited edition. However, these figures are available only in limited numbers, and they will not be reproduced.