Waroot

"[Dakerno] witnessed the ritualistic tribal customs of two warring factions—the Farangs and the Waroots. Impressed by the natives' centuries-old tactics, Dakerno created the holo game."

―Gundark's Gear Datalog

The Waroot were a sentient species native to the planet Ab'Bshingh. They warred with another indigenous species, the Farang, for centuries, developing unique tactics and customs. Those tactics were studied by Imperial strategist Crat Dakerno, who used them as the basis for the holo boardgame B'shingh.

History

A game of B'shingh featuring Waroot and Farangs.

The Waroot were a sentient species native to Ab'Bshingh, a planet located in the Sujimis sector of the Outer Rim Territories. The Waroot were at war for centuries with a second species native to the planet, the Farangs. Those two species developed unique ritualistic tribal customs and tactics over the many years of conflict. Eventually, the Galactic Empire dispatched forces to quell the violence on the planet.

Among the officers that accompanied the troops was military strategist Crat Dakerno. Dakerno was impressed by the natives' tactics and studied their customs. His analysis led him to create B'shingh, a holo boardgame that became popular among certain intellectual and military elite. The game involved moving Waroot and Farangs around the board in an attempt to capture the opponent's base. However, proficiency in the game required familiarity with the ancient customs of the Waroot and their opponents, so the game never attained wide popularity. A B'shingh hologame was manufactured by Dakerno Incorporated and retailed for 500.

Behind the scenes

"I told Charlene to write a story involving this scene so I could feature the color artwork in the Journal. She went to work and submitted "A Certain Point of View," in the plot of which she managed to highlight several elements of the painting."

―Peter M. Schweighofer

The Waroot were created by Charlene Newcomb for her short story A Certain Point of View, published in West End Games' Star Wars Adventure Journal 8 in 1995. Newcomb wrote the story following a challenge from editor Peter M. Schweighofer to construct a story around the cover image of the 1989 adventure Riders of the Maelstrom. The cover, illustrated by Daniel Horne, featured a holographic board game, which Newcomb incorporated in the form of the Waroot and Farangs. While several figures can be discerned in the cover image, there has been no determination as to which is a Farang and which is a Waroot.

Part of the information from A Certain Point of View was later republished in the sourcebook Gundark's Fantastic Technology: Personal Gear in 1997, while the story itself was republished in Tales from the Empire in 1997 and on Hyperspace in 2006. The Waroot also received an entry in 2009's The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.

Appearances

• "A Certain Point of View" – Star Wars Adventure Journal 8 (First appearance) (As game piece)
• Riders of the Maelstrom (First pictured) (Cover only)
• "Riders of the Maelstrom" – Classic Adventures: Volume Three

Sources

• Gundark's Fantastic Technology: Personal Gear
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia