Fanorona

Fanorona, from Madagascar, is the fourth and final game in the Ludos Africa set from Lemery Games.

As in all Ludos games, it comes in a small sturdy cardboard box, containing a small pouch.

The board and pieces are, as always, made of cloth and wood, respectively.

Fanorona may have its origins in the 17th century, or it may be (much) older; as always with such traditional games, the mist of time is very much present. No matter its exact age, it is a war game, where the object is to capture the opponent's pieces. But what makes it unique among traditional war games is the method of capture. Not by displacement, not by jumping over and not via custodian capture, but by either approach or withdrawal.

Like the other three games in the set, Dara, Oware and Yoté (and like the games in the Ludos Asia set), design and production really are excellent.