Chess from Draughts etc.

A Draughts Set

being

Stepping-stones of Draughts

A short book by Shaye-Alexander Ellis Nicholls of Merridonia

taken from

A Leap of Recreation™

also by the same author

and with reference to

Tiger’s-eye Games

by Glenn Nicholls

The moral right to the work herein is asserted by the author Shaye-Alexander Ellis Nicholls (SAE Nicholls) of Merridonia.

Merridonian Copyright with Reserved Rights or Trademarks or Emblems or suchlike are without limit.

Only those of Merridonia are eligible for the aforesaid Copyright or Reserved Rights or Trademarks or Emblems or suchlike.

Those of Merridonia are those that have been accepted as such by the author and stated to be so accepted by the author.

Merridonian Copyright or Reserved Rights or Trademarks or Emblems or suchlike require acceptance by the author.

Merridonia is a private world by invitation of the author only.

The work herein is subject to change at any time and in any way as the author sees fit.

The author has full valuation and revaluation rights in all matters relevant to the work herein and has the right to decide what matters are relevant to the work.

A Draughts Set takes place in

The Median-lands

Satellite-world

More often known as Merridonia

Where one’s days can be many and where Justice and Fairness have much Regard

Forward

From Steps along the way of Chess

A Draughts Set, as with A Chess Set, could be read as a short stand-alone book and so is to be found on a separate page on this site titled Chess from Draughts etc…..and amongst the ideas is that of bringing Draughts into the wider field of Chess

From The Compleat Draughts Player by Irving Chernev, 1981

‘The rules of Draughts…..are simple enough to learn in a minute. The variety of ideas in the game may hold your interest for a lifetime.’

The Game of TwinDraughts

General Introduction

It seems games like Draughts have been played for thousands of years – and widely so, but it is thought modern Draughts may have originated in southern France during the 12th century CE.....there are several popular forms of the game, among them English draughts (sometimes called American checkers and the rules for this game are readily available).....and it is this game that A Draughts Set is based on.

TwinDraughts Introduction

TwinDraughts (one word) is the mainstay of A Draughts Set and has for pieces the Draughts kings and Draughtsmen of the standard game of English draughts. TwinDraughts uses the same board as does English draughts but in contrast mostly uses all the squares instead of just one set of diagonals and this effectively means there are two games taking place. Also in contrast to English draughts there is now a Royal piece called a Champion and there is also a Race game element.....there is though still much in the way of tactics and so forth of English draughts present in TwinDraughts.

Board and basic deployment

Background

In the far distant past there came about in a small but expanding and heavily forested Kingdom a dispute between two Princes for the hand of one of the most eligible young Princesses of the Kingdom.

After much tactful negotiation an agreement was reached whereby two Champions and a number of Men-at-arms (collectively called Armed representatives) for each Prince would do battle to decide who would win the hand of the Princess.

At the agreed time and place the Armed representatives deployed themselves ready to commence the battle in the presence of their Princes and a number of others including the father of the Princess and the Princess herself – more background is said of later.

Basics of A Draughts Set

A Draughts Set is formed in a somewhat different way to A Chess Set and could be thought of as putting together certain basic building blocks in various ways to form the standard game variations of TwinDraughts and with a number of further variations within them.....the following are the blocks and are each briefly explained in turn before the games and variations using them are described

1. Boards and diagonals.....and Background

2. Types of piece – Champions and Men-at-Arms

3. Deployment (Placements) – two or three ranks and with or without Champions

4. Winning objectives – by clearance, certain captures or by reaching a rank or by blockading

5. Winning requirements – Decisive Win and to First Win.....and Further background

6. Occurrences upon reaching the end rank

7. Playing formats – Dual and Parallel, Enclosed and Transfer Draughts

8. Players – Individual, Teams and Four-handed

9. TwinDraughts cards

10. Scoring

Note

Games would require tagging with some of the above descriptions to make clear what the playing rules and conditions are.

Boards and diagonals

A standard 8x8 board is used but unlike English draughts both sets of diagonals are usually played on meaning in effect two games being played – hence the name TwinDraughts

Instead it is possible for two boards to be used with one (different coloured) set of diagonals in play on each board, but this is not standard.

Pieces

There are only basically two pieces to learn the moves of:

A Champion: he moves and captures in an identical manner to a Draughts king of English draughts.

A Man-at-Arms: he moves and captures in an identical manner to a Draughtsman of English draughts.

Notes

The rules on capturing are those of the standard game of English draughts in that captures are compulsory and must be continued where possible; but where a choice of capture(s) or capturing branches occurs players are free to choose between them and do not have to maximise the number (or value thereof) of total captures.

Champions can be Royal or non-royal but they move and capture in the same manner as above and the difference between them is explained later.

Men-at-Arms can be further designated as Outward bound and Homeward bound but they move and capture in the same manner as above and these pieces are explained later.

Deployment

The main deployment (currently) is as shown in the diagram.

An (perhaps equally main, perhaps more) alternative is to have additional Men-at-Arms on third ranks.

Winning objectives

There are four of these:

1. By Capture of a Royal Champion.

2. By Returning – when a Man-at-Arms returns to his first (home) rank having first reached his end rank.

3. By Clearance – when the opponent has no pieces left.

4. By Blockading – when the opponent is unable to move a piece.

Notes

Winning by Clearance or Blockading is the standard way of winning in English draughts and wins in all variations of TwinDraughts.

Should more than one of these winning objectives occur simultaneously this is incidental only and would not score extra points.

Winning requirements

There are two of these:

A Decisive win that requires winning on both sets of diagonals by achieving one of the above winning objectives

To First win that requires a win on only one set of diagonals by achieving one of the above winning objectives

Note

There is also:

A Partial win where a player wins on one set of diagonals but a draw occurs on the other set.

A Level game where each player wins a game on one set of diagonals.

A Draw where a draw occurs on both sets of diagonals.

A Partial draw refers to a draw on one set of diagonals.

Further background

A Decisive win will result in the Princess’s father giving the hand of his daughter to the winning Prince – anything less will not.

Occurrences upon reaching the end rank

This is where a Man-at-Arms reaches his end rank and there can occur Rebounding, Resetting, Transferring or Promoting - details of these possibilities are set out under the Core variations section.

Playing formats:

Dual and Parallel formats

Moves are made alternately by players but note that their moves do not have to alternate between the two sets of diagonals – players are free to choose between sets of diagonals whilst both games are in progress.....(except that captures are compulsory and must be made immediately – this is now fundamental to English draughts and is so to TwinDraughts).....this is known as the Dual playing format and can be compared and contrasted to the Parallel playing format explained in Part two: grouping of games and where moves would here have to alternate between the two sets of diagonals.....

.....But there has to be a limit with the Dual format to this or play on the two sets of diagonals could become totally out of proportion to each other and initially the limit is set at three moves in succession for a player including captures on a set of diagonals (or if this format is used in other games) unless compulsory captures extend this but the player must then move on the other set of diagonals as soon as possible.

Transfer draughts

This is described under each core variation as a further variation and perhaps makes an interesting comparison to Transfer chess described in Part two – grouping of games.

Enclosed

Following on from Transfer draughts above, Enclosed (draughts) is a term for when Transfer variations are not in force, and the term Enclosed (chess) can also be applied in this way to distinguish from Transfer chess if required.....also the term Enclosed (or Non-enclosed) pieces can be used to distinguish where pieces are confined (or not confined) to one playing board or, in the case of TwinDraughts, one set of diagonals - the terms Enclosed games or Non-enclosed games can also be used in this way, also the terms confined or not confined can be used to describe pieces and parts of boards.

Players – Individual, Teams and Four-handed

Both to Decisive win and to First win can be played by two players or by two teams of two, and to First win can be played by four players as individuals..... for team and four-handed play each player only plays on one set of diagonals and play must alternate between sets of diagonals using the Parallel playing format (not the Dual playing format), also the use of the TwinDraughts cards – see below, is adapted to suit the variations, additionally the representational and background aspects may require adjusting and players can, if they want, decide this for themselves (there may become standard adjusted forms for this eventually).....as with other variations team and four-handed play would require considerable testing.

TwinDraughts cards

The first move is determined by players drawing a card from a shuffled pack of fourteen cards dealt face down. Each card shows one of the possible fourteen opening moves for the South-side player and the equivalent move on the contrasting coloured set of diagonal squares for the North-side player, e.g. one of the cards will show D2-C3 for South-side and also show the equivalent move of D7-C6 for North-side. The South-side player draws one of the fourteen cards first and if this was the aforementioned card then his first move would be to move his Man-at-arms from the D2 square to the C3 square. The North-side player must now draw one of the remaining thirteen cards and move according to the North-side move shown on his card – he cannot therefore draw a card with the equivalent move of the South-side player’s move and so the first move for each player cannot be the equivalent on contrasting coloured sets of diagonal squares and so players can prevent full copying on the different diagonals.....this may be extended to more moves if noticeably beneficial.

These cards are called the TwinDraughts design pack and should have a forest wildlife design on their backs – designs are shown on both halves of the fronts and backs of the cards.

Scoring

Scores are mentioned here and there and will likely form a basis for a comprehensive list that needs to be compiled eventually taking into account matters like Partial wins, Team play etc.

Points scored are Satellite game points unless stated otherwise.

The TwinDraughts games and their variations

Note

Testing (computers might help) would be needed to see the effects of the differences in the following game variations and perhaps to trim them down to some recommended standard ones (as I’ve done - rather subjective of course) – this does not mean any variations would necessarily be discarded, but a few core variations might be easier to focus on until more testing is carried out to give a clearer idea of what ‘works’ better and what adjustments may be beneficial.

Practice variation

A starting point might be to place only Men-at-Arms on one set of diagonals (the darker squares are traditional) on the first two (or three) ranks and for the winner to be the first one of these to reach his end rank – this can be thought of as practice and can be called the Practice or Training or Basic variation(s).....It should be emphasized that despite the number of variation possibilities there are only two pieces to learn the moves of, namely Men-at-Arms and Champions.

Note

Practice variations would not score points.

Clearance and Blockade would also win.

Core variations

Note

Playing the following variations on one set of diagonals only to start with might give a clearer grasp of them, and then using two boards before using one may also help to do this.

Rebound

Rebound has the winning objective of Returning to a First Rank.....the rules are as follows

1. As stated the winning objective is for a Man-at-arms (not a Champion) to Return to his First (or Home) rank having first reached his end rank, and only one needs to do so (this objective is for each set of diagonals) - there is no winning in this variation by Capturing a Champion.

2. When (if) a Man-at-arms reaches his end rank his move is completed and he stays as this piece (i.e. he is not promoted) but thereafter changes direction (rebounds) of movement and capture and is thereafter said to be on his return or home(ward) journey as distinct from his outward journey up the board to his end rank – see note, any capturing sequence of his stops on his end rank regardless, but continues for a Champion if possible.

3. The Men-at-Arms pieces should differ or be enabled to show whether they are outward or homeward bound.

4. There is no significance in a Champion reaching his end rank or if he then afterwards ‘returns’ to his first rank.

Further variations

a) A possibility would be to deploy all Men-at-Arms and no Champions – perhaps called the Go variation as no opposing Champions stand in their way.....this may become an option.

b) For all the above variations including a) a further possibility is to deploy additional Men-at-Arms on their third ranks – this may become a preferred deployment.

c) Transfer variation – this is where a Man-at-Arms (but not a Champion) reaching his end rank can also choose to relocate to any other empty square on the end rank prior to returning and so he has the option to operate henceforth on the other diagonals.....this may bring about both sides having an advantage on separate diagonals – compare this to the Queen’s Lancers of LancerChess.....a situation could arise where a player is losing on one set of diagonals and, having lost his Champion on this set, or if a) above, transfers his last Man-at-Arms to the other diagonals to assist there and in this case he would lose by Clearance on the transferred from set.

Note

Men-at-Arms should be designated as being Outward bound Men-at-Arms or Homeward bound Men-at-Arms and preferably should differ in appearance.

Reset

Reset has the winning objective of Capturing a (Royal) Champion – see notes.....the rules are as follows

1. As stated the winning (for each set of diagonals) objective is the Capture of a Champion - there is no winning in this variation by a Champion or a Man-at-arms Returning to their First Rank.

2. When (if) a Man-at-arms reaches his end rank he stays as this piece (i.e. he is not promoted) but is now placed on any empty square of the same colour on either of his first two ranks and this placement completes the move.....this would be the Open variation.

3. A further variation would be to only allow placement on the same file as he reached on his end rank and same colour empty square - the only available square would then be on his second rank on the same file.....this would be the Closed variation.

4. If no square is available for placement the piece would be deemed lost (effectively captured) and the move completed.

5. Capturing sequences stop for a Man-at-Arms when reaching his end rank regardless, but continue for a Champion if possible unless a win has just occurred by so doing

6. There is no significance in a Champion reaching his end rank – he is not placed (reset).

7. While awaiting testing there is currently no set limit on the number of times the same Man-at-Arms can be reset or the total number of such placements – but note the 50 move rule in Western chess (readily available), and something like this would likely eventually be applied throughout Steps and adjusted or adapted to suit particular games.....until then it is suggested players agree a limit before commencing play with Reset or other Steps games.

8. Resetting is compulsory (but see 4. above) each time a Man-at-Arms reaches his end rank.

Further variations

a) A possibility would be to deploy all Men-at-Arms and no Champions – perhaps called the Clearance variation as winning by capture would not now include that of a Champion only but require capturing all of the Men-at-Arms.....this may become an option.

b) For all the above variations including a) a further possibility is to deploy additional Men-at-Arms on their third ranks (with appropriate adjustments to the placements allowed when Men-at-Arms reach their end ranks) – this may become a preferred deployment.

c) Transfer variation – this is instead of the Open or Closed variations above and is where a Man-at-Arms (but not a Champion) who reaches his end rank can choose to reset to any empty square on either of his first two (or three if b) above is played) ranks and so he has the option to operate henceforth on the other diagonal set bringing more to bear here but less on his existing set.....as with Rebound this may bring about both sides having an advantage on separate diagonals – some may find this interesting and is here perhaps a closer comparison than Rebound to LancerChess as both have a Royal piece.....also under variation a) above a situation could arise where a player is losing on one set of diagonals and transfers his last Man-at-Arms to the other diagonals to assist there and in this case he would lose by Clearance on the transferred from set.

d) A still further possibility is that Men-at-Arms when reaching their end rank are promoted to non-royal Champions instead of being reset – this could be called the Promotion variation (and perhaps may be a variation in its own right - see later) and is more similar to English draughts though capturing the opposing Royal Champion remains the winning objective, Royal and non-royal Champions would differ in appearance.

Notes

A Champion in Reset can be considered as the equivalent of a Royal piece of Chess games - see Further rules and notes later for a brief comparison.....he can be called a Royal Champion to distinguish him from a non-royal Champion (whose capture does not lose a game) if the distinction is required, though a non-royal Champion need not be called so but simply a Champion – they should differ in appearance.....whilst Rebound does not have a Royal Champion Reset does not have Homeward bound Men-at-Arms and Outward bound is a term usually used to distinguish between Men-at-Arms in Rebound.

In English draughts there is promotion of Draughtsmen to Draughts kings and this may lead to the winning situation of two Kings v one King.....but there is no promotion of Men-at-Arms to Champions in Reset (though this possibility is under consideration - see Further variations d) above), nevertheless it is possible to win with one Champion plus one Man-at-Arms v one Champion, and this is shown in examples – see later.

With the transfer variations for both Reset and Rebound transfers can take place to and from both diagonals and so the aforementioned advantage could change over diagonals – another perhaps interesting comparison to LancerChess (but see 7. above concerning possible limits and if limits were set there might well be differences of appearance of Men-at-Arms with no more resetting allowed).

Main core variation - Election

Probably to be called Election this combines Rebound and Reset in hopefully an interesting and novel way.....the rules are as follows

1. To start with the winning objectives for both sets of diagonals are only Clearance or Blockade and all Champions are non-royal and Men-at-Arms are not designated.

2. Upon (if) a player’s first Man-at-Arms to reach his end rank (on either set of diagonals) the player must decide (elect) to either place him as per the rules of Reset (the placement variation would be agreed before the game) and in this case his opponent’s Champion, who is non-royal, becomes a Royal Champion.....or if the Man-at-Arms stays on his end rank he is designated as a Homeward bound Man-at-Arms and thereafter changes direction for his now return journey as per the rules of Rebound – all other of his Men-at-Arms on this set of diagonals are now designated as Outward bound and must now follow suit to this first one if they reach their end rank.

3. If the opponent’s Champion on this set of diagonals has already been captured he would have been non-royal and then if the player elects for Reset his winning objectives stay as Clearance and Blockading only as he cannot apply the winning objective of Capturing a Royal Champion retrospectively to a non-royal Champion – compare this and the notes below to Reset itself where the winning objective of Capturing a Champion is set at the start of the game and not retrospectively and where also the Champion is Royal at the start of the game.

Notes

The loss of a Champion only loses a game if his capture is the opponent’s winning objective at that time on those diagonals – the Champion is necessarily Royal.

A Champion becomes Royal by virtue of his opponent making his capture become a winning objective by electing for Reset on those diagonals.

Electing for Reset does not make a player’s own Champion Royal – he is non-royal (and can have been captured) unless his opponent elects for Reset on those diagonals.

If the point seems rather laboured it is to make sure of it.

4. The winning objective of either Rebound or Reset is added on this set of diagonals to Clearance and Blockade for that player, but not his opponent.

5. Upon (if) a player’s first Man-at-Arms to reach his end rank on the other set of diagonals, he must decide as in 2. above while taking into account 3. above and 4. above also applies.

6. To make clear: Any additional winning objective is as per the relevant Man-at-Arms’ action when reaching his end rank and the additional objective belongs to the player whose relevant Man-at-Arms this is – this does not change his opponent’s objectives etc.

Further variations

a) As mentioned in Rebound and Reset (with suggested variation names) a possibility would be to deploy all Men-at-Arms and no Champions, although the Capture of a Champion would not then be a winning objective.....this may become an option.

c) Another possibility for Election is that (for each set of diagonals) the player of the first Man-at-Arms to reach his end rank decides (by way of what he does with this Man-at-Arms) what the objectives are for both players i.e. whether there is Rebound or Reset played by both players on this diagonal set (no mixing)…..this would make the first reaching of the end rank by a Man-at-Arms to perhaps have a more critical impact but there would be less possible combinations of objectives as mentioned in the notes below…..the two variations would, I think, be worth testing and comparing – this could lead to one variation being preferred to the other as the main core variation, but both could still be kept and there could be an option to choose (as usual by arrangement or traditional ways, or by roll of dice, or by coin etc.) what variation to play.....possible (self-explanatory) names are Full choice and First only choice, and for the First only choice I think it preferable that the added winning objectives are in play for both players immediately upon the choice being made by the player whose Man-at-Arms has first reached his end rank and there need not be Champion(s) to elect for Reset.

d) Further to the Promotion variation mentioned in Reset is the possibility of this being a per diagonal set choice in Election (a very definite possibility and one that would then become part of group play - see later) – this may be better suited when chosen under First only choice and when both player’s non-royal Champions have not been captured (testing and experimentation may be needed before TBD)…..with this variation, that can be called the Royal variation, the Man-at-Arms who has first reached his end rank is promoted to a non-royal Champion and both commencing (non-royal) Champions become Royal Champions, all further Men-at-Arms reaching their end rank are promoted to non-royal Champions – the capture of a Royal Champion is the added winning objective and he would differ in appearance from a non-royal Champion as would both differ from a Man-at-Arms.

