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Jumanji: A New Game

Jumanji "A game for those who seek to find a way to leave their world behind. You roll the dice to move your token, doubles get another turn. The first player to reach the end wins."

Adventurers Beware: "Do not begin unless you intend to finish. The exciting consequences of the game will vanish only when a player has reached Jumanji and called out its name."

Jumanji, ah yes, Jumanji… that is the name of the game, a name that sparked the imagination, a word with promise of adventure and excitement. You may it find underneath pile of old games in your attic, within a chest buried deep underground, or hidden in dusty corner of antique store. It may look innocent and completely harmless, an normal looking antique board game that lies in the corner covered in thick layer of dust, but let me tell you my friend, this ‘Game’ is everything but normal.

This game is unlike any other game you have ever played before, it is a game full of exciting adventures, dangers and treasures beyond imagination, a game not for the faint of hearted or the foolish. Playing this game will change your life, so hear my warnings for not many players lived to tell the tale.

The box is made of sapient pearwood and varnished with the sap of the magical Jumanjus tree. This makes it inherently magical and very easy to meld to your own uses, if you have the right training or natural power (and with a little luck or both). It also attracts those of said power, or in lack of those, anyone who has the right sort of spirit to finish the game. Anyone near the box with the right spirit is able to hear the sound of drums, coming from the box luring in new players to find the box and play the game. The Game does not make mistakes.

The pieces are made from Jade, Ivory, Metal, and Obsidian that were stolen from the Halls of Magic located in the golden city of El-Dorado. Thus, they sometimes change shape or color, grow and shrink, and occasionally grow wings and fly around the room. However, they were carved in the shape of a Monkey, Rhinoceros, Elephant, and Crocodile, and still take those shapes most often. Also they will multiply if there are more than four players who want to play the game.

The game board’s play field is made from the wood that comes from the oldest tree in the jungle. Deep inside this ancient tree lies sleeping primordial spirits and jungle magic from before dawn of civilization, waiting for the day they will awaken. Carved on game board’s surface there are paths, all leading to the smooth dark jade stone in center of board, the "Heart of Jumanji", the end goal of the game. Some people say the game is crude map that shows were the Golden City of El-Dorado lays. And if more than four players the play field will change to make room for them.

The dices are also carved from bones of an white lion, who was biggest and strongest of all lions and true undisputed king of jungle. Many brave hunters and warriors have tried to slay this beast and failed, but in the end the beast was slay by an young hunter, who became chieftain of his tribe and wore the white lion’s skin as a cloak. The dices are said to still contain the Spirit of Great White Loin and any throw of the dices are just as fair and merciless as the great beast was in life.

The person who carved, painted, and fitted the board and its pieces together was one of the wizards of the Order of the Griffin, a highly secret and slightly criminal society that existed among magical people of the day. He is one of the leading members and it is best that his name not be revealed. He created this game, with aid of several trickster sprits, as an eternal reminder to the world of the untamed wilds that existed before civilization. The game reminds everyone who plays it that they are part of nature like everything ales in the world, no matter how much culture and sophistication they claim to have.

Jumanji is not a nonsense word, as some would believe. The word originates from the language of the Zulu Tribe of South Africa, and in the ancient tongue, it is a word of power- one that falls somewhere between "change", "beware" and "many effects". In the language of the time, it was possible to make such words not only represent their meaning, but also actually do what they reflect. However, it must be said with spirit, with meaning, or it will only be another set of syllables.

In short, the game thrums with magic.

The game…

The game itself is simple: roll the dice and move your piece, face the consequences of your roll. Above all, DO NOT CHEAT. The game does not appreciate cheaters of any sort, and deals with them very… creatively.

However, no matter what anyone will say, the game is not cruel or ruthless. It gives you a chance, but that is it- one chance. It is fair to whoever plays it, caring not about age, race, or species. However, after it sends out the results of your roll, they are beyond its control. They will act independently of the rules, and until the game is over, they can and will wreak havoc in whatever way comes naturally to them.

However, for all dangers, there are prices to win. The game rewards those faces the challenges with bravery, playing with skill, and facing their fears and overcome them. These rewards can be anything, from tools, treasures, allies and perhaps something… more… but in the end, it is only a question if you can keep these rewards.

Excuse me, I must sound paranoid, but I am not, really- I have seen all this happen, repeatedly in every language and every century. I created it, this game. It was never meant to make its way out into your world, but in the way the universe works, I am afraid it did. I am the drums, I am the rules, and I am the rhyme, and when the game was finished, so was I. I put myself into this game, and every time you play it, I wake up and deal it all out. I am older than you can imagine, and will survive even after the world has ended. I am the Gamemaster, in every aspect, nuance, and meaning. I am Jumanji!

Are You Game?

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