The game was played on a 9×9 mat of embroidered reindeer hide. In his diary, "Lachesis Lapponica", Linnaeus explained that the players referred to the defending pieces as "Swedes" and the attacking pieces as "Muscovites". The name of the latter pieces reflect the Grand Duchy of Moscow, a regional rival of Sweden, which changed its name to the Tsardom of Russia in 1547. Linneaus does not describe the pieces as being differently colored, but his drawing shows that one side's pieces are distinguished by being notched (the Muscovites). This way of distinguishing board game pieces is known from other traditional Sámi board games (cf. Sáhkku and Dablo).