Election – transferable option

Transferring in Election is currently reserved for any group play tie-break game, and the game is then called as above and the additional rules to Election – standard options (as this can be called) for this extra option are as follows

A player may choose to transfer a Man-at-Arms as per the transfer variation rules of Rebound or Reset but only if the player’s game variation on the diagonals he is transferring to is the same as the one brought about that he is transferring from and is actually being played - for example, if he is actually playing Rebound on his other set of diagonals then he can choose to relocate the relevant Man-at-Arms to an empty other diagonal square on this end rank and this means he is now playing Rebound on the transferred from set as well and henceforth both the player’s games have the transfer options in force and the preset placement rules of Rebound (in this example) or Reset are over-ridden to their transfer placement rules – this does not change his opponent’s objectives etc.

Notes

The option to transfer is in force once both games become the same - transfers can take place to and from henceforth but do not have to be made immediately upon the bringing about of the second same game i.e. in the example above for the second game the relevant Man-at-Arms does not have to relocate to the other diagonals or any other square, but must still bring about Rebound.

Promotion to a Draughts king of a Draughtsman that reaches his end rank in English draughts gives the usual additional material power whereas here there are some additional placement possibilities and winning objectives (perhaps better thought of as additional winning opportunities) to decide on, and some may find this to be interesting – election choices may be crucial to the outcome of games.

With Election each set of diagonals could see both players with the winning objective of Rebound or both players with the winning objective of Reset - or with one player having the winning objective of Rebound and the other player having the winning objective of Reset.....also for part of the game one or both players may not have reached election and still only have Clearance or Blockade as winning objectives, but one or both would then still have their election options open.

Preferences for Core variations

At the moment my personal preferences are:

Election would have Champions.

Whether two or three deployment ranks depends on how they play, but if both have something to offer they would be included – at the moment both would be options until and unless one becomes clearly preferable and then it would take precedence.

Election would score twice that of either Rebound or Reset.

A Decisive win would score twice that of To First win.

Notes

If a game is won before a Man-at-Arms reaches his end rank, perhaps by Blockade, then in this case a game of English draughts would have taken place if the deployment was as such (three ranks of Men-at-Arms only - possible with the suggested variations above) and if played under the Parallel format (team and four-handed play require this).....

.....and a possibility is to play English draughts under the Dual format (or the Parallel format) – but this would not be a core variation and would not score Satellite game points, though such a game could also occur with the core variations (refer to the previous note), and in this case would score as would be the case mentioned in the previous note.

Core variations - recap

There remains considerable testing to be carried out on the possible variations mentioned, and some possibilities such as transfers with the (under consideration) Promotion and Royal variations may at some stage need to be set out in detail (see later) - may that is because the eventual standard core variations may require some trimming and tidying up from what has been set out so far.....and it may (but may not) be that A Draughts Set is an addendum to Steps and not an integral part of it as A Chess Set most certainly is - at the moment though A Draughts Set definitely remains an integral part of Steps.

Group possibility

The core variations may well become a standard group with the first two games being Rebound and Reset and each scoring a point for a win with Election played third and scoring two points for a win - bonus points would likely be four.....the tie-break may be decided by a single game of Election – transferable option to First win and with the draw - required on both diagonals, favouring north (south moves first).....the group may look something like the following

The TwinDraughts group

Practice games (do not score)

1. Rebound or Reset

2. Reset or Rebound

3. Election – standard options

Tie-break game is Election – transferable option

Notes

South moves first for all games

Players change sides for each group game and for the tie-break game, if one is needed

The Rhunich dice decides whether Rebound or Reset is played first

Second game played is the one not played first of Reset or Rebound

Rebound and Reset score 1 point for a Decisive win and ½ each for a Level game or Draw

Rebound and Reset score ¾ - ¼ for a Partial win

Election scores 2 points for a Decisive win and 1 each for a level game or Draw

Election scores 1½ - ½ for a Partial win

Bonus points are 4

Group games are for a Decisive win

Unless a Decisive win is made in the group games in addition to a points majority the bonus is decided by tie-break

Tie-break game is Election – transferable option and is to First win

Both Election games would have Champions

Whether two or three ranks is to be decided

Variations of Rebound and Reset would vary but likely include those mentioned

Due to Partial win scoring the bonus could be won by the lower scoring player or team in the group games if the higher scoring has not made a Decisive win

A possibility: If a group was a team, practice games could be played as a preliminary but would be restricted to beginners or inexperienced players - they would not score points but may be a way of deciding group game variations to be played

Further Rules and Notes

Anything less than a Decisive win (or First win if played) is called an Inconclusive battle and is a draw.

After a first diagonal set win then all pieces are removed from this set of diagonals except the following that stay on their finishing squares (unless, perhaps occasionally, this is not possible – refer to transfer variations and transfer of a last Man-at-Arms)

The winning piece who Returned to his First rank, or

The winning piece who Captured a Royal Champion, or

The winning piece who Finished a Clearance, or

The winning piece who Completed a Blockade

Play then continues on the other set of diagonals (and any limitation on successive per diagonal set moves ceases straight away) – as can be seen this first diagonal set loosing player now has the move.....the above removing procedure should be carried out following a win on the second diagonal set to leave the game’s final position – draws have all pieces removed.

Once a game ends on a set of diagonals no moves or transfers to or from this set are allowed.

Champions, Royal or not, do not have to escape capture or avoid moving into attack (check) etc. as Kings (Queens in Steps) do in Western chess and no warnings such as Check are required and these probably should not be given.

A number of TwinDraughts variations can be described as Pathfinder games.

Blockading

A Blockade occurs when a player has one or more pieces on a set of diagonals but is unable to move any of them on his turn (any limitation on successive per diagonal set moves is disregarded for the purposes of determining if a move is possible at this point) and at this point he loses the game on this set of diagonals - the other diagonals are irrelevant as regards this.

Notes

With Champions on the board Blockading is less likely than without and it may be that three ranks of only Men-at-Arms increases the chances of this.

Blockade is not quite the same as Stalemate in Chess games, that draws – compare (the rules are readily available), and so is not called this.

A similar name is Barricade and this is reserved for future Steps use.

Reversing the move

Having the move in Chess or Draughts games is considered to be more often than not an advantage, but for both games this can sometimes be a disadvantage – see the brief mention of A note on Zugzwang in the Jewel series, but with the Dual playing format it can sometimes be possible to reverse the move and for a player to gain advantage by so doing.....the following shows a very basic situation to illustrate this - the pieces are all Men-at-Arms and two boards are shown for clarity, Black is south and moving up the board and Red is north and moving down (apologies if the pieces are not very clear against the background):

It is Black’s turn to move and if he had to alternate diagonals and was to move on the dark diagonals he would lose on this set as moving to d4 or f4 leads to capture and loss.....he then has the move on the light diagonals and by moving to e4 he wins on this set since Red would lose by either d5 or f5 and the result is a Level game.....but with the Dual playing format Black can start on the light diagonals instead by moving to e4 and Red will lose on both diagonal sets – this is straightforward to check out.....a Decisive win for Black instead of a Level game due to the move being reversed on the dark diagonals, though if Red had the move he would move to d5 on the light diagonals and obtain a Decisive win for himself - compare this to the game of Reversi aka Othello (the rules are readily available for this).

Other examples

Winning with a (Royal) Champion plus a (non-promoting) Man-at-Arms v a (Royal) Champion…..

…..As a start, below shows the basic position to aim for (with Black, playing upwards as south, having the move) and the moves that win – Champions are on squares a5 and b8 and a Man-at-Arms is on square c5:

1. Champion b6…Champion a7

2. Champion c7…Champion b8

3. Man-at-Arms d6…Champion a7

4. Champion b8…Champion b6

5. Champion a7…Champion c5

(if 5…Champion a5 then 6. Man-at-Arms c7 or e7…Champion b4 and 7. Champion b6 leads to a win)

6. Champion b8!...Champion e7 (captures d6)

7. Champion c7…Champion f6

(if 7…Champion f8 then 8. Champion d6 or d8 soon wins)

8. Champion d6…Champion g5

(if 8…Champion g7 then 9. Champion e5 or e7 soon wins)

9. Champion e5…Champion h4

10. Champion f4…Champion g3

(10…Champion g5 also loses next move)

11. Champion h2 (captures g3) and wins.

Further possibilities and notes

The Royal variation

Further to the Promotion variation mentioned in Reset and the Royal variation mentioned in Election:

Subject to satisfactory testing this variation could become firmed up as a Stand-alone game in its own right (and can perhaps already be considered so, unless it proves unsatisfactory, and may be called RoyalDraughts - one word, if preferred) though may also be an Election choice and is also probable to be part of group play – the game is intended to be more like English draughts and so at the moment the basic rules are:

Single-set (a Steps term) Stand-alone and Groupling version

1. Play (and deployment) would be on the dark set of diagonals only (as is usual for English draughts)

2. Champions are Royal and are deployed as shown in the diagram (e1 and d8)

3. Men-at-Arms would also be deployed on their third ranks unless it proves preferable not to do so

4. Winning objectives are capturing the opposing Royal champion (can occur with Clearance but no extra points would be scored) or Blockade (no extra points would be scored if the Royal champion was here also captured)

5. Promotions on the end rank for Men-at-Arms are to non-royal Champions (Captains-at-Arms may become the preferred name for these)

6. Scores in Satellite game points are likely 1 for a win and ½ each for a draw

Two-set (a Steps term) Stand-alone and Group version

1. This has the same rules as the basic version except that deployment and play is on both sets of diagonals as in the diagram plus Men-at-Arms deployed on third ranks (unless proved preferable not to do so)

2. There may at times be an option of playing with the parallel format to give more similarity to English draughts but the dual format remains as standard at the moment

3. This variation, along with all two diagonal set playing of TwinDraughts variations, has the possibility of playing on two boards instead of one – but for high level play one board remains as standard at the moment

4. There is likely a transfer option that would probably be to place a newly promoted piece on the first rank square of the promotion file (if the square is empty, or he cannot transfer)

5. This version may also be the preferred main group TwinDraughts game for A Steps Trilogy (perhaps played parallel here) talked of in Steps along the way of Chess group play and additionally may be part of the TwinDraughts group (perhaps as a standard Election option)

6. Scores in Satellite game points are likely 2 for a decisive win and 1 each for a level game or a draw, and 1½ - ½ for a partial win

7. Other matters such as use of cards have already been mentioned

Sovereign - English draughts v RoyalDraughts

Following on from the above Royal variations is the possibility of one side playing with the standard English draughts pieces with the other side playing with the RoyalDraughts pieces – basic rules are:

1. Play (and deployment) would be on the dark set of diagonals only

2. RoyalDraughts deployment is as the above basic Stand-alone three rank version with eleven Men-at-Arms and one Royal champion

3. English draughts deployment is the usual twelve Men-at-Arms on three ranks

4. Men-at-Arms promote on their end rank to non-royal Champions

5. The Royal champion may be called the Sovereign here

6. Non-royal Champions may be called Captains-at-Arms here

7. Winning objective for the RoyalDraughts player is clearance and for the English draughts player is capture of the Sovereign – Blockade also wins for either player

8. Satellite game points are 1 for a win and ½ each for a draw - any simultaneous occurrence of winning objectives would not score extra points

9. As with the other above Royal variations and as usual in A Draughts Set, South (or South-side) moves first

10. Sides can be differentiated as e.g. North (or North-side) has the Sovereign

11. Two diagonal set play is also possible and there may be other possibilities with Sovereign, but at the moment only the basics are set out

At first glance it might appear that the side with the Sovereign has a distinct advantage due to the Sovereign's extra moves giving more manoeuvrability and attacking power than does a Man-at-Arms; but this advantage is offset by the fact that his capture cannot be afforded, and so though the side with the Sovereign has a greater number of moves available than does his opponent he has less freedom to use them…..limited testing suggests the practical chances may be about equal, but positions may be sharp and draws may be less likely than with English draughts – this may be interesting to some players, and having a Royal piece(s) in Draughts perhaps makes a closer comparison to Chess possible (companion games perhaps now) and one here could be, though a rather limited one, to the Two Towers variation of Western chess (see Further thoughts – Other possible games etc.)

If background is required – the English Civil War? – I’m not sure, but who knows.

The Diagonal groupling

The above basic versions of the Royal variation suggest a group along the lines of the Gatherings groups in Part two of Steps along the way of Chess as follows:

1. English draughts

2. RoyalDraughts

3. Sovereign

Tie-break game is English draughts

Games would be played in this order – games 1 & 2 are Matched games and game 3 is the Bridge game

All games would be on the dark diagonal set only

South (or South-side) moves first and players change sides for each game

North (or North-side) has the Sovereign in game 3

Points for each game are 1 for a win and ½ each for a draw

It has been mentioned earlier that there are very many draws at top level English draughts* and for this reason it may be this group is more suited to less experienced players – hence the name groupling…..hopefully RoyalDraughts and perhaps more so Sovereign are less drawish though this remains to be seen - but to offset the high drawish tendency of English draughts the following are the likely group bonus points rules

*In the famous 1876 World championships, related in Steps in Mystery Quest, out of fifty games played forty seven were drawn - a not untypical percentage of draws.

The group(ling) winner (player or team) is determined by total points scored for & against

If scores are tied then the winner of English draughts (if one) is the group winner

If scores are tied and English draughts was a draw the group is tied

The group winner (if one) receives 1 bonus point for each game he won

If group a tie each player (or team) receives extra ½ point regardless of any won games

As can be seen there is some extra incentive to win the game of English draughts as a win may carry more than just the point scored – in terms of Enhanced game status (also described in Part two of Steps) a suitable designation would be ‘Highly influential’ (but not Critical etc. as the result cannot at that stage secure the group win and the bonus that can be ½, 1, 2 or 3 points)…..this possible use of Highly influential first games could be applied to other Steps groups in some circumstances (perhaps as an interim step prior to possible further games), but this is a longer term possibility remaining to be considered

While north possibly has an advantage with having the Sovereign in game 3, to offset this the southern player moves first and also moves first in the Highly influential game 1

As the group is primarily intended for less experienced players clocks would likely be Stepped-swing set at times between tournament and rapidplay, but were the group played at a high level they would likely be Stepped-combination set at longer times

Points would be Satellite Game points

At the moment I think the Diagonal groupling can be considered as tentatively established, but it must be emphasized that it remains subject to satisfactory testing and possible changes.

Note

It may be worth re-emphasising that all aspects of the Royal variation as with all aspects of all parts of A Draughts Set and indeed all such of Steps along the way of Chess (and its companion volume A Lacework of Strands and indeed all work of the author) are subject to change or trimming or expanding at any time in any way as the author SAE Nicholls sees fit.

Calen dar draughts

Just as there is Calendar chess and Concurrent play with Steps chess so too could there be Calendar draughts and Concurrent play with Steps draughts – indeed Concurrent play could include both.....and like the Chess possibilities the Draughts possibilities also seem to be unlimited, and a few ideas that could perhaps also be applied to the Draughts possibilities are set out in Calendar chess and Concurrent play in Part three: Timing of games, but see the note there regarding scoring…..and as something of an afterthought with Calendar chess/draughts: if players are separated by different time zones they may decide to refer to a common time zone such as GMT as a base for setting dates and times for moves – the Plateau Clock system described in Cannon-fire would include the ability to display clock times in different time zones together with a calendar, perhaps with various features applicable to Calendar chess/draughts.

Representational

The hand of the Princess will not be given for less than a Decisive win.

Ornamental spectators can be placed alongside the board including the Princess and her father - these spectators could be role-played and with the players being the youthful Princes; also an introductory story or even a performance could be given and, if there is a decisive winner, a finishing ceremony could be performed.

Information Table

Players can play with traditional Draughts pieces if preferred and a picture is shown below and then if preferred may name the pieces as being a Draughtsman, a Draughts King or a Draughts Emperor instead of a Man-at-Arms, a Champion or a Royal Champion respectively - traditionally a Draughtsman has another piece placed on top when promoted to a Draughts King and so a Draughts Emperor could have another two pieces placed on top (Draughts sets would need some extra pieces).....the background story would not apply here - no doubt another, if required, is possible though (where Draughts pieces = Daleks? - probably not my favourite - but then, and for others.....Who knows, and if preferred as a representational point any Draughts Set captures can be by 'sweeping aside' instead of jumping over - the end result is the same).

Note

For example representational pieces refer to those pictured for Western chess and the point added thereto in Further thoughts - Name changes etc.

