HELP ABOUT MOVE
---------------
This help explains to you why your
previous move was invalid (You can
invoke it immediately after hearing
an irritating sound that warns you
that your move is invalid.)
Otherwise, this time, your previous
move was no offense at all...so I'd
advise you to go back to your game.




EXPECTED MOVE
-------------
Capture with nkhomo

WHY YOUR MOVE WAS INVALID
-------------------------
To capture with nkhomo, you have to
play on a hole on the inside row.
(You played on the outside row.)





EXPECTED MOVE
-------------
Capture with nkhomo

WHY YOUR MOVE WAS INVALID
-------------------------
To capture at a hole, there must be
atleast one nkhomo on the hole, as
well as on the corresponding hole
on the computer side of the game.




EXPECTED MOVE
-------------
Capture with mutaji

WHY YOUR MOVE WAS INVALID
-------------------------
Mutaji cannot be less than two (2),
neither can it be more than fifteen
(15). Your previous move violates
this rule.




EXPECTED MOVE
-------------
Capture with mutaji

WHY YOUR MOVE WAS INVALID
-------------------------
Your previous move was not a mutaji
in either direction. (see the Rules
or the dictionary if you do not
understand what a mutaji is).




EXPECTED MOVE
-------------
Takata without nkhomo

WHY YOUR MOVE WAS INVALID
-------------------------
You cannot takata at the hole
because sekulu atakatira. In other
words, Sekulu previously anatakata
to capture at this hole (see Rules).




EXPECTED MOVE
-------------
Takata without nkhomo

WHY YOUR MOVE WAS INVALID
-------------------------
Without nkhomo, you cannot takata
at a hole with less than two (2)
nkhomo.





EXPECTED MOVE
-------------
Takata without nkhomo

WHY YOUR MOVE WAS INVALID
-------------------------
You cannot takata on a hole on the
outside row if you have a hole on
the inside row with more than two
(2) nkhomo.




EXPECTED MOVE
-------------
Takata with nkhomo

WHY YOUR MOVE WAS INVALID
-------------------------
With nkhomo, you cannot takata on a
hole on the outside row. (Unless you
have no nkhomo on the inside row -
in other words, you're dead.)




EXPECTED MOVE
-------------
Takata with nkhomo

WHY YOUR MOVE WAS INVALID
-------------------------
You cannot takata on a hole with no
nkhomo. (There is no such thing as a
free lunch - remember this always.)





EXPECTED MOVE
-------------
Takata with nkhomo

WHY YOUR MOVE WAS INVALID
-------------------------
You cannot takata on a hole with
only one nkhomo if you have holes on
the inside row (other than panyumba)
with more than one nkhomo.




EXPECTED MOVE
-------------
Takata with nkhomo

WHY YOUR MOVE WAS INVALID
-------------------------
You cannot takata panyumba if you
have at least one hole on the inside
row with atleast one nkhomo, unless
nyumba is gone, or is less than ten.




EXPECTED MOVE
-------------
Takata panyumba

WHY YOUR MOVE WAS INVALID
-------------------------
The only valid hole for you to
takata is panyumba. (Check the rules
concerning kutakata pa nyumba if you
are in doubt).




EXPECTED MOVE
-------------
Counting nkhomo at a hole

WHY YOUR MOVE WAS INVALID
-------------------------
Surely, you can't count nkhomo at a
hole with no nkhomo at all. (Unless,
of course, you have problems seeing
the nkhomo.)




PAUSE
-----
You are in the pause state, which
allows you to assess your move and
decide whether you want to change it
(by pressing F3), or you want it to
stand (in which case you can press
ESC or Enter/Carriage Return or F2
to move out of the pause state).
NOTE: Pause and changing moves are
      only allowed if you takata.



Arrow keys (Up, Down, Left, Right):
----------------------------------
These keys are used to select the
position where to play. The left
and right keys are also used to
indicate the direction where to
start playing after capturing your
opponents nkhomo. These two keys
are also used to indicate that you
want to go with your (kunyamula)
nyumba. The arrow keys are also
used to select menu options.


Enter (Return) key:
------------------
The enter key is used to accept a
particular selection, such as a hole
where to play, a menu option, a
typed in input, etc. It is can also
be used to accept to go with your
(kunyamula) nyumba.






Esc key:
--------
The Esc key is used to abbort a
procedure. It is therefore used to
back off menu selection, abort the
game (temporarily) and go to the
main menu selection, etc. It is
also used to indicate that you
don't want to go with your nyumba.
You must however note that when you
want to abbort the game and go to
menu options, you must wait until
at the beginning of your next move.

F1:
---
Press F1 when you need help.
Again, F1 is activated only at the
beginning of your move.

