Overview

Djambi (The Chessboard of Machiavelli) is a political strategy game for 3-4 players on a 9x9 grid. Each player leads a political party with 9 unique pieces, each representing a political archetype. The goal is to eliminate all opposing leaders and seize absolute power through a combination of conflict, coalition, and betrayal.

Components

• 1 game board (9x9 grid with a central Labyrinth square)
• 36 playing pieces (9 per player in 4 colors):
  • 1 Leader per player
  • 1 Assassin per player
  • 1 Reporter per player
  • 1 Necromobile per player
  • 1 Provocateur per player
  • 4 Militants per player

Setup

Each player places their 9 pieces in their designated corner of the 9x9 board according to the standard starting arrangement.

Turn Structure

Players take turns clockwise. On each turn, a player moves one of their pieces according to its movement rules.

Actions

Piece Types and Movements

Movers (manipulate position of pieces):

Piece	Movement	Special Ability
Provocateur	Moves like a chess queen (any distance, straight line)	Moves a living enemy piece to any empty square, then the Provocateur takes the vacated square
Necromobile	Moves like a chess queen	Moves a dead piece (corpse) to any empty square, then takes the vacated square

Killers (eliminate pieces):

Piece	Movement	Special Ability
Assassin	Moves like a chess queen	Kills any piece it lands on; the corpse stays where the Assassin started
Militants	Move like a chess queen but only 1-2 squares	Kill any piece they land on; corpse stays where Militant started
Reporter	Moves like a chess queen	Kills any piece adjacent to its destination (chooses which); corpse stays where the victim was
Leader	Moves like a chess king (1 square any direction)	Kills any piece it lands on; corpse stays where Leader started

Key Mechanics

• Corpses: Killed pieces remain on the board as corpses (flipped over). Corpses block movement.
• The Labyrinth (center square): A Leader in the Labyrinth gains special powers and controls all pieces of eliminated players.
• Killing a Leader: When a Leader is killed, the killing player takes control of all remaining pieces of the dead Leader’s party.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The game ends when only one Leader remains alive. That player wins.

Alternatively, a Leader occupying the Labyrinth who controls enough pieces to be unassailable is effectively the winner.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Labyrinth benefits: A Leader in the Labyrinth can only be attacked from an adjacent square. The Leader in the Labyrinth controls pieces of any eliminated party.
• Dead pieces remain on the board as obstacles (corpses).
• The Necromobile is the only piece that can move corpses, clearing paths or creating blockades.
• The Provocateur does not kill – it forcibly relocates living enemy pieces.
• The Reporter kills at range (adjacent to destination, not the landing square itself).
• Three-player variant: Uses a hostage mechanic for the fourth color’s pieces.
• Movement follows straight lines (like chess queen for most pieces). Pieces cannot jump over other pieces or corpses.

Player Reference

Piece	Count	Movement Range	Kill Method
Leader	1	1 square (king)	Lands on target
Assassin	1	Unlimited (queen)	Lands on target
Reporter	1	Unlimited (queen)	Adjacent to destination
Necromobile	1	Unlimited (queen)	Moves corpses only
Provocateur	1	Unlimited (queen)	Relocates living enemies
Militant	4	1-2 squares (queen)	Lands on target

Win Condition	Eliminate all other Leaders
Labyrinth	Center square; protects Leader; grants control of eliminated parties