A Draughts Set finishes but

Steps along the way of Chess continues with

Circuits and Tours

E&OE

Shaye-Alexander Ellis Nicholls of Rhun, Merridonia

Wednesday, 10th February 2021

Page finishes

Setup

Chess from Draughts etc: The following games are in part based on games such as Draughts as well as Chess, but they all have a Royal piece(s) of sorts and have complex tactics and so forth: 1. TigerChequers 2. Leopard Princess 3. Stones of Fortune or TigerQuest Also Other type Games: 4.NavalQi, 5.TigerBridge & 6.Revolver And 7. Sundry items Â© Copyright G. Nicholls 2001 - 2016 1. TigerChequers : This game is in essence the pieces of TigerChess played against the pieces of LancerChess or Western Chess with slight changes. Some of the TigerChess pieces are similar to Draughts Pieces. The TigerChess pieces have an advantage, but in TigerChequers one or two counter-balances have been added and the advantage may only equate to a pawn or perhaps two. The Players: The North-Valley Warlord who plays the North-Valley dwellers And The South-Valley Warlord who plays the South-Valley dwellers Timed by TigerClocks The Settings: The Great Forest which encloses the Central-Valley At and towards the North of this Valley are the North-Valley dwellersâ€™ Stockade and the Unguarded Paths At the South of this Valley is the South-Valley dwellersâ€™ Stockade The Board & Valley dwellers: The board (the Central-Valley) is the standard 8x8 board with the Unguarded Paths forming an additional two playing positions (squares) making 66 playing positions in all and is called the â€œCentral-Valleyâ€ board. The board at the starting position with the names and abbreviations of the Valley dwellers (pieces) is as shown: Notes: Â· Squares are called positions. Â· The Algebraic notation of the main playing area (the Central-Valley) is: files are designated A to H (West to East) and ranks are designated 1 to 8 (South to North). Stockades are referred to by name and file letter and Unguarded Paths by east or west. Overview and Object: For many years those who dwelled in the regions lying North and South of the Central-Valley have lived in peace, but gradually the expansion of these Valley dwellers has led to increasing pressure on resources and after a series of skirmishes both now claim the right to add the rich and fertile Central-Valley to their lands and are about to fight a major battle for the right to settle there. The South-Valley dwellers are aware that the North-Valley dwellers have Swordsmen that they do not have themselves and are also aware of their tendency to rush into a hasty deployment of their Swordsmen and so the South-Valley dwellers will study the deployment of the North-Valley Swordsmen first before finishing their own deployment to try and reduce the advantage of the Swordsmen to a minimum. The object of each player is to Checkmate the opposing Queen which wins the battle. A Note on Stockades: The two Stockades do not form part of the playing area but are holding areas for the Valley dwellers (pieces) that are deployed at the start of the game. A Note on the Unguarded Paths: The existence of the two (shown in yellow) Unguarded Paths at the North of the Central-Valley is only known to the South-Valley Queen amongst those of both sides taking part in the battle; details about them were given to her by a sympathetic Herdsman. These Paths are escape routes from the area. If the South-Valley Queen reaches and occupies one of the two positions comprising these Paths then the game is a draw by â€œQueen Escapeâ€. No other piece of either side may occupy or use or attack either of these two positions. It makes no difference if the South-Valley Queen was in Check before moving to one of these positions. Moves & capturing powers of the Valley-dwellers: Note: The moving and capturing powers of most of the pieces are either the same as in standard Western Chess or are described under TigerChess, but are here re-stated. A King is identical to a Queen of Western Chess. He can move forwards or backwards along an unoccupied vertical, horizontal or diagonal path and occupy any of the vacant positions along these paths provided he does not jump over any piece. A King can capture the first opposing piece along any of these paths provided he is not blocked first by one of his own pieces. A King is not vulnerable to Checkmate. A Queen is identical to a King of Western Chess and is vulnerable to Checkmate. She can move to any unoccupied adjacent position or capture on any adjacent position i.e. eight maximum, but may not move or capture so if the position is under attack by an opposing piece; also a Queen may not remain under attack (Check) if it is possible to escape the attack and her pieces may not make a move or a capture which causes her to come under an attack. (Kingâ€™s and Queenâ€™s) Towers are identical to the Rooks of Western Chess except that when Protecting the Queen (Castling) the moves are on the opposite side of the board to Western Chess and so â€œlong Castlingâ€ is on the King-side (more details are in the section on TigerChess). A Tower can move forwards or backwards along an unoccupied vertical or horizontal path and can occupy any of the vacant positions along these paths provided it does not jump over any piece. A Tower can capture the first opposing piece along any of these paths provided it is not blocked first by one of its own pieces. Once Protecting the Queen has taken place or is no longer possible by one or the other Towers then the Tower(s) is called a Kingâ€™s or Queenâ€™s Siege Tower as this name reflects that the Tower is now no longer needed for Protecting the Queen or has already done so and is now more free to attack the opposition. If a South-Valley Pikeman promotes to a Tower then this Tower is not distinguished between a Kingâ€™s or a Queenâ€™s Tower but is simply called a Tower (or Siege Tower) â€“ abbreviation SVT. A Baron/Baroness is identical to a Bishop of Western Chess. He/She can move forwards or backwards along an unoccupied diagonal path and can occupy any of the vacant positions along these paths provided he/she does not jump over any piece. A Baron or Baroness can capture the first opposing piece along any of these paths provided he/she is not blocked by one of his/her own pieces. If a South-Valley Pikeman promotes to one of these then the promoted piece is not distinguished between a Baron or Baroness but is simply called a Noble â€“ abbreviation SVN. A Kingâ€™s Lancer can move to any position either one or two positions away in a vertical or horizontal direction and can jump over any intervening pieces if moving two positions. He can capture on any of these positions. For example, if a Kingâ€™s Lancer were situated on E4, he could move to or capture on E5, E6, E3, E2, C4, D4, F4 and G4. He must capture on the position he moves/jumps to and not any position he moves/jumps over when moving/jumping two positions. A Queenâ€™s Lancer can move to any position either one or two positions away in a diagonal direction and can jump over any intervening pieces if moving two positions. He can capture on any of these positions. For example, if a Queenâ€™s Lancer were situated on E4, he could move to or capture on D5, C6, F5, G6, D3, C2, F3, and G2. He must capture on the position he moves/jumps to and not any position he moves/jumps over when moving/jumping two positions. A Knight is identical to a Knight in Western Chess He moves to and captures on any position that lies two positions vertically (forwards or backwards) or horizontally to him and one position laterally in relation to this, or the move can be considered in other ways that lead to the same destination position and, as he can leap, any intervening pieces have no effect on the move or capture. A Swordsman moves exactly the same as an English Draughtsman, i.e. to either forward adjacent diagonal position, if vacant, and can capture one or more opposing pieces in the same way as in the game of English Draughts i.e. by a diagonal forward single position jump(s) to a vacant position and this capturing sequence can be continued, but in contrast, he is not obliged to make a capture if able to do so as in Draughts and has total freedom of choice of when to stop a capturing sequence or which alternate path(s) of capture to take, if more than one. Upon reaching his eighth rank a Swordsman is automatically exchanged for an Archer. An Archer like an English Draughts King can move to an adjoining diagonal position, forwards or backwards, if vacant, but can capture one or more opposing pieces in a similar way as in the game of Spanish Draughts. This capture is made by jumping diagonally forwards or backwards but the jump is not restricted to, though includes, only a single position as with a Swordsman but may also include a jump(s) of any number of vacant positions between himself and the piece to be captured, to land on the vacant position immediately behind the captured piece, e.g. an Archer on F2 can capture an opposing piece on C5 by landing on B6 provided E3 and D4 are vacant. This capturing sequence can be continued in like manner in the same direction or by turning off along diagonals forwards or backwards or even by backtracking. Captured pieces must be removed immediately since they cannot be used as part of any continuing capturing sequence. Like the Swordsman, the Archer is not obliged to make a capture if able to do so and has total freedom of when to stop a capturing sequence or which alternate path(s) of capture to take, if more than one. A Pikeman moves and captures the same as a Pawn in Western Chess. He can move one position vertically forwards but he captures to one position diagonally forwards. On his first move he can also optionally move two positions vertically forwards but he cannot capture with this move and he cannot jump over any piece with this move; the en-passant rule applies to Pikemen the same as with Pawns in Western Chess. Promotions/exchanges by Pikemen are different for the two sides and are explained separately: A South-Valley Pikeman promotes upon reaching his eighth rank. He may not stay as a Pikeman and his choice of promotion is to a King, a Tower, a Noble, a Knight (if the Knights were deployed) or a Lancer â€“ a Kingâ€™s Lancer if the Lancers were deployed and the promotion position is of the same colour as the position the deployed Kingâ€™s Lancer was deployed to, or a Queenâ€™s Lancer if the Lancers were deployed and the promotion position is of the same colour as the position the deployed Queenâ€™s Lancer was deployed to. A North-Valley Pikeman exchanges virtually the same as in the rules stated in TigerChess and they are mostly repeated: The first North-Valley Pikeman to reach his eighth rank is automatically exchanged for the North-Valley TigerLancer. Before reaching his eighth rank a North-Valley Pikeman must obviously reach his seventh rank and upon so doing there are exchange implications: A) If a North-Valley Pikeman has already reached the eighth rank, then a North-Valley Pikeman upon reaching the seventh rank is automatically exchanged for one of his North-Valley Knights. B) If no North-Valley Pikeman has reached the eighth rank then the North-Valley Warlord has a choice: i) He may elect to exchange the North-Valley Pikeman for a Knight. ii) He may elect to forego the exchange in i) so that the North-Valley Pikeman then has the opportunity to be the first to reach the eighth rank. This choice means that the North-Valley Pikeman can no longer be exchanged for a Knight. C) There can therefore arise a situation by which one or more North-Valley Pikeman can be on the seventh rank who have foregone the opportunity to be exchanged for Knights and where another North-Valley Pikeman has reached the eighth rank first and so has been exchanged for the North-Valley TigerLancer. For those North-Valley Pikemen so situated on the seventh rank they now have no exchange possibilities and must remain on the board as North-Valley Pikemen until and unless captured. They can still move to or capture to the eighth rank but here they must remain until and unless they are captured. There can only be one exchange for the North-Valley TigerLancer, should he be captured he cannot subsequently be exchanged. Note: Exchanges and promotions have the same effect in practice; the difference is that North-Valley Knights, Archers and the TigerLancer are separate dwellers (pieces) who are situated nearby in the Great Forest and awaiting entry by exchange with Pikemen or Swordsmen; whereas promotions are of the same dweller (piece). The TigerLancer can move to any position either one or two positions away in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal direction and can jump over any intervening pieces if moving two positions. He can capture on any of these positions. His moving and capturing powers are those combined of a Kingâ€™s Lancer and a Queenâ€™s Lancer i.e. sixteen positions maximum. He must capture on the position he moves/jumps to and not any position he moves/jumps over when moving/jumping two positions. The North-Valley TigerLancer is one of the least known and seen of the members of the Order of Tigers (see TigerSquares) and is a great distance from their usual range within the Great Forest. The South-Valley dwellers knew little about him until the battle was approaching. Order of play: The order of play is as follows: 1. The four North-Valley Swordsman are posted from their Stockade randomly to any position on their 3rd or 4th ranks, i.e. the boardâ€™s 5th or 6th ranks. The method for this random posting can be by using a shuffled pack of sixteen cards which each have one of the sixteen possible deployment positions (squares) on. There are 1820 possible different positions of these. 2. The South-Valley Warlord now chooses to post, from their Stockade, either the two Knights or the two Lancers to positions B1 and G1 . The Queenâ€™s Lancer may only be posted to B1 and the Kingâ€™s Lancer may only be posted to G1. The South-Valley Warlord is allowed a period of time (typically fifteen minutes) to decide whether to post his Knights or Lancers after which time the clocks are started. 3. The above is called the deployment phase and after this the South-Valley Warlord makes his first move of what is called the engagement phase and players then move alternately. General rules & notes: The game is played mostly with generally accepted rules and best practice of Western Chess; the following apply: 1. Points are three for a win and one for a draw except that for a South-Valley Queen Escape the South-Valley player (Warlord) scores one and a half points and the North-Valley player (Warlord) scores only half a point; the result though is still classed as a draw. 2. There is no TigerVariation as in TigerChess. 3. The usual colour of the pieces is based on that of their clothing which for the North-Valley dwellers is dark orange and for the South-Valley dwellers is cream-white. 4. Draws include Stalemate and Threefold repetition of moves/position. 5. Clocks should be TigerClocks of the double countdown type. 6. Players should state â€œCheckâ€ if the opposing Queen is under attack, though this is not compulsory. 7. Deployment variations of Lancers/Knights are designated: a) The â€œGuard variationâ€ where both Lancers are posted. b) The â€œWatch variationâ€ where both Knights are posted. 8. The remaining situation on the board after a South-Valley Queen Escape is irrelevant, even if the North-Valley were to be in Checkmate, and the result would still be a draw by Queen Escape. 2. Leopard Princess : Aka TwinDraughts, this is a game based more on English Draughts than is TigerChequers, but the winning objective is to capture an opposing Champion or for any piece (called Armed Representatives) to reach their end (eighth) rank and play is not confined to only one set of diagonals. The game is described as being a PathFinder game. The Players & Sides: The players are called the North-side Prince who plays the North-side Armed Representatives and the South-side Prince who plays the South-side Armed Representatives. Each player moves alternatively with the South-side Prince moving first. Clocks are single countdown. The Settings: The Armed Contest (game) takes place in the Tournament Arena of New-Camelot. The time is that of pre-DragonQi The Board & Pieces: The board used is the standard 8x8 Chess or Draughts board or the â€œNew-Camelotâ€ board with the Tournament Arena marked out with such a board. The names of the two types of Armed Representatives (pieces) and their initial placing are (using standard Western Chess designations): Each side has two Champions and these are placed on D1 & E1 for the South-side Player and D8 & E8 for the North-side Player. The remaining squares on the first two ranks for each side have placed on them their fourteen Men-at-arms and so the South-side for example has a Man-at-arms on squares A1, B1, C1, F1, G1, H1, A2, B2, C2, D2, E2, F2, G2 & H2. Notes: Â· Squares are, unlike other games, called squares and not positions. Â· The algebraic notation of the board is that files are designated A to H (West to East) and ranks are designated 1 to 8 (South to North). Board: Called the â€œNew-Camelotâ€ board, this can be used for various board games, though it should not be used for the more major games such as TigerChess, Dragon, Citadel etc. Notes on board: The Tournament Arena: The playing of sports and games is very popular at New-Camelot and many such activities are staged and played in the Tournament Arena. The marking out of the Arena depends on the activity being staged â€“ the marking out shown is the standard 64 square Chess or Draughts board. Many disputes arising in New-Camelot and sometimes elsewhere are settled by the playing of sports, games and contests (sometimes armed) and these events are frequently staged in the Tournament Arena. Very often large and enthusiastic crowds turn out. The Spectators: These consist of those of all status and backgrounds from King Arthur and his Queen to Pages and Handmaidens. The Moat: New-Camelotâ€™s Moat is fed by Pike River and is called Tench Lake and has been attractively landscaped with many water plants growing there and within the lake there are very large, but hard to catch tench and a few golden tench. During the summer on their free days, large numbers of the cityâ€™s inhabitants can be seen fishing along the banks of the lake and river. Tench are at times caught, but roach and perch are more plentiful and are frequently caught, also the occasional bream turns up, and one large carp has been caught. There are those who claim to have seen a pike four or more feet long in Pike River, but no-one has ever fished for this giant, and she remains the subject of fishing stories that are told in the taverns over mugs of ale. Lookout Tower: As the highest and largest of the cityâ€™s towers this is where the guards keep the main lookout and this is carried out at all times. Lookout Tower is also where the administration of the city takes place and in addition is where the Round Table is situated. The Enclosures: Where there are players, spectators or visitors from outside the city, they are lodged in the visitorâ€™s enclosure, whilst those of New-Camelot who are involved in events are lodged in the Round Table enclosure. Overview and Object: The hand of one of New-Camelotâ€™s most eligible Princesses (known as the Leopard Princess) is sought after by two eminent Princes and neither will give way and the Princess will not choose between them. The situation can only be resolved by means of an Armed Contest which will take place in New-Camelot and the rules of this capital city are to be applied. This way of determining major disputes in the realm is not unusual. A large crowd has gathered in the Tournament Arena of New-Camelot to await the commencement of the Armed Contest and all the cityâ€™s leading citizens are attending including King Arthur who must act without bias. The two Princes are represented by their Men-at-arms and by their two most skilled Champions who will battle on their behalf. The two Princes are designated as the South-side Prince who is of New-Camelot and the North-side Prince who is from the far north though is still a valued subject of King Arthur. It is considered an honour for a guest to be given the North-side. The object of the contest is to obtain a Major Win which will win the hand of the Princess. Moves & capturing powers of the Armed Representatives: The Men-at-arms are identical in their powers of movement and capture to the standard English Draughts piece (except that the Draughts piece promotes to a Draughts King when reaching the eighth rank), i.e. they can move to an unoccupied square that is one square diagonally forwards of them or they can capture by jumping over an opponent that is on one square diagonally forwards of them to land on the square that is immediately beyond provided this square immediately beyond is unoccupied. The Champions are identical in their powers of movement and capture to the standard English Draughts King and so have the powers of movement and capture of Men-at-arms and in addition to this can move to an unoccupied square that is one square diagonally backwards of them and can additionally capture an opponent on one square that is diagonally backwards of them by jumping over the opponent to land on the square immediately beyond provided this square immediately beyond is unoccupied. Note: The standard rules of English Draughts apply when capturing as follows: Â· If a capturing move is made and can be continued with the capturing powers of the Armed Representative making the capture then the capturing sequence must be continued until no more captures are possible (or the Armed Representative has captured an opposing Champion or reached his eighth rank whereupon the capturing sequence is halted). Â· If one or more capturing moves or sequences are available to a player then he must make one of them. Â· If there is a choice of two or more capturing moves or sequences available a player can freely choose between them and is not bound to choose the path with the most captures. Â· If a capturing sequence branches into one or more other capturing paths then a player can choose freely between the paths and is not bound to choose the path with the most captures. Order of Play: It can be seen that play occurs with two sets of â€œcolour-boundâ€ pieces on two sets of contrasting coloured diagonal squares and that there are therefore effectively two games in progress. The general rules governing play are as follows: 1. Players move alternately with the South-side player moving first. 2. Players do not have to alternate their moves between the two sets of diagonal squares. 3. The first move for each side is determined by each player drawing a card from a shuffled pack of fourteen cards. Each card shows one of the possible fourteen opening moves for the South-side player and the equivalent move on the contrasting coloured set of diagonal squares for the North-side player, e.g. one of the cards will show D2-C3 for South-side and also show the equivalent move of D7-C6 for North-side. The South-side player draws one of the fourteen cards first and if the aforementioned card was drawn then his first move would be to move his Man-at-arms from the D2 square to the C3 square. The North-side player must now draw one of the remaining thirteen cards and move according to the North-side move shown on his card â€“ he cannot therefore draw a card with the equivalent move of the South-side playerâ€™s move and so the first move for each player cannot be the equivalent on contrasting coloured sets of diagonal squares. 4. Play proceeds until a â€œFirst-phase Winâ€ or a draw occurs. A First-phase Win occurs if an opposing Champion is captured (by a Champion or a Man-at-arms) or one of a Playerâ€™s Armed Representatives (A Champion or a Man-at-arms) reaches his end (eighth) rank. This First-phase Win scores one point for the successful player and, as can be seen, takes place on one of the contrasting sets of diagonal squares and no further moves are made (or allowed to be made) on this set of diagonals. Either player can now insist that all Armed Representatives are removed from this set of diagonals except for the Representative who captured the opposing Champion or who reached his eighth rank (or both). 5. Play now takes place only on the other set of diagonals, with the loser of the First-phase Win moving first, until a â€œSecond-phase Winâ€ or a draw occurs. A Second-phase Win occurs in the same manner as the First-phase Win and the game is then concluded. This Second-phase Win scores one point for the successful player. 6. If a draw occurs then the whole game finishes regardless of whether there has or has not been a First-phase Win. Each player receives half a point in addition to any point he may already have received. 7. A draw occurs if there is stalemate, fifty moves are played by both sides without a capture or a Man-at-arms being moved or if there is a threefold repetition of moves/position. In practice some of these situations would be highly unlikely or virtually or practically impossible; but if one does occur then the game is a draw. If there is a stalemate after a First-phase Win then the stalemated player may not make a move on the set of diagonals where the First-phase Win occurred. 8. It is possible to capture an opposing Champion and by so doing to also land on the end rank. This winning situation however does not score any extra points and one point is awarded to the successful player as usual. Table of Wins & Draws: The results and scores of the Armed Contest (game) are as follows: 1. A Major Win is where a player achieves both a First-phase Win and a Second-phase Win and so scores two points to his opponentâ€™s none. In this case the Princess is presented to the winning Prince by King Arthur and she will by tradition accept the suit of the winning Prince. 2. A Minor Win is where a player achieves a First-phase Win but only a draw in the Second-phase and so scores one and a half points to his opponentâ€™s one half. In this situation the Princess may accept or decline the suit of the higher scoring Prince, but she will not accept the suit of the lower scoring Prince. 3. A Level Contest is where each player achieves one win and so one loss and the score is then one point to each player. In this situation the Princess may accept or decline the suit of either Prince but will likely decline both. 4. A Drawn Contest is where the game is drawn before either player achieves a First-phase Win and the score is one half point to both players. In this situation the Princess will not accept the suit of either Prince. Other rules & notes: 1. Usual colours for the Armed Representatives are white and silver for South-side and blue for North-side. 2. Armed Representatives are 3D characters and not discs similar to Draughts pieces. 3. Each Armed Representative can have a distinguishing letter(s) or number(s) etc. 4. Unlike Kings in Western Chess, Champions do not have to move out of â€œCheckâ€ etc. 5. Abbreviations for Armed Representatives are as follows: a) North-side Champion: NSCH b) North-side Man-at-arms: NSMA c) South-side Champion: SSCH d) South-side Man-at-arms: SSMA Leopard Princess â€“ Optional notes addition: Also there are presented prizes/cups to the Champion or Man-at-arms winner (if any) of each phase by King Arthur after the conclusion of the Contest. These winners are called â€œContest Decider - 1st phaseâ€ and â€œContest Decider - 2nd phaseâ€ and are the Armed Representatives who first reach their eighth (end) rank or capture an opposing Champion (or both) for each phase of the Contest.