F2:
---
F2 is used to pause the game. This
is important if you are considering
to change your move and you need
some time to think about it.


F3:
---
Press F3 to change your move which
has just completed. If you are not
sure, press F2 immediately after
your move completes (wagona) to
pause the game, then press F3 to
change the move.
Note that changing your move is
allowed only when you takata.




F4:
---
F4 is used to count nkhomo at any
of your holes. Just move the hand
to the hole, and press F4. As the
hand drops each nkhomo, YOU should
do the counting.

TAB
---
TAB is used to move from one input
field to another on an option
(New Game, Load Game, Save Game)
form.
BAWO
----
...NTCHUWA

There is no English equivalent of
this term. Just call this game,
"Bawo", and its cousin "Ntchuwa".
I'm sure these terms must have
meanings, but I don't have any
idea myself.




NKHOMO
------
... MARBLE(S)

Nkhomo has two meanings:

1. Each of the 64 objects you use
   for playing Bawo is called a
   Nkhomo. To preserve the game, I
   resisted the temptetaion of
   calling these objects "marbles"
   because, really, they can be
   anything (small stones are
   popularly used in my village).
2. The term nkhomo is also used to
   mean those 18 nkhomos (sorry
   about this) which are used for
   initiating a move. These are
   placed in the outside containers
   and must be used for each move
   until they are finished.







NYUMBA
------
... THE HOUSE

Nyumba is the big collection of
nkhomo which are placed on hole 4
of each side. This collection is
called Nyumba until it is either
moved by you or captured by your
oppenent. Any subsequent collection
of nkhomo at this hole is not
treated as (and not called) Nyumba.


PANYUMBA
--------
... ON THE HOUSE

This generally refers to the hole
on which Nyumba is built (hole 4 of
each side). This is probably the
most important hole in the initial
stages of the game.





KULYA
-----
... TO CAPTURE

Kulya is simply to capture nkhomo
from your opponents side. A move
is called YAKULYA (a capturing move)
if nkhomo is captured atleast once
before the move terminates.





TAKATA
------
... MOVE WITHOUT CAPTURING

This is the opposite of Kulya. A
move is called YOTAKATA ( a move
that never captures) if it
terminates without captureing any
nkhomo from the other side.





MUTAJI
------
When the 18 outside nkhomo are
finished, the move you make to
capture your opponent's inside
nkhomo is called mutaji.








NYAMULA
-------
...PICK
To nyamula is to pick up nkhomo
at a hole after your last nkhomo
fell on a hole with nkhomo.








SEKULU
------
...GRANGPA

Sekulu, in it's simplest terms means
Grandfather, obviously a very wise
guy. This guy loves the game, and is
very experienced (He has played Bawo
for 78 of his 85 years)...and he is
the guy you're taking on when you
play level 3





   ******************************
   *                            *
   *            BAWO            *
   *                            *
   *       (C) Copyright         *
   *                            *
   *   1995, Peter M Nyasulu    *
   *                            *
   ******************************



	       BAWO
	       ----

DEFINITION
----------
Bawo is a board game that is widely
played in Africa. There are a number
of variations of the game. The one
described here is the Malawian Bawo
League professional version.
Bawo requires a great deal of
foresight, some experience, good
arithmetic and very little luck.

EQUIPMENT AND SET-UP
--------------------
Bawo is played in 32 holes arranged
as four rows of eight holes each.
The holes can be dug out of bare
ground, or they can be carved (or
beaten) out of a wooden or metallic
board. Two players play each other
by sitting on the opposite sides of
the board, with two rows of holes
belonging to each player. Marbles,
or more common, small stones, are
used for playing the game.

OBJECTIVE
---------
The objective of the game is to
capture all the marbles in the
inside row of your opponent.

WHO STARTS ?
------------
Initially, the one to start playing
is selected randomly (democratically
perhaps). Thereafter, the one who
won the last game (he is also called
BOBO) starts playing the next.

