Lit Dejarik holochess official rules from Jedi Challenges game

Hi,

I noticed that recently, a VR game known as Jedi Challenges has appeared on some VR devices: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.disney.mirage_goo&hl=en . Apparently this VR game has Dejarik Holochess which is playable: https://help.disney.com/articles/en_US/FAQ/How-do-I-play-Holochess?section=Star-Wars and http://www.starwars.com/news/how-jedi-challenges-brings-star-wars-to-life-at-home .

Unlike say, sabacc, I don't believe until now there have been official dejarik holochess rules before, just fan made stuff. Can someone who has the game possibly summarize what the rules are and what the game is like?

 

I waited for weeks for info on this game sans buying it. My advice is just to bite the blaster bolt and buy it. Its probably really fun

 

Yeah, maybe I should do that.

 

I too would like the know the rules of the game so I can build an analogic version. There are a few gameplay videos floating around on Youtube, but I'm not quite good at extrapolating rules from them.

A review I found says: "Holochess is everyone’s favorite way to let the Wookie win, and the strategy involved is fantastic to say the least. The circular board doesn’t represent normal Chess in any meaningful way, and the strategies employed loosely resemble the classic game as well. Once you pass the two training courses, the first actual Holochess game is opened up against your virtual teacher. Each unit moves a set number of spaces around the circular board, which resembles a dartboard more than anything, and each unit subsequently deals different rates of damage. These units will attack each other voraciously, with a finishing move once a unit’s health has been depleted. The strategy that can be employed is rich and varied, and at times you will need to study the board and identify which pieces might move next, or draw them in for a multi-layered attack."

 

Screw dejarik, I want to play Shah-tezh against a hologram of Chancellor Palpatine!

 

You'll have to be patient. After all, it took us 40+ years to get the rules of dejarik (in a game almost no one has). Shah-tezh will have to wait.

 

Honestly, they'd make a huge bundle if they contracted out a dev to make a playable Dejarik PC game and sold it on Steam. I understand that Disney is geared towards maximizing film profits, but much of Lucas' fortune was made from the tie-ins. We all heard the famous story of how Fox back in the 70s foolishly gave Lucas the merchandising rights to SW, and he made so much money out of it.

As it is, someone is selling sabacc on Google Play for money and buyable microtransactions: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gamegurus.sabacc&hl=en . They don't seem to be licensed by Disney... does Disney even know about this??

 

I also find it weird that, apart from the WEG deck, there never was an official sabacc deck.
They did make one whose design followed the cards shown in Rebels, but weirdly enough, they only distributed a few copies at Celebration.

 

Oh come on, they're waiting to maximize the impact when that Solo movie hits.

Still wonder about that buyable Google Play sabacc though, I see no 'licensed by Disney' or whatever on there...

 

Well, it's probably because they don't know about it. If it were a free game, that wouldn't be a problem, though.

 

Oh yeah, they know.

 

Does anybody know what Force powers are available in this game? I know 3 are Force Push, Force Speed and Force Barrier, but I hear that they are other Force skills you can learn. What are those?

 

So... thanks to a very helpful Youtuber, I managed to piece together the stats of the 8 dejarik holomonsters. Here's the table I made:

 

I love those names. Especially Ghhhk.

 

I look forward one day to having a dejarik set.

 

I was reading the Amazon reviews for the VR one and some poor bloke is like "I love the holochess but sometimes it goes through the furniture" and now all I can think of is Mantellian savrips coming out of the couch.