3. Stones of Fortune or TigerQuest: TigerQuest or Stones of Fortune (or perhaps The Dark Tower) is described as a Pendulum game, which is based more on the game of Backgammon with a Royal type piece (Galahad and The Dark King) and can also be called Excalibur.

The Players: The Light Stone Master of New-Camelot who plays The Light Encirclement And The Dark Stone Master of The Dark Realm who plays The Dark Encirclement Timed by TigerSwing Clocks

The Settings: The Dark Realm, which includes: The Frozen Lands, within which are: The Light Encirclement The Dark Encirclement The Swamplands The Dark Castle, which consists of: Â· The Dark Gate Â· The Dark Hall Â· The Dark Tower The Secret Path, which consists of: Â· (The) Near-path Â· (The) Mid-path Â· (The) Far-path And The Pit

The time is that of post-DragonQi The Board:

Notes: Â·

The board is shown with the starting deployment (called Placements of Members at Commencement). Â· Squares are called positions. Â·

Pieces are called Members (of the Light or Dark Encirclement) except that Galahad is known by name and The Dark King by title. Â·

The notation of the board is that the thirty two Light Encirclement positions are designated L1 at the North-West corner (top left-hand) position and then in a clockwise direction the positions are successively designated L2, L3 and so on until L32. The thirty two Dark Encirclement positions are designated by the same logic and so the designation at the North-West corner position is D1 and in a clockwise direction positions are successively designated D2, D3 and so on until D32. Adjoining positions of the two Encirclements therefore have the same numeral but a different letter. Â

· The Pit, The Secret Path steps (positions) and the parts (positions) of The Dark Castle are designated by name e.g. Mid-path, The Dark Hall etc. The figures shown in red are the game points value of these positions (explained under â€œGeneral rules and notesâ€). Â· â€œEncirclementâ€ refers to both Members and the positions around which the Members move according to casts of the Stones. Â·

The board is called â€œThe Dark Realm Board â€“ rectangular (or circular)â€.

The Stones: The Stones are three of Light colour and three of Dark colour but are identical in size, weight and shape. When the game is called TigerQuest then the Stones are called the (Light or Dark) TigerStones; when the game is called Stones of Fortune or Excalibur then the Stones are called the (Light or Dark) Stones of Fortune. Each Stone is a five-sided dice (see General rules and notes) such that, when cast (thrown), each of the five sides has an equal chance of landing uppermost as any other side. The five sides have a value of from one to five and can be marked in different ways: Â· If called TigerStones then pictures of Tigers are used with a value of five for the Siberian Tiger, four for the Bengal Tiger, three for the Indochinese Tiger, two for the Malayan Tiger and one for the Sumatran Tiger. The numerical value can also be shown on each side. Â· If the Stones are called Stones of Fortune then various symbols can be used, or just the numerical values can be used, or both can be used. Â

· The Stones are sometimes simply called the (Light or Dark) Stones. Overview: The Stones (they are made of stone) have been in the possession of the City of New-Camelot for as long as anybody can remember and there is only rumour and stories as to where they originally came from and who and when they were originally brought to New-Camelot(but see Jewel Facet 2: Ambush in the Forest â€“ Keys in Time 2; A Tax too far). Few know the full capabilities and powers of the Stones, but outside of those who do know it is thought that amongst other powers the Stones, when used together, can foretell probable future events and outcomes (but not with certainty). When both Light and Dark Stones are used together they are far more powerful than the sum of their individual powers though they are still powerful even if used separately. Only a few highly skilled and trusted inhabitants of New-Camelot have ever been allowed to use the Stones and the Light and Dark Stones are kept separately locked away but, perhaps due to some slight oversight or mistake, the Dark Stones have been stolen, but after much time and effort following the thiefâ€™s track (he was eventually apprehended) it is known that they are now in the possession of The Dark King of The Dark Realm. On hearing the news of the whereabouts of the stolen Dark Stones, New-Camelotâ€™s King Arthur convened an emergency meeting of the governing body of the city - the Round Table - to decide what action to take. Firstly it was considered what knowledge there was of the Dark Realm and its ruler - the Dark King - but it soon became apparent that little is known of either outside of the Dark Realm itself though what little is known suggests terrors that few would care to talk of or even to think about. Thus far the Dark King has not attempted to extend his influence beyond the Dark Realm but the possession of the Dark Stones will increase his powers significantly and it is feared that he will now attempt to extend his sphere of influence to other areas of New-Earth and though the Dark Realm does not possess much in the way of military strength the Dark King does not operate by such means and uses methods involving fear, subterfuge and so forth. After much debate the Round Table decided that an expeditionary force must be sent to the Dark Realm on a Quest to recover the stolen Stones and also to apprehend the Dark King. Though New-Camelot are aware (but not certain) of the relative lack of military strength of the Dark Realm, the effectiveness and practicalities of sending a large military force to the Dark Realm is considered doubtful: The distance to travel is great and would take much time and would also soon be seen and would come to the attention of the Dark King and so give him plenty of time to prepare his defence, also the Dark Realm largely consists of dangerous swampland and so the terrain, which is also permanently dark, is almost impossible to navigate effectively by large numbers with equipment and supplies and indeed a large force could then even prove to be a liability. The Round Table also had to take into account what little is known about the Dark King himself: Both tall and broad, he has ruled the Dark Realm for many years but his age is unknown though he is, to judge by his physique and movement, a man in his physical prime. He wears at all times a black helmet with a visor down and so his facial features have never been seen. He carries as a weapon â€œThe Golden Axeâ€ which in colour and form is as described and rumour has it that this weaponâ€™s powers together with his natural ability at combat make him a most formidable opponent and now that he also possesses and himself carries the Dark Stones there are very few individuals indeed who could stand against him. Eventually the Round Table, with King Arthurâ€™s approval, decided to send an expeditionary force of Members of the Light Circle. Members of this Circle are made up of men and women who are learned in the knowledge of the Stones amongst many other things and the Table was of the opinion that the abilities of these Members would be best suited to oppose those of the Dark Realm. King Arthur and the Round Table also considered who to send with the force to directly oppose the Dark King and it was considered necessary that â€œThe Sword Excaliburâ€ would need to be wielded by this person so as to counter the powers of the Golden Axe; in addition to this the person chosen would need to be of the highest abilities in combat skills. The choice to directly oppose the Dark King was the knight Sir Galahad as he is one of the few knights able to effectively wield Excalibur and, still in his twenties, he is at the peak of his exceptional combat abilities. Also sent with the expedition and carried by Galahad are the three Light Stones as their powers are necessary to combat the powers of the Dark Stones. It is thought by the Round Table that Galahad will be able to stand against the Dark King. Both King Arthur and the Round Table are very much aware that should the expedition fail in their Quest and be defeated by the Dark King then the Light Stones would also be lost to the Dark King and this would increase his power still more and greatly so and the consequences would be very dangerous indeed; furthermore Excalibur would also be lost and though this talismanic sword would be of no direct use to the Dark King its loss to New-Camelot would be substantial. The expeditionary force was instructed that if the Golden Axe was captured it was to be thrown into a part of the swamplands from where it could not be recovered. Prior to the expeditionary force leaving New-Camelot intensive efforts to help have been made with the Light Stones and other artefacts by the cityâ€™s Chief Adviser to King Arthur, namely the wizard Merlin. Although he is too old to accompany the expedition Merlin has managed to â€œseeâ€ and locate a solid and firm path through the treacherous swamplands of the Dark Realm which can be used by Galahad to approach the Dark Castle where the Dark King resides. This path is called the Secret Path. After much travelling the expeditionary force of New-Camelot has arrived in the Dark Realm and Galahad has managed to find and travel along the Secret Path, but they have all now been seen by the Sorcerers who keep watch (and can see well in darkness) in the Dark Realm and the Dark King has been informed and has set up a defensive ring of men and women (who are amongst the most skilled in the various arts of the Dark Realm) around the swamplands called the Dark Encirclement and the expeditionary force has responded by setting up the Light Encirclement to surround the Dark one. Both Galahad and the Dark King have sensed the presence of the complementary Stones on the other. The Dark King has placed himself at the top of the Dark Tower (of which there are the most fearful rumours) and Galahad must ascend this tower, perhaps the tallest in New-Earth, if he is to confront him and achieve the expeditionâ€™s Quest, whilst behind him is a place simply called the Pit towards which the Dark King and his Encirclement will try to push him...and down there are the Creatures of the Pit... The Battle is about to commence...

Object: The object of the Battle for each player is to capture the opposing (complementary) Stones which requires the capture of the opposing Principal - namely Galahad or the Dark King.

Moves & capturing powers of Members (pieces): The game commences with the fifteen (including Galahad and the Dark King) Members for each side deployed (placed) as shown in the board diagram. There are two Members placed on positions where shown as x 2 and one Member placed where shown as x 1. There are four possible game variations where the direction of movement can be one-way or two-way and where the number of Members allowed to be placed on a position is limited (to two) or unlimited. The Placements of Members at Commencement is the same for all variations. In all variations moves are determined by the uppermost side(s) of the Stones after casting (throwing) one, two or three of them as follows: Â·

The Stone Master (player) of New-Camelot casts the Light Stones whilst the Stone Master (player) of the Dark Realm casts the Dark Stones. Â·

Stones can be cast by hand or by the use of a cup. Â· Who moves first can be decided by players casting (recasting if necessary) the Stones, with the higher value of the uppermost sides giving that player the choice of who moves first. Â·

Moves are played alternately by each player unless a player is unable to play a move â€“ called passing a move (explained below). Â·

Players are not allowed to voluntarily or intentionally pass a move (explained below). Â·

Stones must be cast together and cannot be cast individually unless only one Stone is cast (as when moving Technicians â€“ explained below).

Limited variation, one-way: Under this variation no more than two Members are allowed to occupy a position and Members of the Light Encirclement may only move in a counter-clockwise direction whilst Members of the Dark Encirclement may only move in a clockwise direction. Members are confined to their own Encirclement positions, as they are for all variations, unless captured when they are removed from their Encirclement and placed in their opponentâ€™s area of the Frozen Lands (the Light Encirclement has the North area of these lands & the Dark Encirclement has the South area of these lands). Moves of Encirclement Members for both players are determined as follows:

1) If one Stone is cast then any one Technician of that side can be moved the number of positions shown as the value on the uppermost side of the Stone provided that the destination position is empty or only has one occupant (who can be a Member of any denomination). It makes no difference whether or not there are any intervening positions occupied by other Members. This type of moving (similar to jumping) is called Vaulting. As an example at commencement; if the Stone Master of New-Camelot were to throw one of the Light Stones and the value of two were uppermost then one of the following moves only are possible: a) Ti from L1 to L31 b) Ti from L2 to L32 c) Ti from L7 to L5 A Technician placed on position L8 cannot move to position L6 as there are two Members (i.e. the maximum allowed) occupying L6

. 2) If two Stones are cast then any one Associate of that side can be moved the number of positions shown as a combined value of the two uppermost sides of the Stones provided that the destination position is empty or only has one occupant (who can be a Member of any denomination). It makes no difference whether or not there are any intervening positions occupied by other Members. As an example at commencement; if the Stone Master of the Dark Realm were to throw two of the Dark Stones and the combined value of the two uppermost sides were seven, then one of the following moves only are possible: a) Ad from D22 to D29 b) Ad from D19 to D26

3) If three Stones are cast then any one Fellow of that side can be moved the number of positions shown as a combined value of the three uppermost sides of the Stones provided that the destination position is empty or only has one occupant (who can be a Member of any denomination). It makes no difference whether or not there are any intervening positions occupied by other Members. As an example at commencement; if the Stone Master of New-Camelot were to throw three of the Light Stones and the combined value of the three uppermost sides were eleven, then one of the following moves only are possible: a) Fi from L4 to L25 b) Fi from L5 to L26 If a total of three were cast at commencement (a treble one) then no move is possible for the Fellows (the destination positions are occupied by two Members) and when this situation occurs a player must pass (miss) his turn to move and his opponent then casts his Stones and moves as usual. This type of situation can occur at other stages of a game.

4) Players are not allowed to voluntarily pass their turn to move and may not do so intentionally e.g. a player may not cast two Stones if all his Associates have been captured.

5) Unlike Backgammon and other games, casting â€œDoublesâ€ or â€œTreblesâ€ has no additional effect. 6) Moves for Galahad and the Dark King are described under Captures Captures (Expulsions) of opposing Encirclement Members for both players occur as follows:

1) To capture an opposing Encirclement Member a playerâ€™s own Encirclement Member must be in what is called an Attacking Stance - this is where only one Encirclement Member is occupying a position and this stance is signified by the Member having one arm raised. Members are in what is called a Defensive Stance where two Encirclement Members (of any denomination) are occupying a position and such Members cannot make a capture - this stance is signified by the Members having both their arms lowered. At commencement the Fellows are in an Attacking Stance whereas the Associates and Technicians are in a Defensive Stance.

2) A capture occurs when an Encirclement Member in an Attacking Stance is moved to a position where the adjoining opposing position is occupied by only one Member (i.e. is also in an Attacking Stance), this opposing Member (who can be of any denomination) is then captured, which can be more properly stated as expelled as he/she is actually expelled from his/her Encirclement to the Frozen Lands and plays no more part in the Battle. The position the capturing Member moves to may be unoccupied or occupied by one Member only (of any denomination). If occupied by one Member then the capturing Member and the existing occupant Member are both then (immediately after the capture) in a Defensive Stance.

3) Where two Encirclement Members of any denomination occupy a position, and so are in a Defensive Stance, then they cannot be captured and they cannot make a capture; the position, while it lasts as such, is called a Secured Position (two opposing Secured Positions on adjoining positions are called an Inert Conjunction). It follows that only Members in an Attacking Stance can be captured or make a capture. At commencement the following are Secured Positions: L1, L2, L3, L6, L7, L8, D17, D18, D19, D22, D23 & D24.

4) It can be seen that an Encirclement position where there are two opposing Members occupying the adjoining opposing Encirclement position is safe from capture for a single Member (who is in an Attacking Stance) and such a position is called a Sheltered Position and this position, while it lasts as such, is said to glow with a faint green light in the permanent gloom of the Dark Realm. At commencement the following are Sheltered Positions: D1, D2, D3, D6, D7, D8, L17, L18, L19, L22, and L23 & L24.

5) Unlike Draughts, it is not obligatory to make a capturing move if able to do so, unless no other move is available

. 6) When a capture is made by the Light Encirclement then Galahad approaches (moves) one position in the direction of the Dark King and if he reaches the Dark Tower position then this wins the Battle for New-Camelot (explained further later). When a capture is made by the Dark Encirclement then Galahad is pushed back (moves) one position in the direction of the Pit and if he is pushed back to the Pit position then this wins the Battle for the Dark Realm (explained further later). The Dark King does not move during the Battle and so remains on the Dark Tower position.

7) To sum up captures by Encirclement Members: A capture by an Encirclement Member is made, and can only be made, by moving an Encirclement Member who is in an Attacking Stance to a position (which may be unoccupied or occupied by only one Member of any denomination) adjoining an opposing Encirclement position which is occupied by only one opposing Member (of any denomination). This opposing Member is then captured. This is the only way to capture an Encirclement Member under this variation. Note: If there is a situation where two Members occupy a position and one opposing Member occupies the adjoining position and one of the two occupying Members moves then two Members in an Attacking Stance would occupy adjoining positions (called a Critical Conjunction) but despite this neither can capture the other although either could be captured by another Member in an Attacking Stance moving to one of the positions. Whilst they last as such, Critical Conjunction positions are said to flash with a red light.

8) At commencement there can be a capture on the first move as follows:

a) The Fellows are in an Attacking Stance and so are able to make a capture and be captured.

b) If all three (Light or Dark) Stones are cast and total fifteen (the maximum, a treble five), then, if the Light Encirclement is moving, the Fellow on the L4 Light Encirclement position can move to the L21 Light Encirclement position and so capture the Fellow on the D21 Dark Encirclement position; if the Dark Encirclement is moving then the reverse is possible.

9) It can be seen that Attacking Stances, Defensive Stances, Secured Positions, Sheltered Positions, Critical Conjunctions and Inert Conjunctions can constantly change throughout a game.

Limited variation, two-way:

Under this variation moves (and so making captures) can be made in both a clockwise and counter-clockwise direction for both Encirclement Members. In all other respects there are no changes to the rules on moving and capturing as stated under the Limited variation, one-way.