INITIAL SETTING
---------------
At the beginning of the game, holes
2 and 3 in the inside row of each
player are filled with 2 marbles
(nkhomo), and hole 4 is filled with
10 nkhomo. This hole 4 is called
nyumba (or the house). Each player
is also provided with 18 nkhomo to
be used for initiating each move
(until they are finished). These 18
nkhomo are placed outside the board
and will be referred to as external
nkhomo (not a very good term).
INITIAL PLAY
------------
Each player begins play by picking
up the four nkhomo in holes 2 and 3
and one nkhomo from the 18 external
nkhomo, and places them in holes of
his choice in his two rows. These
can be placed in any combination.
If your opponent placed nkhomo in
his inside holes adjacent to either
of your set-up holes (2, 3, or 4),
you can capture these nkhomo at one
hole and use them in your initial
play (I hope I make sense here).
MOVING
------
To move nkhomo at a hole, pick up
(nyamula) the nkhomo, and start
putting them one at each hole
progressively, starting from the
hole next to the hole in question
(depending on the direction), until
all the nkhomo are placed. If the
last nkhomo is placed in a hole
which had no nkhomo prior to this,
then your move has ended (wagona).
Otherwise, you do one of the
following: ....
(a) If your move is yotakata (not
a capturing move), simply pick up
(nyamula) the nkhomo at this last
hole, and continue moving.
(b) If your move is yakulya (a
capturing move), and the last hole
is pakulya (see Pakulya: Where to
Capture), then pick up your
opponent's nkhomo at this hole, and
start moving from the direction
where you came from, i.e. start
putting the nkhomo at either hole 1
or hole 8). Otherwise, move as in
part (a).
	     PLAYING
	     -------

Pakulya (Where to Capture)
--------------------------
When a hole with nkhomo in the
inside row of your opponent is
adjacent to a hole with nkhomo in
your inside row, we call this hole
pakulya (or a hole where you can
capture). You capture at a hole by
using one of the following types of
moves ....

(a) Kulya na Nkhomo
    ---------------
... Capturing with nkhomo ...
When the 18 external nkhomo are not
finished, you capture at a hole by
using one external nkhomo. Take one
external nkhomo, put it at the hole
(pakulya), pick up your opponent's
nkhomo, select the direction from
where to start moving(either from
holes 1 or 8; if you capture at
holes 1 or 2, you always start from
1; and for 7 and 8, start from 8),
and start moving (see MOVING).
(b) Kulya na Mutaji
    ---------------
... Capturing with Mutaji ...
When the external 18 nkhomo are
finished, you capture using mutaji.
Mutaji is nkhomo at any of your 16
holes, which when you move them
(see MOVING), the last nkhomo falls
on pakulya (a hole where you can
capture). After this move, pick up
your opponent's nkhomo, and move as
described in part (a). Note that
mutaji MUST always be less than 16,
and more than 1.
Kutakata
--------
... Moving without Capturing ...
You takata (move without capturing)
if you cannot capture using one of
the two plays described above.
Again, there are two types:

(a) Takata na (with) Nkhomo
    -----------------------
You play this move when the 18
external nkhomo are not yet
finished. Take one external nkhomo,
put it at a hole with at least one
nkhomo in your inside row, pick up
the nkhomo at this hole and move
them (see MOVING) in the selected
direction. Note that if your nyumba
(house) is still there, you cannot
takata with nkhomo pa nyumba (on the
house) if there are some holes with
nkhomo in your inside row. If pa
nyumba is the only hole with nkhomo
in the inside row, you can takata at
this hole by taking one nkhomo from
this hole, plus one external nkhomo,
and moving them starting from the
hole next to panyumba.
(b) Takata without Nkhomo
    ---------------------
You play this only if you can't play
any of the three plays described
above. Simply pick up nkhomo at any
hole which has more than one nkhomo,
and move them in the selected
direction. However, if your
opponent's last move was kutakata
so that he now has one and ONLY ONE
mutaji, and you have more than one
hole where you can takata, and have
more than one hole with nkhomo in
your inside row, you CANNOT takata
where your opponent is planning to
capture. This is called kutakatira
(To takata so that in the next move
you have a mutaji) and is only
applicable in the kutakata without
nkhomo situations.

(c) Kutakata Nyumba
    ---------------
... To Takata the House ...
You can takata the house anytime if
play (b) applies, or if nyumba is
less than 10 and play (a) applies,
or if nyumba was moved earlier.
NTCHUWA
-------
Ntchuwa is different from Bawo in
the initial set-up. In Ntchuwa, one
nkhomo is put in each of the eight
inside holes of either player. There
is also no initial Nyumba and the
associated opening tricks. So after
the initial setting, the game
immediately advances to the exciting
mid-stage of kulya and kutakata, in
which case it is played exactly like
Bawo. And in Ntchuwa, there are 24
outside nkhomo to begin the game.
Changing Your Move (Kuwezga)
----------------------------
You are only allowed to change your
move if your move was kutakata. In
this case, you have to decide fast
whether you want to change the move,
otherwise your opponent will start
playing (In this respect, the
computer always gives you extra time
, 3 seconds or so, for you to decide
before the computer starts playing).



Counting Nkhomo at a Hole
-------------------------
When it is your turn to play, you
can count the nkhomo at any of your
holes. You cannot count the nkhomo
at your opponent's holes using your
hand. Of course, you can always use
your eyes (or, well, magic).






This option is not implemented
in this version.












end of help file;