Unlimited variation, one-way:

Under this variation there is no limit as to how many Members can occupy a position and they can be of any denomination (if two or more they are in a Defensive Stance and the position is a Secured Position). This means that a capture can be made by a Member in an Attacking Stance moving to a position which is occupied by two or more Members as well as occupied by one Member or is unoccupied. In all other respects there are no changes to the rules and direction on moving and capturing as stated under the Limited variation, one-way.

Unlimited variation, two-way:

Under this variation there is no limit as to how many Members can occupy a position and they can be of any denomination (if two or more they are in a Defensive Stance and the position is a Secured Position) and moves (and so making captures) can be made in both a clockwise and counter-clockwise direction for both Encirclement Members. This means that a capture can be made by a Member in an Attacking Stance moving to a position which is occupied by two or more Members as well as occupied by one Member or is unoccupied. In all other respects there are no changes to the rules on moving and capturing as stated under the Limited variation, one-way.

Note: Sheltered Positions as described do not occur under Unlimited variations though other types of safe positions may occur. General rules & notes: Game endings and game points scored: 1. Galahad reaches the Dark Tower: Galahad has here reached the top of the Dark Tower where the Dark King is situated and they engage in combat where Galahad with Excalibur defeats the Dark King and his Golden Axe. The Dark Stones are recovered and the Dark King is captured and taken prisoner. The Golden Axe is also captured and is thrown into the Swamplands from where it cannot be recovered.

The Game Points score is 4-0 to the Light Stone Master, as indicated on the board diagram. This ending is called â€œQuest â€“ successfulâ€. 2. Galahad is pushed back to the Pit: Galahad has here been pushed back to and fallen into the Pit. There are a number of large Serpent-like creatures dwelling in the Pit and they overcome and capture Galahad then hold him prisoner whilst awaiting the arrival of the Dark King. The Light Stones and Excalibur are lost to the Dark King and Galahadâ€™s fate is uncertain. The Game Points score is 4-0 to the Dark Stone Master, as indicated on the board diagram. This ending is called â€œQuest â€“ failedâ€. 3. a) All of one playerâ€™s Encirclement Members are captured: b) Move limit is reached: Should all the Members of one of the Encirclements be captured or the move limit be reached (explained later) then the game ends and the score is according to the position Galahad is on and is indicated on the board diagram and is as follows:

Â· The Dark Hall : 2-0 to the Light Stone Master Â·

The Dark Gate: 1-0 to the Light Stone Master Â·

Near-path: Â½ to both Stone Masters Â·

Mid-path: 1-0 to the Dark Stone Master Â·

Far-path: 2-0 to the Dark Stone Master

All these endings are called â€œQuest â€“ inconclusive (position name)â€ Neither player is considered to have won the game in these situations and all those from New-Camelot break off from hostilities and return there. No Stones or weapons change hands.

Note: It is possible at these endings for Galahad to land on the Dark Tower position or the Pit position and then ending 1. or 2. applies. 4. Loss on time: A loss on time (explained later) usually results in a game points score of 4-0 being awarded. Clocks: Note: On each move a period of ten seconds is allowed before a playerâ€™s clock starts to count. This time-lag is to allow for the playerâ€™s time used when casting his/her Stones. Clocks are of the TigerSwing type which work as follows: Â·

Each player commences with a balance on their clock called the Swing balance e.g. one minute. Â·

Each player also commences with a Reserve balance e.g. thirty minutes and this amount is kept separate from the Swing balance. Amounts cannot be transferred between a players Swing and Reserve balances. Â·

Whilst a player has the turn his Swing balance counts down and his opponents Swing balance goes up by the same amount, in the example - if a player takes twenty seconds on his (and the gameâ€™s) first move his Swing balance will reduce to forty seconds whilst his opponentâ€™s Swing balance will have increased to one minute and twenty seconds; if now the second player takes thirty seconds on his turn then his Swing balance will reduce to fifty seconds and the first playerâ€™s swing balance will have increased to one minute and ten seconds. It can be seen that the combined Swing balance of both clocks is always the same. Â·

Should a playerâ€™s Swing balance count down to zero then his Reserve balance will be used and this balance will count down, also his opponentâ€™s Swing balance will not further increase on this turn. The playerâ€™s Swing balance will go back up from zero during his opponentâ€™s next turn and will then be used as usual again and before his Reserve balance is used again (if used again). Reductions in the Reserve balance do not increase the opponentâ€™s clock amounts (either the Swing or Reserve balances) and in the example shown the maximum Swing balance for either player is two minutes. Â·

If a playerâ€™s Swing balance counts down to zero and his Reserve balance then also counts down to zero he/she loses the game on time. Move limits: There is a limit on the number of moves allowed under each variation and the game ends if this number of moves are reached. The limits are: Â·

For the Limited variation, one-way; thirty moves are allowed for each player. Â·

For the Limited variation, two-way; fifty moves are allowed for each player. Â· For the Unlimited variation, one-way; fifty moves are allowed for each player. Â· For the Unlimited variation, two-way; seventy moves are allowed for each player. Note: a passed move is still counted as a move for this purpose. Other: Â·

If a game is recorded then all casts of Stones should be shown along with the moves. Â· The main colours of those from New-Camelot are light blue and silver. Â·

The main colours of those of the Dark Realm are dark grey and gold. Â· It is allowed and may be more practical and preferable to use Pentagonal trapezohedron shaped ten-sided dice for the Stones whereby there are five pairs of pictures/symbols/values marked on the sides. Â·

The Dark Encirclement Members are drawn from The Dark Circle, but this grouping and its activities are highly secretive. Â·

If required there are the following abbreviations: 1. LS - The Light Stones 2. DS â€“ The Dark Stones 3. Exc â€“ The Sword Excalibur 4. Gx â€“ The Golden Axe 5. KA â€“ King Arthur 6. RT â€“ The Round Table 7. ME â€“ Merlin 8. Th â€“ The Thief 9. Soc â€“ The Sorcerers 10. CP â€“ The Creatures of the Pit Â·

Players may both agree to play any of the four game variations. In the absence of an agreement then one of the six Stones must be cast and the variation played is according to the value shown as follows: If one: the Limited variation, one-way is played. If two: the Limited variation, two-way is played. If three: the Unlimited variation, one-way is played. If four or five: the Unlimited variation, two-way is played. Â

Either player can insist on the cast of a Stone to decide which variation is played. Â

Pieces (Members) are 3D and Life-like, but where more than one Member occupies an Encirclement position then discs in addition to a 3D piece(s) may be used to indicate the number and denomination of Members occupying the position. Â· Boards should be very large and games can be played with suitable lighting effects including that for Sheltered Positions and Critical Conjunctions. â€¢ The Golden Axe is an exceptionally powerful and dark talismanic weapon and has long been the object of desire by many seeking power for themselves. Those of New-Camelot however are convinced that no good would ever come from the possession or use of such an object and this is why they have given strict instructions to dispose of it permanently if at all possible. The Golden Axe may have been, it is thought, part of the legendary long lost Treasure known as â€œThe Treasure of the Worldâ€ but none now know (even The Dark King) the whereabouts of this treasure except that its location is supposedly somewhere in The Lost World (see Jewel Facet 5: Star-Lords). â€¢ Where Stones of Fortune is played as part of The Dragon Trilogy (see Games by Groupings) then the Light Stone Master must be the same Player or member of the same Team who played the Forest OverLord in the game of Dragon. The same applies to the Dark Stone Master and the Storm OverLord.

Pieces

4. NavalQi NavalQi is a game that is based upon a game invented by Hubert Phillips called Naval War Game which is itself derived from the game usually called Battleships. NavalQi can also be called TigerQi and Qi is here pronounced as in the English word key. NavalQi is the Tie-break game for A Sundry Trio (see Games by Groupings) but can also be played as a stand-alone game. The Players and Sides: The Siberian Admiral, who plays The Siberian Navy and who may be assisted by The Siberian Captain And The Bengal Admiral, who plays The Bengal Navy and who may be assisted by The Bengal Captain The winning Admiral becomes The Sea Lord The Settings: The (mainly) Land area known as The Great Divide, which separates: The Siberian Sea, and The Bengal Sea Also there are Land areas formed by the Admirals Collectively the above are known as The Tiger-Seas The Board before Deployment: Notes on the Board: â€¢ The board is called the â€œTiger-Seas boardâ€ and comprises two Seas each of 15 x 15 squares which are separated by The Great Divide. The Admirals are not allowed, during deployment or play, to see each otherâ€™s board area (Sea) and The Great Divide can be a screen to ensure this. â€¢ Squares are called Positions. â€¢ There are several ways to designate (locate) positions, one is that files (Longitude) are designated A to O (west to east) and that ranks (Latitude, but excluding The Great Divide) are simply designated 01 to 30 (south to north). Longitude is stated first. The Great Divide is referred to by name but can in addition use Longitude designations. â€¢ Although it is possible for Ships to sail between the Siberian Sea and the Bengal Sea the route is not straightforward and is extremely hazardous and so the game (Battle) takes place with the Ships at anchor in their own Sea. â€¢ There were geographical changes (some major and some minor) all over the world during the long-ago time of The Great Change and this is reflected by the board. Overview: The time of NavalQi is a number of years before TigerChess There has been for centuries what is known as The Great Debate (political in nature) which has escalated to The Great Dispute in a huge area which now includes the Emerald Kingdom and also the connected Tiger-Seas (who both have great influence within a huge radius of their location) as to who should (and how) ultimately govern these Areas and now patience is beginning to wear thin and whilst war in the Emerald Kingdom itself is far from imminent or inevitable, (If) it seems that the build-up to War in the Tiger-Seas has reached an unstoppable momentum so as to finally bring about an end to a number of long-standing, often disconnected and geographically widespread but still unresolved arguments, as there are many who feel progress is being seriously impeded by a lack of clear authority. Both sides now prepare to attack their rivalâ€™s Navies in the Tiger-Seas with the Admirals and Captains of the two Navies setting about the deployment and dispositions of their Ships, Personnel and Ordnance. After much thought and consideration to this deployment one of the Admirals will launch the first action in the Battle which will resolve most of what are known as the Sundry Disputes..... Object: The object of the game is to score the higher number of Naval-marks and to sink the opposing Flagship - this wins the Battle. The Navies: The game can have two phases â€“ Primary and Secondary - each with a deployment stage and an engagement stage; there is also a counting stage at the end of each phase. This is explained later. At the commencement of the game each Admiral (player) has 100 Chests of Currency (issued from the Emerald Kingdom â€“ see TigerChess) to spend on their respective Navies which consist of Personnel, Ships and Ordnance and each Admiral must spend at least 40 but no more than 60 of these Chests on Ships. After/alongside this spending the Admirals deploy their Naviesâ€™ various items (pieces) to their respective Seas and also to their Land areas as the Admirals also form such Land as they require on their Seas. After deployment the Admirals will take turns in the use of their Navies. The available items with their cost is as follows: Land: Land 3x3 â€“ no cost Land 2x2 â€“ no cost Navy Personnel: Observers â€“ no cost Eagles (Spotters) â€“ 1 Chest each Bowmen with 1 arrow â€“ 1 Chest each Ships: Flagships + items â€“ no cost but only one per side is allocated in Primary Phase Battleships â€“ 4 Chests each (Floating) Platforms â€“ 4 Chests each Large Ships â€“ 3 Chests each Medium Ships â€“ 2 Chests each Small Ships â€“ 1 Chest each Ordnance: Giant Guns with 1 projectileâ€“10 Chests eachâ€“maximum of three per side allowed Large Guns with 1 projectile â€“ 3 Chests each Standard Guns with 2 projectiles â€“ 1 Chest each Underground Guns with 3 projectiles â€“ 2 Chests each Armoured Shielding 3x3 array of plates â€“ 2 Chests each Repeating Gunsâ€“no cost but only one per side is allocated in Secondary Phase Note: Flagships and Repeating Guns are allocated by the Emerald Kingdom. The deployment, use and capabilities of the above items are as follows: Land: Land may be entered (deployed, formed or placed) onto an Admiralâ€™s Sea at no cost and without limit as to the amount and placing except for the limits of the board itself and the deployment of Ships. Land can be placed as blocks of 3x3 or 2x2 (shown below) and these blocks can adjoin one another or the edges and/or corners of the board. It is a requirement of all Admirals that they place some Land blocks. Land positions can be described as occupied or unoccupied. Sea positions can also be described as occupied or unoccupied but if unoccupied are often called empty Sea. After deployment is finished Land may not be moved, added to or subtracted from for the rest of the game. Personnel: â€¢ Observers are, prior to the commencement of the game, situated on The Great Divide and they report on the happenings of the game, as described later. Observers may also move Personnel and other Navy items where required and count or assist in counting Naval-marks. There are several Bengal Observers (shown as coloured white on the board) and Siberian Observers (shown as coloured orange on the board) and they also act as Rescuers of any Personnel including Eagles who need rescuing from the Seas or Land. Each Observer is a member of the Order of Tigers (see TigerSquares) but he does not actively and directly participate in the Battle, however. Obsevers must act with complete integrity when Reporting etc. In a game there can be one or more people who take the role of Observers when reporting information, moving Navy items or counting Naval-marks, but if not, the Arbiter/Referee (there should be one) or players (Admirals or Captains) must do so. â€¢ Eagles are also called Spotters and are from The Great Forest (see TigerChess) and these creatures act as reconnaissance. An Eagle can only be deployed singly on an unoccupied position of Land or singly on an unoccupied position (section) of a Platform. Each Eagle can only be used once during a game and when (if) he is used the Eagle is despatched to fly to a specified opposing position whereupon the exact and full dispositions of this position and all the adjacent eight positions are seen by the Eagle and reported to his Admiral via an Observer, unless he is shot down (see Bowmen below). At deployment an Eagle is described as an undespatched Eagle and his wings are closed to signify this. When (if) he is despatched then his wings are open and he is now (briefly) described as a despatched Eagle. If the Eagle is then shot down by an opposing Bowman he is described as a downed Eagle and (being rescued by allied Observers) he is then placed on (or around) The Great Divide together with the arrow that he was shot down with and he plays no further part in the game. If the Eagle is not shot down then he reports his information to an allied Observer and lands on The Great Divide as a spent (tired and exhausted) Eagle and his wings are now closed and he plays no further part in the game. Eagles may not be moved during what is called the Primary engagement phase (explained later) of the game except as described above or described later. â€¢ Bowmen can only be deployed singly on an unoccupied position of Land (but see Flagships below). A Bowmen has a long-range Bow with only one exceptionally long and accurate arrow in a quiver. These Bows and their arrows are of the very finest quality and power and are crafted by those of the distant Woodland Kingdom (see Fortress of the Witch). Each Bowman can only be used once during a game and this occurs if and when an opposing Eagle is despatched to his position or any of the adjacant eight positions to this. The Bowman can then shoot down the Eagle (with an arrow through the wing) and so the dispositions that the Eagle would or might have seen are not reported. The Bowmanâ€™s Admiral may, however, choose not to use the Bowman and so may allow the Eagle to return and report dispositions as described above (which would include the positioning of the Bowman). The Bowman is then still available for possible use on a later turn. At deployment a Bowman is described as an armed Bowman and this is signified by his quiver containing his one arrow. When and if he has shot down an Eagle then he is described as an unarmed Bowman and this is signified by his quiver being empty â€“ an unarmed Bowman retires from the Battle and moves to The Great Divide and plays no further part in the game. Bowmen may not be moved during what is called the Primary engagement phase (explained later) of the game except to move them to The Great Divide as described above or described later. Ships: Ships may be deployed on any empty Sea positions but may not adjoin or overlap other Ships and even their corners may not touch. Ships may however adjoin Land positions including any corners and adjoin the edges and/or corners of the board and they may be positioned horizontally or vertically but not diagonally. The number each side deploys of each denomination of Ship depends on their spending, except that each side has and deploys one Flagship. The positions a Ship covers are often called their sections and sections can be described as occupied or unoccupied or as undamaged or damaged. Ships, as will be seen, can be in three self-explanatory states and these are described as: â€¢ Afloat and undamaged. â€¢ Afloat but damaged. â€¢ Sunk. The significance of these three states is explained later. Sunken Ships are taken off the board. Damaged Ships have their damaged sections distinguished by being coloured gray instead of their undamaged colours (described later). If a particular section of a Ship is damaged more than once during the course of a game this does not change anything from when the particular section was damaged just once â€“ if, however, all the sections of a Ship are damaged then the Ship sinks. Ships, other than a Flagship during the Primary engagement phase, may not be moved during either engagement phase (explained later) except to remove sunken Ships. â€¢ Flagships, of which there is only one for each side, occupy five positions in a straight line which is stated as linear 5 x1 (length x width). These Ships fly their sideâ€™s Naval Flag (fixed in their centres), though they are decorative only and have no cost. Flagships have no cost and also come (at no cost) with one Bowman situated in the centre section, also two Large Guns with projectiles are situated, one each, on the two sections next to the Bowman and two Standard Guns with projectiles are situated, one each, on the two end sections. In addition plates of Armoured Shielding are situated on each of the five sections of the Flagship. Nothing further than the above items may be deployed on a Flagship. It should be noted that no other Ships may have Bowmen, Large Guns or Armoured Shielding deployed on them. The Flagships were constructed at great efforts by Shipbuilders from the far-distant Trafalgar Ocean (see Dragon). They are considered the greatest Warships of New-Earth. Moving a Flagship - In the Primary phase (explained later) this specific move is allowed to be made once during engagement. The move (often called changing the Flagshipâ€™s anchorage) is carried out by moving all five sections of the Flagship in unison one position either north, south, east, west, north-east, north-west, south-east or south-west i.e. eight possible moves. The resulting position must not infringe any rule such as those relating to Ships adjoining or touching, or plates of Armoured Shielding overlaping. â€¢ Battleships occupy a linear 4x1 set of positions. Battleships may have Standard Guns singly deployed on one or more of their sections but nothing else may be deployed on them. â€¢ Floating Platforms which can simply be called Platforms. These occupy a 2x2 set of positions and they may have Eagles (Spotters) singly deployed on one or more of their sections but nothing else may be deployed on them. â€¢ Large Ships occupy a linear 3x1 set of positions. They may not have anything deployed on them. â€¢ Medium Ships occupy a linear 2x1 set of positions. They may not have anything deployed on them. â€¢ Small Ships occupy a single 1x1 position. They may not have anything deployed on them. Ordnance: The Guns fired in the course of the Battle are built to fire at very long ranges with accuracy. This requirement causes great stresses to the guns when being fired and so they can only fire one or a very few projectiles before becoming damaged and inoperable (apart from Repeating Guns). After being deployed Ordnance items may not be moved during the game except when removing them from the board as described below. There is some repetition in the following descriptions. â€¢ Giant Guns are more usually called TigerGuns and are the largest guns and fire the largest and heaviest projectiles in New-Earth. These guns and their projectiles are made jointly by the Inhabitants of the Dwellings of the relatively near (westwards) Emerald Kingdom and those of The Great Forest (see TigerChess). These Guns are very rare. An Admiral may not purchase more than three of these guns and they can only be singly deployed to an unoccupied Land position. Each TigerGun comes with one projectile. The forces, stresses and resulting damage to the gun caused by firing such a huge projectile means that a TigerGun can only be used (fired) once in a game whereupon the projectile is fired to and lands upon a specified opposing position and devastates a 5x5 set of positions of which the specified position is the centre. Armoured Shielding is completely ineffective as a protection against the projectile. Details of what happens on these 25 devastated positions are that: Against such huge projectiles plates of Armoured Shielding are of no protection to whoever or whatever occupies the positions and the plates are wrecked and are of no further use and unrepairable. Wrecked plates are, then, thrown into the Sea (taken off the board). Any undespatched Eagles are badly wounded and totally incapacitated as are any armed Bowmen and these Personnel are rescued by allied Observers and taken to The Great Divide. They are, then, placed on (or around) The Great Divide and described as badly wounded Personnel and they play no further part in the game. Any Shipâ€™s sections are damaged and as already stated once all of a Shipâ€™s sections are damaged the Ship sinks. Any Personnel or items of Ordnance occupying these sections suffer the same fate as those occupying Land positions. TigerGuns, Large Guns and Standard Guns (but not Underground Guns), are severely damaged and unuseable and unrepairable as are any of their projectiles. These are cleared from the area and thrown into the Sea (taken off the board). At deployment a TigerGun is described as an operable TigerGun and this is signified by its nearby projectile. After firing its projectile (which is then removed from the board) the TigerGun is described as an inoperable TigerGun and is moved to The Great Divide for possible salvage and plays no further part in the game. â€¢ Large Guns are somewhat smaller than TigerGuns and they and their projectiles are not specially made as are TigerGuns. Large Guns can only be singly deployed to an unoccupied Land position (but see Flagships above). Each Large Gun comes with one projectile. The forces, stresses and resulting damage to the gun caused by firing their large projectile means that a large Gun can only be used (fired) once in a game whereupon the projectile is fired to and lands upon a specified opposing position and damages a 3x3 set of positions of which the specified position is the centre. Armoured Shielding is, however, effective as a protection against the projectile. Details of what happens on these 9 damaged positions are that: Any positions which are protected by plates of Armoured Shielding have no damage done to whoever or whatever occupies them, but these plates themselves are severley damaged and are of no further use and unrepairable. Damaged plates are, then, thrown into the Sea (taken off the board). Any unprotected undespatched Eagles are wounded and totally incapacitated as are any unprotected armed Bowmen and these Personnel are rescued by allied Observers and taken to The Great Divide. They are, then, placed on (or around) The Great Divide and described as wounded Personnel and they play no further part in the game. Any unprotected Shipâ€™s sections are damaged and as already stated once all of a Shipâ€™s sections are damaged the Ship sinks. Any Personnel or items of Ordnance occupying these sections suffer the same fate as those occupying Land positions. Any unprotected TigerGuns, Large Guns and Standard Guns (but not Underground Guns), are severely damaged and unuseable and unrepairable as are any of their projectiles. These are cleared from the area and thrown into the Sea (taken off the board). At deployment a Large Gun is described as an operable Large Gun and this is signified by its nearby projectile. After firing its projectile (which is then removed from the board) the Large Gun is described as an inoperable Large Gun and is moved to The Great Divide for possible salvage and plays no further part in the game. â€¢ Standard Guns are somewhat smaller than Large Guns and they and their projectiles are widely made. Standard Guns can only be singly deployed to an unoccupied Land position or singly deployed to an unoccupied section on a Battleship (but see Flagships above). Each Standard Gun comes with two projectiles. A Standard Gun can fire one or two projectiles on a turn as decided by the Admiral and if firing one projectile then the remaining projectile can be fired at a later turn. The forces, stresses and resulting damage to the gun caused by firing their projectiles means that a Standard Gun can only be used (fired) twice in a game whereupon the one or two projectiles are fired to and land upon one or two specified opposing positions and damage the specified one or two positions. Armoured Shielding is, however, effective as a protection against the projectiles. Details of what happens on these damaged positions are that: Any positions which are protected by plates of Armoured Shielding have no damage done to whoever or whatever occupies them, but these plates themselves are severley damaged and are of no further use and unrepairable. Damaged plates are, then, thrown into the Sea (taken off the board). Any unprotected undespatched Eagles are wounded and totally incapacitated as are any unprotected armed Bowmen and these Personnel are rescued by allied Observers and taken to The Great Divide. They are, then, placed on (or around) The Great Divide and described as wounded Personnel and they play no further part in the game. Any unprotected Shipâ€™s sections are damaged and as already stated once all of a Shipâ€™s sections are damaged the Ship sinks. Any Personnel or items of Ordnance occupying these sections suffer the same fate as those occupying Land positions. Any unprotected TigerGuns, Large Guns and Standard Guns (but not Underground Guns) are severely damaged and unuseable and unrepairable as are any of their projectiles. These are cleared from their positions and and thrown into the Sea (taken off the board). At deployment a Standard Gun is described as an operable Standard Gun and this is signified by its nearby projectiles. After firing both of its projectiles (which are removed from the board as and when fired) the Standard Gun is described as an inoperable Standard Gun and is moved to The Great Divide for possible salvage and plays no further part in the game. â€¢ Underground Guns are of a similar size to Standard Guns though they and their projectiles are not widely made and are somewhat rare. As their name suggests they are situated underground but are raised to the surface when firing; after firing they are retracted back to their underground position where they are safe from attack or damage by any Naval item, even TigerGuns; they can, however, be detected and reported by despatched Eagles whose sharp eyes can see the signs of Underground Guns even if covered by Armoured Shielding. Underground Guns can only be singly deployed to an unoccupied Land position. Each Underground Gun comes with three projectiles. An Underground Gun can fire one, two or three projectiles on a turn as decided by the Admiral and if firing one or two projectiles then the remaining projectile or projectiles can be fired at a later turn(s). The forces, stresses and resulting damage to the gun caused by firing their projectiles means that an Underground Gun can only be used (fired) three times in a game whereupon the one, two or three projectiles are fired to and land upon one, two or three specified opposing positions and damage the specified one, two or three positions. Armoured Shielding is, however, effective as a protection against the projectiles. Details of what happens on these damaged positions are that: Any positions which are protected by plates of Armoured Shielding have no damage done to whoever or whatever occupies them, but these plates themselves are severley damaged and are of no further use and unrepairable. Damaged plates are, then, thrown into the Sea (taken off the board). Any unprotected undespatched Eagles are wounded and totally incapacitated as are any unprotected armed Bowmen and these Personnel are rescued by allied Observers and taken to The Great Divide. They are, then, placed on (or around) The Great Divide and described as wounded Personnel and they play no further part in the game. Any unprotected Shipâ€™s sections are damaged and as already stated once all of a Shipâ€™s sections are damaged the Ship sinks. Any Personnel or items of Ordnance occupying these sections suffer the same fate as those occupying Land positions. Any unprotected TigerGuns, Large Guns and Standard Guns (but not Underground Guns) are severely damaged and unuseable and unrepairable as are any of their projectiles. These are cleared from their positions and thrown into the Sea (taken off the board). At deployment an Underground Gun is described as an operable Underground Gun and this is signified by its nearby projectiles which are stored with the Gun. After firing all of its projectiles (which are removed from the board as and when fired) the Underground Gun is described as an inoperable Underground Gun and is moved to The Great Divide for possible salvage and plays no further part in the game. â€¢ Armoured Shielding consists of nine armoured plates which are in a 3x3 interlinked array. Armoured Shielding can only be deployed to Land positions which may be occupied or unoccupied (but see Flagships). The position of deployment is the centre of the 3x3 position array and must be such that plates do not overlap with the plates of other Armoured Shieldings that have been deployed (or are situated on a Flagship) â€“ their method of construction prevents this. It is allowed for the deployment position to be on the edge or corner of Land blocks and so plates can extend to cover Sea positions and therefore protect sections of Ships and their occupants (whether Personnel and/or Ordnance). If the positioning of the array is such that nine positions are not covered (for example the edge of the board) then there is no compensation for this. This point would also apply to the firing of TigerGuns and Large Guns. It is not allowed to deploy individual plates â€“ they are made at an economical array size and they are impractical to break up and so the array as a whole must be deployed. Flagships however, come already with a special array of 5x1 plates covering each of their five sections. The use of Armoured Shielding as protection is automatic and an Admiral does not have the option to defer their use to a later turn as he does with a Bowman. The use of Armoured Shielding does not constitute an Admiralâ€™s turn. As already described a plate of Armoured Shielding can only be used for protection once and whoever or whatever was protected on the position or section is then not protected any more. In many situations not all of the plates in an array are used, for example there may be several hits on plates in an array by an Underground Gun or a Large Gun but the remaining plates in the array that are not hit can still be used. As already stated Armoured Shielding cannot protect against the projectiles of a TigerGun. Also a despatched Eagle can see and report what a plate protects as well as see and report the plate itself. The following lists every item that is protected from damage or wounding if a plate of Armoured Shielding covers the position or Shipâ€™s section they are occupying. â€¢ An Eagle. â€¢ A Bowman. â€¢ Sections of Ships and their occupants, if there are any (Personnel or Ordnance). â€¢ TigerGuns. â€¢ Large Guns. â€¢ Standard Guns. â€¢ Underground Guns do not require the protection of Armoured Shielding but if any are covered by plates then this is in order. The following lists every item that a plate of Armoured Shield can protect once against: â€¢ A Large Gunâ€™s projectile. â€¢ A Standard Gunâ€™s projectile. â€¢ An Underground Gunâ€™s projectile. Where an item can fire more than one projectile on an Admiralâ€™s turn, e.g. a Standard Gun, then if the first and second projectiles are directed to the same position (or section) and that position is covered by a plate of Armoured Shielding, then the first projectile would be protected against but not the second, and any occupant of the position would then be damaged or wounded. As can be seen, any position (Land or Sea) or Shipâ€™s section can be described as protected or unprotected. Plates of Armoured Shielding are not classed as occupants of positions or Shipâ€™s sections as are other items of Personnel or Ordnance. â€¢ Repeating Guns are deployed and used only if there is a Secondary Phase (explained later) in the Battle and so they are described later. â€¢ The Great Divide is off the board so far as the deployment, use and capabilities of the Naval items are concerned except for what is specifically described. Order of Play: The game has two phases, first of which is the Primary phase, and second of which is the Secondary phase. The Primary phase consists of a spending stage, a deployment stage and an engagement stage. The Secondary phase consists of a repair and re-deployment stage and an engagement stage. In the Primary phase the spending and deployment stages can overlap and/or run alongside each other. At the end of each phase there is a stage of counting of Naval-marks (explained later). The stages are then: 1. Primary phase â€“ spending and deployment 2. Primary phase â€“ engagement 3. First counting of Naval-marks 4. Secondary phase â€“ repair and re-deployment 5. Secondary phase â€“ engagement 6. Final counting of Naval-marks The game may however end before a Secondary phase is reached (explained below). Scoring takes place when the Battle (game) ends. The following is carried out during the above stages: Primary phase â€“ spending and deployment: During this stage each Admiral decides how he will spend his 100 Chests of currency on the available Naval items and how he will deploy the Ships, Personnel and Ordnance that he purchases. Also he will decide where to place Land blocks and where to deploy his Flagship. The Admiral may be assisted during this stage by his Captain. During this stage it is not allowed for an Admiral or Captain to see their opponentâ€™s board (Sea) or to obtain any information as to their opponentâ€™s activities. Primary phase â€“ engagement: After both Admirals have completed their spending and deployment the game moves to the engagement stage and each Admiral will take alternate turns in the use of their Naval items. During this stage an Admiral is not allowed to be assisted by his Captain and neither an Admiral nor a Captain is allowed to see their opponentâ€™s board (Sea) or to obtain any information other than what is properly reported. On his turn, before an Admiral can take an action (listed below) himself, he must first take into account or put into place the effects (if any) on his own Navy of the action of his opponentâ€™s immediately preceding turn. The possible Primary phase - engagement actions that can be taken (none are compulsory) on a turn are: â€¢ To despatch an undespatched Eagle to an opponentâ€™s board (Sea). The Admiral must choose a specific Eagle. â€¢ To shoot down a despatched opposing Eagle with an armed Bowman. The Bowman must be a specific one. â€¢ To fire an operable TigerGun. The Admiral must choose a specific TigerGun. â€¢ To fire an operable Large Gun. The Admiral must choose a specific Large Gun. â€¢ To fire an operable Standard Gun. The Admiral must choose a specific Standard Gun. â€¢ To fire an operable Underground Gun. The Admiral must choose a specific Underground Gun. â€¢ To move (change the anchorage of) the Flagship. This is allowed only once. Each of the above actions constitutes part of what is a composite turn and only one action can be taken on a turn. It is not compulsory to take an action at all on a turn and sometimes not possible to take an action as items start to become exhausted and where this happens an Admiral must state â€œNo Actionâ€. The following list shows the details of the parts making up the possible Primary phase - engagement composite turns. A turn after the opponent has despatched an Eagle which is not shot down consists of two parts and in chronological order they are as follows: 1. Reporting as required (explained below). 2. Taking one of the above possible actions or stating â€œNo Actionâ€. A turn after the opponent has despatched an Eagle which is shot down consists of one part as follows: 1. Shooting down the Eagle by an armed Bowman. This is one of the above possible actions. A turn after the opponent has shot down an Eagle consists of one part as follows: 1. Taking one of the above possible actions or stating â€œNo Actionâ€. A turn after the opponent has fired a gun consists of three parts and in chronological order they are as follows: 1. Putting into place the effects, as described earlier (if any) of the projectile or projectiles that have been fired. 2. Reporting as required (explained below). 3. Taking one of the above possible actions or stating â€œNo Actionâ€. A turn after the opponent has moved his Flagship consists of one part as follows: 1. Taking one of the above possible actions or stating â€œNo Actionâ€. A turn after the opponent has stated â€œNo Actionâ€ consists of one part as follows: 1. Taking one of the above possible actions or stating â€œNo Actionâ€. The Primary phase â€“ engagement stage ends as follows: 1. If all the Ships of one of the Navies are sunk then the phase, and the game, immediately ends. 2. If there are four successive statements of â€œNo Actionâ€ involving both Admirals then the phase ends. First counting of Naval-marks: At the end of the Primary phase â€“ engagement stage there is a First Counting of Naval-marks where the following procedure is carried out for each Navy: â€¢ Ships that are afloat and undamaged are awarded one Naval-mark for each of their sections and so, for example, an undamaged Large Ship is awarded three Naval-marks. â€¢ Ships that are afloat but damaged are also awarded one Naval-mark for each of their sections including the sections that are damaged. For example a Battleship may have three of the four sections damaged but would still remain afloat and would be awarded four Naval-marks. â€¢ Ships that have been sunk are not awarded any Naval-marks and have already been taken off the board. â€¢ The total number of Naval-marks awarded are added up for each Navy and the winning Admiral (player) is the one whose total is the higher and he has won the Battle (game) unless the Admiral with the lower number of Naval-marks still has his Flagship afloat, even if (and however much) damaged. In this situation the game moves to the Secondary phase and the Primary phase is described as inconclusive. â€¢ If the total number of Naval-marks awarded is the same for each Navy, regardless of whether either Flagship is afloat or not, then the game moves to the Secondary phase and the Primary phase is described as inconclusive. â€¢ As can be seen, an Admiral whose Ships have all been sunk will have lost the Battle as he will have no Naval-marks or Flagship afloat whilst his opponent will have at least one Naval-mark and it is not a requirement to have oneâ€™s Flagship afloat in order to win the game. â€¢ During the Counting, until and unless there is a winner, nothing of the Counting is reported or stated except that if there is no winner the game will move to the Secondary phase. Admirals and Captains are still not allowed to see their opponentâ€™s board or to obtain any information and a Captain is not allowed to assist his Admiral. â€¢ To sum up the requirements for a win at this stage are that an Admiral needs to have been awarded the higher number of Naval-marks and to have sunk his opposing Admiralâ€™s Flagship or to have sunk all his opposing Admiralâ€™s Ships. Secondary phase â€“ repair and re-deployment: When and if the game moves to this stage Ships that are still afloat but damaged are fully repaired and no longer have any damaged sections. These repaired Ships together with Ships that are still afloat and undamaged are then re-deployed by their Admirals to their respective Seas. The following apply: â€¢ Land remains positioned the same as in the primary phase and as already stated may not be added to, removed or moved. â€¢ Sunken Ships remain sunk and so play no part in the Secondary phase. â€¢ All Bowman (including any still on board any surviving Flagship) and Eagles (including any still on board any surviving Platforms) are moved to The Great Divide (if not already there) and play no part in the Secondary Phase. â€¢ All Ordnance still on the board from the Primary phase is thrown into the Sea (taken off the board) including any still on board any surviving Flagship or surviving Battleships - except anything that can be salvaged is taken to The Great Divide. Whatever, no Ordnance plays any part in the Secondary phase. â€¢ Each Navy has one Repeating Gun (explained below) allocated to them (at no cost) which is placed on any Land position and is then situated underground. This second deployment or re-deployment of (the surviving) Ships follows the same rules of Ship deployment as already explained for the Primary phase deployment and when completed each Sea (board) will only have placed on it unoccupied and undamaged Ships and unoccupied Land except for one Repeating Gun placed on a Land position from where it cannot be moved. There is no protection from Armoured Shielding as this will have all been removed. Any Flagship now only differs from other Ships by its greater size and its (decorative only) Flag. An Admiral may be assisted by his Captain during this stage. During this stage it is not allowed for an Admiral or Captain to see their opponentâ€™s board (Sea) or to obtain any information as to their opponentâ€™s activities. A Repeating Gun is similar to an Underground Gun except that these Guns remain operable for very long and sustained use â€“ sufficient for the remainder of the Battle (game). They are completely safe from damage by the projectiles of another Repeating Gun and on each turn they fire three projectiles. Each of these projectiles can damage a Shipâ€™s section and as already stated once all of a Shipâ€™s sections are damaged the Ship sinks. These Guns are are made with the utmost precision by the same makers of the TigerGuns and are exceedingly rare. The projectiles are stored and fed into the Gun from deep underground and do not appear on the board. There are sufficient Projectiles for the remainder of the Battle (game). Secondary phase â€“ engagement: After both Admirals have completed their re- deployment the game moves to the Secondary engagement stage and each Admiral will take alternate turns in the firing of their Repeating Guns to specified opposing positions. During this stage an Admiral is not allowed to be assisted by his Captain and neither an Admiral nor a Captain is allowed to see their opponentâ€™s board (Sea) or to obtain any information other than what is properly reported. A Secondary phase turn consists of three parts and in chronological order they are as follows: 1. Putting into place the effects, as described above (if any) of the three projectiles that have been fired by his opponent on the opponentâ€™s immediately preceding turn. 2. Reporting as required (explained below). 3. Firing his own Gunâ€™s three projectiles. The Admiral must state specific opposing destination positions for the three projectiles that are fired. The Secondary phase â€“ engagement stage, and the game, ends immediately when, but not before, all the Ships of one of the Navies are sunk. As can be seen, the object during the Secondary phase - engagement is to sink all the opponentâ€™s Ships before he sinks all of oneâ€™s own Ships. Final counting of Naval-marks: At the end of the Secondary phase â€“ engagement stage there is a Final counting of Naval-marks (so as to have a complete record) where the principles of awarding Naval-marks is the same as for the First counting and the Admiral with one or more Ships still afloat wins the Battle. The Naval-marks awarded during the First counting are disregarded and not taken into account for the Final count. Reporting requirements: There are requirements to state information at various stages of the game and the following lists when and what must be stated or disclosed. There is some leeway with the actual wording but the information stated must meet the substance of the requirements. â€¢ An Admiral must state that all his Ships are sunk immediately this happens. When taking one of the actions listed earlier during the Primary engagement phase an Admiral must state the following: â€¢ When despatching an (undespatched) Eagle an Admiral must state that he is despatching an Eagle and to which specific position in his opponentâ€™s board the Eagle is being despatched to. He does not have to state the position the Eagle is despatched from. â€¢ When an Admiral shoots down an Eagle with an (armed) Bowman he must state that the Eagle has been shot down by a Bowman. He does not have to state the position the Bowman is occupying. If the Eagle is not shot down then the Admiral must state this. â€¢ When firing an (operable) TigerGun an Admiral must state that he is firing a TigerGun and to which specific position in his opponentâ€™s board the Gunâ€™s projectile is being fired to. He does not have to state the position the TigerGun is occupying. â€¢ When firing an (operable) Large Gun an Admiral must state that he is firing a Large Gun and to which specific position in his opponentâ€™s board the Gunâ€™s projectile is being fired to. He does not have to state the position the Large gun is occupying. â€¢ When firing an (operable) Standard Gun an Admiral must state that he is firing a Standard Gun and to which specific one or two positions in his opponentâ€™s board the Gunâ€™s one or two projectiles are being fired to. He does not have to state the position the Standard gun is occupying. â€¢ When firing an (operable) Underground Gun an Admiral must state that he is firing an Underground Gun and to which specific one, two or three positions in his opponentâ€™s board the Gunâ€™s one, two or three projectiles are being fired to. He does not have to state the position the Underground Gun is occupying. â€¢ When moving a Flagship an Admiral must state that he is moving (or changing the anchorage of) his Flagship. He does not have to state either of the from or to positions. During the Secondary engagement phase an Admiral must state the following for the action he takes: â€¢ When firing his Repeating Gun an Admiral must state that he is firing his Repeating Gun and to which specific three positions in his opponentâ€™s board the Gunâ€™s three projectiles are being fired to. He does not have to state the position the Repeating Gun is occupying. Immediately following an action by his opponent (in either phase) an Admiral must put into place the effects and/or damage (if any) of the action and he or an opposing Observer must report to the opposing Admiral as follows: 1. If an (operable) Gunâ€™s projectile or projectiles have been fired then the Admiral must put into effect the damage as described earlier (e.g. severely damaged Guns or plates of Armoured Shielding must be removed from the Board, Shipâ€™s sections that are damaged must now be shown as gray in colour, Sunken Ships must be removed from the board etc.). The Observer or Admiral then reports this damage (or states that there has been no damage or effects) and basically he must state exactly what has occurred but not the positions where. Specifically he must state the following (if any have occurred): Note â€“ In the Secondary phase, information regarding Personnel, Armoured Shielding etc. will not be required as these are no longer on the board. Note â€“ Type of position can be Land, Sea or Shipâ€™s section (damaged or undamaged), occupied or unoccupied, protected or unprotected (by Armoured Shielding). a) The number of plates of Armoured Shielding that have been wrecked or severely damaged. He does not have to state which positions they covered or the type of positions. b) The number and denomination of Guns that have been severely damaged. He does not have to state which positions they occupied or the type of positions. c) The number of (undespatched) Eagles that have been wounded or badly wounded. He does not have to state which positions they occupied or the type of positions. d) The number of (armed) Bowmen that have been wounded or badly wounded. He does not have to state which positions they occupied or the type of positions. e) The number and denomination of Ships that have been sunk. He does not have to state which positions these Ships occupied or the type of positions, or how much damage, if any, they had previously sustained or how many new â€œhitsâ€ occurred. f) The number of undamaged sections now damaged on Ships that are still afloat and what the Shipsâ€™ denominations are. This must be stated for each individual Ship that has had damage inflicted on it. The Observer or Admiral does not have to state which positions these sections occupied or the type of positions, or whether the sections were occupied or unoccupied, or how much damage, if any, their Ships had previously sustained or now have. 2. If an undespatched Eagle has been despatched and has not been shot down then the Admiral or an Observer allied to the Eagle must report to the Eagleâ€™s Admiral the full and exact dispositions on the stated destination position and on the eight adjacent positions. Specifically he must state the following for each of the nine positions: a) The designation (location) of the position and whether Land, Sea, or a damaged or undamaged Shipâ€™s section and which denomination of Ship - he does not have to state which particular section of the Ship the section is (e.g. centre section of the Flagship or end section of a Battleship). b) Whether or not the position is occupied and if so exactly who or what is the occupant. The description of the occupant must be full e.g. a Gun described as Large or Standard etc. and, if relevant, the number of its projectiles still unfired. c) Whether or not the position is protected by a plate of Armoured Shielding. He does not have to state which position in its array the plate is. Scoring: Although the number of Naval-marks awarded to each Admiral is crucial in deciding who the winner of the game is, the actual (Tigerâ€™s-Eye) Game Points scored by the winner do not depend on how many Naval-marks were awarded to the winner or the margin of the win. When played as a stand-alone game, the winning Admiral scores as follows: â€¢ For a Primary phase win the Game Points score is 4-0 to the winning Admiral. â€¢ For a Secondary phase win the Game Points score is 2-0 to the winning Admiral. When played as a Tie-break game for A Sundry Trio then the scores for the individual game are as above but the points are (Tigerâ€™s-Eye) Nominal Points. The Game Points scored for the Overall Win Reward for winning the Trio however, are not the usual 3 Game Points but 4 Game Points or 2 Game Points in accordance with the phase of the win as above. Observers: The following is a list of all that Observers may do during the game: â€¢ An allied Observer may relay to the opposing Admiral statements on actions taken by his own Admiral. â€¢ An allied Observer may relay and report to his Admiral the full and exact dispositions seen by their despatched Eagles. â€¢ An allied Observer may put into place the effects and damage (if any) resulting from the immediately preceding turn of the opposing Admiral. An opposing Observer may then report the effects and damage (or state there were none) to his own Admiral. â€¢ An allied Observer may rescue any wounded Personnel from Sea, Land or Ships including downed Eagles and move them to The Great Divide. â€¢ An allied Observer may move any Personnel to The Great Divide where required as described. â€¢ An allied Observer may remove sunken Ships from the board or remove Ordnance from the board (or move to The Great Divide) where required as described. â€¢ Observers may assist in the countings of Naval-marks. â€¢ Observers may fully record a game and if not, any Arbiter or Referee may do so. General rules & notes: â€¢ Boards should be very large and Ships and other items should be realistic and are 3D. There can be suitable audio effects, for example the sounds of Guns firing. â€¢ All wounded and badly wounded Personnel including downed Eagles make a full recovery. â€¢ Siberian colours for all Navy items are primarily orange with some white and some black. Bengal colours for all Navy items are primarily white with some black. â€¢ Clocks are called Composite Countdown clocks and an example of their working is: 1) Primary phase â€“ spending and deployment. A single clock will have say 90 minutes entered on it which will count down to zero and if an Admiral has not then completed his spending and deployment he will be allowed no more of such, though he does not lose the game on time . Any unused time on this clock is not carried forward. 2) Primary phase â€“ engagement. Both Admirals now have a clock each and have say 90 minutes entered on each of them. These clocks will count down and if a clock reaches zero then that Admiral can take no further actions himself for this stage, though he does not lose the game on time. 3) First counting of Naval-marks. This should be completed within a reasonable time without the need to use a clock. It is allowed though to re-set the single clock with say 30 minutes entered on it. Any unused time on this clock is not carried forward. 4) Secondary phase â€“ repair and re-deployment. The single clock is re-set with say 30 minutes entered on it which will count down to zero and if an Admiral has not then completed his re- deployment he will be allowed no more of such, though he does not lose the game on time . Any unused time on this clock is not carried forward. 5) Secondary phase â€“ engagement. The individual clocks of each Admiral have say 30 minutes entered on each of them plus any unused time from the Primary phase â€“ engagement stage. These clocks will count down and if a clock reaches zero then that Admiral can take no further actions and loses the game on time. 6) Final counting of Naval-marks. This should be completed within a reasonable time without the need to use a clock. It is allowed though to re-set the single clock with say 30 minutes entered on it. 7) Suitable amounts of time lagging should be set where appropriate to allow for such things as physical movements when removing sunken Ships from the board etc. â€¢ It is not necessary to appoint a Captain or to request his assistance if there is one. Should a Captain at any stage see the opposing board or obtain information he should not have, then he should not assist or consult any more with his Admiral. â€¢ It is allowed for each Admiral to have an additional board to plot such information as he properly obtains concerning his opponentâ€™s dispositions. â€¢ Before a game commences Admirals must roll a standard dice or coin to decide who takes the first turn in Primary engagement. The winner of this roll takes the first turn and it is not allowed for this Admiral to state â€œNo actionâ€ on his first turn. If there is a Secondary phase then the Admiral who lost the dice or coin roll takes the first turn in Secondary engagement. â€¢ There is nothing to prevent an Admiral from repeatedly firing to the same position(s) inadvertently. â€¢ The Sea Lord plays a considerably more active and influential role than does an Admiral with regard to the ongoing Great Debate/Dispute and he has a prominent place in The Great Council which meets fairly regularly and where attempts are made to reach agreement and enact legislation that applies to The Emerald Kingdom, The Tiger-Seas and other connected areas. One major, so far un-enacted, item of continuing debate is what is called the Primary Directive (Law) which states that â€œThere shall be Justice and Fairness in all thingsâ€. â€¢ The Naval Flags are the same as the Standards of TigerChess except that the background for the Siberian Naval Flag is mid-blue and the background for the Bengal Naval Flag is light-blue. Abbreviations: If required there are the following abbreviations: â€¢ The Siberian Flagship - SFg â€¢ The Bengal Flagship - BFg â€¢ A Siberian Battleship - SBp â€¢ A Bengal Battleship - BBp â€¢ A Siberian Floating Platform - SFp â€¢ A Bengal Floating Platform - BFp â€¢ A Siberian Large Ship - SLp â€¢ A Bengal Large Ship - BLp â€¢ A Siberian Medium Ship - SMp â€¢ A Bengal Medium Ship - BMp â€¢ A Siberian Small Ship - SSp â€¢ A Bengal Small Ship - BSp â€¢ A Siberian Eagle-(undespatched, returned etc). - SEg â€¢ A Bengal Eagle-(undespatched, returned etc). - BEg â€¢ A Siberian Bowman-(armed, unarmed etc). - SBm â€¢ A Bengal Bowman-(armed, unarmed etc). - BBm â€¢ A Siberian TigerGun-(operable, inoperable etc). STg â€¢ A Bengal TigerGun-(operable, inoperable etc.). - BTg â€¢ A Siberian TigerGun projectile - STpr â€¢ A Bengal TigerGun projectile - BTpr â€¢ A Siberian Large Gun-(operable, inoperable etc.). - SLg â€¢ A Bengal Large Gun-(operable, inoperable etc.). - BLg â€¢ A Siberian Large Gun projectile - SLpr â€¢ A Bengal Large Gun projectile - BLpr â€¢ A Siberian Standard Gun-(operable, inoperable etc.). - SSg â€¢ A Bengal Standard Gun-(operable, inoperable etc.). - BSg â€¢ A Siberian Standard Gun projectile - SSpr â€¢ A Bengal Standard Gun projectile - BSpr â€¢ A Siberian Underground Gun-(operable, inoperable etc.). - SUg â€¢ A Bengal Underground (operable, inoperable etc.). - BUg â€¢ A Siberian Underground Gun projectile - SUpr â€¢ A Bengal Underground Gun projectile - BUpr â€¢ A Siberian Repeating Gun - SRg â€¢ A Bengal Repeating Gun - BRg â€¢ A Siberian Repeating Gun projectile - SRpr â€¢ A Bengal Repeating Gun projectile - BRpr â€¢ An undamaged Siberian plate of Armoured Shielding - SASp â€¢ An undamaged Bengal plate of Armoured Shielding - BASp

Rules

5. TigerBridge or Blade The Medieval Search known as TigerBridge Which is based on Whist and Contract Bridge And is a Fulcrum Game Contents: Terminology and Territories Rank and Bidding Scoring Rules A Question of Balance TigerBlades The card game of Contract Bridge (and various Whist games) are still played, but at New-Camelot (before the time of King Arthur), it was found that the game would be more popular with simplified scoring and changes to the Bidding system, and so modifications were made, and the modified game is called TigerBridge (aka Blade) and is a popular pastime, sometimes played for fun, but usually as a serious Game where players go in Search of the elusive Balancing-point. The modifications are as follows: Terminology was changed to what was thought to be more appropriate: Cards are known as Blades Suits are known as Territories Packs are still known as Packs Hands are known as Blade-hands Trumps are known as Crests The Contract is known as The Proclamation Declarer is known as Proclaimer Dummy is known as The Lookout Tricks are known as Rounds Undertricks are known as Rounds-under Overtricks are known as Rounds-over Passing during the Bidding is known as Declining The Territories and their rank were changed to what was thought to be more appropriate. The TigerBridge names and ranking for Bidding purposes are shown with Contract Bridge equivalents. TigerBridge Contract Bridge Forests Spades Lakes Hearts (Snowcapped) Mountains Diamonds Rivers Clubs No Crests (lowest rank) No Trumps (highest rank) The Rank of the Blades was changed to what was thought to be more appropriate. The TigerBridge ranking is shown with Contract Bridge equivalents. This Pack of Cards (Blades) is known as â€œThe Forest Animalsâ€™ design packâ€. Note: All this Packâ€™s Blades have a certain amount of features of a Forest and its Wildlife. TigerBridge Contract Bridge Tiger (picture) Ace Bear (picture) King Snow Leopard (picture) Queen Wolf (picture) Jack Pike (picture) Ten Eight Nine Seven Eight Six Seven Five Six Four Five Three Four Two Three One Two The top five (picture) ranking Blades can also be in descending order - King, Queen. Prince, Princess and Knight and this is known as the Royal design pack. The Bidding. It was felt that a Bid to win a certain number of Rounds should mean precisely what is said, and so a Bid of seven Lakes means that the Bidder has Proclaimed to take seven Rounds with Lakes as Crests. The minimum number of Rounds that can be Bid is five and the maximum number of Rounds that can be Bid is nine and there is no doubling and so no re-doubling. The total possible number of Bids in TigerBridge is therefore twenty five. The Bidding numbers for TigerBridge are shown with Contract Bridge equivalents. TigerBridge Contract Bridge Five No equivalent Six No equivalent Seven One Eight Two Nine Three No equivalent Four No equivalent Five No equivalent Six No equivalent Seven The Scoring was simplified by awarding one Blade-mark for every Round-over to Proclaimerâ€™s Partnership up to a maximum of five and one Blade-mark for every Round-under to Defendersâ€™ Partnership up to a maximum of five. Upon a Partnership reaching a minimum of six Blade-marks and leading by two or more Blade-marks, or failing this the first Partnership to reach fifteen Blade-marks, this forms a Holding (of Blade-marks) and one Game Point is credited to them and a new Holding begun â€“ any excess Blade-marks (over the minimum required) are carried forward to the new Holding except when the game is concluded. The Game is concluded when a Partnership wins two Holdings, and if their opponents have not won a Holding an additional Game Point is awarded. The Game score therefore is either 2-1 or 3-0 to the winning Partnership. The Scoring Table is set out below: Rounds-over Blade-marks awarded by Proclaimer to Proclaimerâ€™s Partnership For each Round-over One to a maximum of five Rounds-under Blade-marks awarded by Proclaimer to Defendersâ€™ Partnership For each Round-under One to a maximum of five Partnership Partnership Game Holding awarded Points awarded Minimum of six Blade-marks one and difference of two or greater (or failing this the first to fifteen). Excess is c/fwd. except when Game won. A Game is concluded upon a Partnership reaching two Game Points. An additional Game Point is awarded to the winning Partnership if their opponents have no Game Points. The remaining rules of TigerBridge generally follow those of Contract Bridge, with one or two exceptions. The main rules are listed below. 1) The last player to Bid is Proclaimer and this Bid is the Proclamation. 2) Proclaimerâ€™s Partner is called The Lookout. 3) Proclaimer plays The Lookoutâ€™s Blade-hand. 4) Defenders are the Partnership not holding the Proclamation. 5) The Bidding ends when three players have declined in succession after a Bid. 6) Play of Blades is clockwise. 7) The lead on the first Round is by the Defender to Proclaimerâ€™s left. 8) The Lookout must turn his/her Blades upright after the first Blade is played. 9) Players must follow Territory if able to do so. 10) A Round is won by the highest Crest played, or if no Crest is played, the highest Blade of the Territory led. 11) A Bid must be higher than the previous Bid. 12) Bids rank first according to the number Bid, and second according to the Territory designated as Crests or no Crests. 13) The winner of a Round must lead to the following Round. 14) Partners may be determined by agreement or by a draw of Blades where number ranks high, followed by rank of Territory. 15) Dealer is determined initially by a draw of Blades where number ranks high followed by rank of Territory. The Deal then passes to the player on the left of the current Dealer thereafter. The Pack must be shuffled/cut at all appropriate times. 16) The player to the left of Dealer has the right of first Bid. 17) Bidding takes place in a clockwise direction. 18) Should all the players decline to Bid, they must proceed to the next Deal. 19) Clocks are not usually used, though in tournament or match play players would be expected to state their Bid, decline to Bid or play their Blade in no more than one minute or so. Should a player persistently exceed this time, then it is in order for an opponent to insist that this guideline be followed. 20) Two Packs of Blades should be used with appropriate wildlife designs on their backs. Each design is shown on both halves of the Blade backs. A Question of Balance. One of the purposes of the Scoring and Bidding systems was to bring in the idea of a Balancing-point in the Bidding. This can best be illustrated with an example of TigerBridge where the Partnerships are called â€œNSâ€ and â€œEWâ€. We will assume all the players know that NS can take ten Rounds in Lakes and that EW can take four Rounds in Forests and that this is the most Rounds they can win. The Bidding could go as follows: NS Bid 5 Lakes which gives 5 Rounds-over and 5 Blade-marks to NS EW Bid 5 Forests which goes 1 Round-under and gives 1 Blade-mark to NS NS Bid 6 Lakes which gives 4 Rounds-over and 4 Blade-marks to NS EW Bid 6 Forests which goes 2 Rounds-under and gives 2 Blade-marks to NS NS Bid 7 Lakes which gives 3 Rounds-over and 3 Blade-marks to NS EW Bid 7 Forests which goes 3 Rounds-under and gives 3 Blade-marks to NS We have reached the Balancing-point of seven Rounds where Blade-marks awarded have evened out. In some situations the Balancing-point will be between Bids, as would be the case were NS able to take nine Rounds and EW six Rounds; here the Balancing-point would be a theoretical seven and a half Rounds. If the Bidding were to continue in the example, the following would apply: NS Bid 8 Lakes which gives 2 Rounds-over and two Blade-marks to NS EW Bid 8 Forests which goes 4 Rounds-under and gives four Blade-marks to NS NS Bid 9 Lakes which gives 1 Round-over and one Blade-mark to NS EW Bid 9 Forests which goes 5 Rounds-under and gives five Blade-marks to NS As can be seen, both Partnerships would want to hold the Proclamation below the Balancing-point, but above the Balancing-point both Partnerships would want their opponents to hold the Proclamation. In the above example all the players were assumed to know the whole situation, but in a Game of course this would have to be deduced from the Bidding, and the Balancing-point would be a matter of judgement and could change according to the Bidding. The Bidding could also be subjected to disruptive Bids and bluff and counter-bluff. TigerBlades (Not to be confused with the head Blade of each Territory) are not allowed in tournament playing of TigerBridge but are sometimes included (as an option only) as part of a social Game. When in use the rules governing their play are: 1) A TigerBlade may be played once only by each Partnership in the course of a Game. 2) A TigerBlade may be played in lieu of a third successive decline following a Bid, whereupon the Bidding ends and Proclaimer will be the player to the left of the Defender playing the TigerBlade. 3) For this Proclamation only, all Rounds-over and Rounds-under shall score two Blade-marks each, to a maximum of six Blade-marks awarded. 4) The first TigerBlade may be played by either Partnership. 5) There is no requirement for a TigerBlade to be played during a Game. At the beginning of the Game each player is dealt a TigerBlade, which shows a White Tiger, face down. When this Blade is played the player concerned turns this Blade over (showing the White Tiger) and places it towards the centre of the Table. This signifies the Bid.

Notes

6. Revolver Revolver - A marked game. Revolver can be played as a Stand-alone game or a Linked-series of games and is based upon the card games of Brag and Poker. The game only scores Game Points when played as part of A Sundry Trio (see Games by Groupings) and must then abide by the following standard rules. There are many â€œhouseâ€ or private variations but the standard format and rules for play is as follows: â€¢ The number of Players to start (Contest in) a Game is from five to seven. â€¢ Players are named as they so choose. â€¢ Each Player is issued with 100 Bullet-marks (tokens). â€¢ There is an unissued Reserve of 50 Bullet-marks allocated for each Player. â€¢ The Players are seated at a suitable table with packs of cards. â€¢ The table is called the Revolver Table and has a fixed number of Places (Seats) which is the number of Players that are initially Contesting. â€¢ The card packs are the 52 card packs which are the Revolver packs (see below). Each design on the back of the cards is shown on both halves. â€¢ The individual cards are called Bullets. â€¢ A pack of cards is called a Holster. â€¢ The Bullets rank by number of Rank first which is from one to Marshall (highest) and by Region (suit) if the number is equal. For example the Seven of Forests ranks higher than the Seven of Mountains but the Seven of Mountains ranks higher than the Six of Forests. â€¢ The first Dealer is decided by cutting the Bullets - afterwards the Deal moves round one clockwise after each Round of Play. â€¢ The first Reservist (explained below) is then decided as being the Player most oppositely placed to the Dealer as possible, perhaps with the use of a further cut of the Bullets. This position moves round one clockwise after each Round of Play. â€¢ Each Player is Dealt four Bullets. The Dealer Deals one Bullet at a time clockwise to each Player in turn. After this, one more Bullet is Dealt and placed in the centre of the Table and this is called the Silver Bullet. All these Bullets are Dealt face-down. â€¢ The four Bullets are known as a Gun-hand. â€¢ After Placing Bullet-marks and reaching a Showdown (explained below) the Winner of the Round is the Player in the Showdown with the highest ranking Gun-hand or the only Player left in the Round. This completes what is called a â€œRound of Playâ€ or more simply called a Round. â€¢ There are fifteen Rounds (maximum) played during a Game of Revolver unless two or more Players have tied (see below). â€¢ The Ranking of Bullets (cards) for the Revolver Holster (pack) is as follows: 1. Marshall (picture) 2. Sheriff (picture) 3. Deputy (picture) 4. Bailiff (picture) 5. Nine 6. Eight 7. Seven 8. Six 9. Five 10. Four 11. Three 12. Two 13. One â€¢ The Ranking of Regions (Suits) for the Revolver Holster (pack) is as follows: 1. Forests 2. Grasslands 3. (Dry & Rocky) Mountains 4. Deserts â€¢ The Ranking of Gun-hands is as follows: 1. The Foremost Bridge, which is to hold all four of the Marshalls. 2. A Primary River, which is to hold the top four Bullets of a Region e.g. the Marshall, Sheriff, Deputy and Bailiff of Forests. 3. A Bridge, which is to hold all four Bullets of a rank other than the Marshalls. For example four Nines would be called a Bridge of Nines. 4. A River, which is to hold four consecutive ranks of Bullet in the same Region other than the top four ranks. For example the Seven, Eight, Nine and Bailiff of Grasslands. 5. A Stream, which is to hold four consecutive ranks of Bullet, but not all in the same Region. 6. A Gathering, which is to hold four Bullets of the same Region but which do not run consecutively. 7. A Crossing, which is to hold three Bullets of the same rank but where the fourth Bullet is of a different rank. 8. Stepping-stones, which is to hold two different pairs of same ranked Bullets. 9. A Match, which is to hold one pair of same ranked Bullets but two Bullets of different rank to the pair and to each other. 10. A Fling, which is none of the above and is described by its highest Bullet as e.g. an Eight Fling. Where Gun-hands are equal, then rank of number(s) and then rank of Region is used to determine the highest Gun-hand. The standard ideas used in Poker apply also e.g. in two Gatherings the highest numbered Bullet is first used to determine a winner, then the second highest if necessary, etc. until (if) Region is needed to be used. â€œRaritiesâ€ are collectable for the above four Gun-hands, if any appear, from each Player at the Table and are twenty Bullet-marks for a Foremost Bridge, fifteen for a Primary River, ten for a Bridge and five for a River. Note: â€œappearâ€ means Dealt and not after the Silver Bullet has been used. The Order of Play for a Round is as follows: â€¢ The Players, each in turn from first left of Dealer, must each first â€œPlaceâ€ five Bullet-marks to be dealt a Gun-hand. This fixed amount (called the â€œEntrance amountâ€) is Placed in front of them and forms part of their â€œBarrelâ€. A Player may choose to miss out a particular Round and will then simply state â€œWithdrawâ€ and not Place this amount or receive a Gun-hand, also the Deal or Reserve will â€œskipâ€ over him if either would have come to him and he is called a â€œWithdrawer for the Roundâ€. Withdrawing is only allowed three times per Player during the course of a Game of Revolver - he may stay in his Seat. A Player may also choose to miss the rest of the Game and will simply state â€œLeaveâ€ and is called a â€œLeaver for the Gameâ€ - he should leave the Table. A Player may also have to miss the rest of the Game (explained later) and will simply state â€œFinishâ€ and is called â€œFinished for the Gameâ€ - he should leave the Table. This part of a Round is called â€œthe first shot: Enter-in or Outâ€. â€¢ The Bullets are now Dealt. This part of a Round is called â€œthe second shot: the Dealâ€. â€¢ The Player left of the Dealer (who is called First-draw) now has a choice of â€œDecliningâ€ or â€œPlacingâ€ five Bullet-marks (a fixed amount and called the â€œamount to Contestâ€) in his Barrel. If he Declines he does not Contest the Round and is called a Non-contestant for that Round and is said â€œto have not Contested for the Roundâ€ - but this is not the same as withdrawing as he will have already Placed five Bullet-marks for a Gun-hand. If he Places the amount to Contest of five Bullet-marks he is then Contesting and is called a Contestant and is said â€œto have Contested for the Roundâ€. The Player to the left of First-draw has the same choices as does First-draw i.e. to Decline or to Place the amount to Contest of five Bullet-marks in his Barrel, but in addition he can â€œRaise the Placementâ€ by a further five Bullet-marks (if First-draw has Placed his five) and would then Place ten Bullet-marks in his Barrel. The next Player to the left has a similar three choices as the previous Player i.e. To Decline and so not Contest the Round or; To Place the higher of the amount to Contest or the previous Placement (if any) of Bullet-marks (up to possibly ten) or; To Raise the previous Placement (if any) by a further five Bullet-marks (up to possibly fifteen). This process continues for each of the Players and so the turn arrives back at the first Contestant who will be the first player to the left of the Dealer not to Decline. This part of a Round is called â€œthe third shot: Contest or Declineâ€. Note: Raises here must be the same amount as the amount to Contest. â€¢ The first Contestant must now choose to Match the highest Barrel (if necessary, as there may not have been any Raises) by Placing the necessary Bullet-marks in his Barrel or he must Decline and not further Contest the Round and he will be said to â€œnot to have Matched for the Roundâ€. This continues for each of the Players in turn to the left and so the remaining Contestants will then have equal sized Barrels and are said â€œto have Matched for the Roundâ€. This part of a Round is called â€œthe third shot ricochet: Match or Declineâ€. â€¢ The Silver Bullet is now turned face upwards and the remaining Contestants can Bid in an Auction to replace any one of their Bullets (which will be discarded face down) with the Silver Bullet. The first choice to Bid or not is by the first remaining Contestant to the left of the Dealer and can be of any amount up to five Bullet-marks. Each Contestant in turn to the left may make a higher Bid by up to five Bullet-marks or state â€œNo Bidâ€ (though he may return to the Bidding later until the Auction is over). The Auction is over when all Contestants state No Bid consecutively after the winning Bidder and then this winning last (and highest) Bidder has the Silver Bullet. The amount that the winning Bidder has Bid must be Placed in his Barrel and this is not returnable unless he wins the Round. Unsuccessful Bidders do not have their Bids Placed in their Barrels. This part of a Round is called â€œthe fourth shot: the Silver Bulletâ€. Note: If the Player holding the Silver Bullet goes on to win the Round and the Silver Bullet is the deciding factor in the win it is then known as â€œthe Magic Bulletâ€. â€¢ The next part (even if there are no bids in the Auction) of the Round is the same as the â€œContest or Declineâ€ part except that the Placements are now double the amounts - the first remaining Contestant to left of Dealer (called First-draw) has a choice of Declining and so not further Contesting the Round or Placing the fixed amount of ten Bullet-marks called â€œthe Step-up amountâ€ in his Barrel. â€¢ The Player to the left of First-draw has the same choices as does First-draw i.e. to Decline or to Place the Step-up amount of ten Bullet-marks in his Barrel and so â€œto have Stepped-up for the Roundâ€, but in addition he can Raise the Placement by a further ten Bullet-marks (if First-draw has Placed his ten) and would then Place twenty Bullet-marks in his Barrel. â€¢ The next Player to the left has a similar three choices as the previous Player i.e. To Decline and soâ€ not to have Stepped-up for the Roundâ€ or; To Place the higher of the Step-up amount or the previous Placement of Bullet-marks, if any, (up to possibly twenty) or; To Raise the previous Placement (if any) by a further ten Bullet-marks (up to possibly thirty). This process continues for each of the Players and so the turn arrives back at the first Contestant who will be the first Player to the left of the Dealer not to Decline. This part of a Round is called â€œthe fifth shot: Step-up or Declineâ€. Note: Raises here must be the same amount as the Step-up amount. â€¢ The next part of the Round is the same as the â€œMatch or Declineâ€ part - The first Contestant must now choose to match the highest Barrel (if necessary, as there may not have been any Raises) by Placing the necessary Bullet-marks in his Barrel or he must Decline and so not further Contest the Round and he is said to â€œnot to have Re-matched for the Roundâ€. This continues for each of the Players in turn to the left and so the remaining Contestants will then have equal sized Barrels and are said â€œto have Re-matched for the Roundâ€. This part of a Round is called â€œthe fifth shot ricochet: Re-match or Declineâ€. Note: An amount placed in a Barrel by a winning Bidder during the Silver Bullet Auction must not be counted for either the fifth shot or fifth shot ricochet parts of the Round. â€¢ The next and final part of the Round is that the remaining Contestants show their Gun-hands and the Player with the highest ranking Gun-hand wins all the Barrels on the Table. This final part of a Round is called â€œthe sixth shot: the Showdownâ€. Play now proceeds to the next Round. â€¢ If at any time during a Round there is only one Contestant left then he will have won the Round and wins all the Barrels on the Table and he need not show his Gun-hand. â€¢ Once a Player Declines he can no longer Contest the Round. â€¢ Amounts Placed in Barrels are not returned to a Player unless he wins the Round. Scores: There are no Game or Nominal Points awarded for Revolver other than when played as part of A Sundry Trio but the Winners of any Titles that are made known may attract attention and may be noted and so recorded, possibly in detail. Clocks: Clocks are not usually used in Revolver but Players are expected not to delay beyond a minute or so before deciding upon matters such as whether to Decline or Raise a Placement or make a Bid in the Auction etc. Other Rules: â€¢ The Winner of a Game of Revolver is the last Player left in the Game or the Player with the highest total of Bullet-marks at the end of fifteen Rounds. The total Bullet-marks of a Player include any unissued Reserve allocation of his. If there are two or more Players level on Bullet-marks then one more Round is played just with these Players (Withdrawing is not allowed here) and the Player then with the highest number of Bullet-marks (including their Reserve allocation) is the Winner. When the winner is being decided upon by a count of Bullet-marks it must be noted that the count of total Bullet-marks must not include any Bullet-marks brought forward for any reason at the beginning of the Game and this rule applies to all such situations; an example would be where the previous winner at a Table has retained winnings (see below). â€¢ At the end of a Stand-alone Game only the Winner of the Game has a right to choose to stay at the Table if there is another Game there and if he does stay he retains his winnings of Bullet-marks. If there are Players waiting to play then they take up any empty Seats first before the losing Players can re-enter the new Game. â€¢ At the end of a Game any unissued Reserves allocations are distributed to their relevant Players. â€¢ If a Player runs out of Bullet-marks, but not before, he can request that his Reserve (if unissued) of fifty Bullet-marks is issued to him. He cannot take a lesser amount and the Player who is the current Reservist must issue the Bullet-marks and update the records which must show who has been issued their Reserve and who has not yet been issued their Reserve. This information must be displayed to the Players. â€¢ A Player who runs out of Bullet-marks does not have to request his unissued Reserve but would then of course have to Decline if in process of a current Round. â€¢ Players cannot transfer Bullet-marks into their Reserve. â€¢ If at any time a Player runs out of Bullet-marks and has already had his Reserve issued to him then he must state Finish and miss the rest of the Game. He should leave the Table and whatever Bullet-marks are in his Barrel will go to the Winner of the current Round. He does not owe any Bullet-marks whatever the situation. â€¢ Players do not have to show their Gun-hands unless there is a Showdown and a Player can concede a Showdown without showing his Gun-hand. â€¢ Game Winners may have such Titles awarded as are seen fit and appropriate by Players. â€¢ Holsters of Bullets must be shuffled/cut at all appropriate times and there must be regular changes to fresh and sealed Holsters. â€¢ At the commencement of a Stand-alone Game all Players start only with the standard issue of 100 Bullet-marks and the standard Reserve allocation of 50 Bullet-marks. The only exception is if the winner of the Tableâ€™s previous Game has stayed at the Table when he will have both the standard issue and standard Reserve allocation and also his previous winnings (excess over 150 Bullet-marks) of Bullet-marks. â€¢ Games can be played as part of a Linked-series and Players then carry forward any Bullet-marks (but see 1st note in Other Rules above) they still retain at the end of a Game to the next Game where they and all other Players then also have the standard issue of 100 Bullet-marks and the standard Reserve allocation of 50 Bullet-marks. â€¢ When played as part of A Sundry Trio there must be one Player from each Side in the Trio entered for the Game and if the Sides were individuals then they are the Players. Another five neutral Players must be entered making seven in total. Whichever of the two Trio Players is left last in the Game is awarded two Game Points, or; if both are still in the Game after fifteen Rounds the Player with the higher number of Bullet-marks (including their Reserve allocation and also see 1st note in Other Rules above on the count) is awarded the two Game Points, or; if they are level another Round is played with just these two Players (Withdrawing is not allowed here) and the Player then with the higher number of Bullet-marks (including their Reserve allocation and also see again 1st note in Other Rules) is awarded the two Game Points.

7. Sundry Items: Some Activities and Studies of New-Earth - â€ƒ

A Poem called: Sundancer Little Cat near Died of Fright But turned around, began to Fight [Became] Little Tiger saw the Lie And looked the Shadow in the Eye By: Glenn Nicholls

This 'user submitted' page is a collaboration between the posting user and the Chess Variant Pages. Registered contributors to the Chess Variant Pages have the ability to post their own works, subject to review and editing by the Chess Variant Pages Editorial Staff.

By Glenn Nicholls.

Last revised by Glenn Nicholls.

Web page created: 2012-04-25. Web page last updated: 2012-05-02

Comments

Chess from Draughts etc.. Missing description

Max Koval wrote on Thu, May 4, 2023 08:37 AM EDT:

Wild.

Greg Strong wrote on Thu, Sep 24, 2020 12:45 AM EDT:

Wow. This page has so much on it that I'm not even going to attempt to read it. Suffice it to say that I doubt this site is the place for this. Game pages are for a concise description of how to play a game. Whatever this is, it isn't that.

Beyond that, it begins with a lot of potentially problematic legal stipulations. Unless this is totally reworked into something appropriate, I will delete it in 30 days.