Board Game Ideas

My first intention was to write about rules of new games (implemented yesterday) but since the rules are still not posted yet (due to more important work to do) :-D, let me present another game idea of Andy Lewicki:

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I would like to propose a fast adaptation of Knight Fight, this time on a smaller board, 8x8. It was suggested by some players that 8x8 may have some advantage over 10x10 board - frankly, it was my original idea which I gave up for a bigger board due to elegant usage of all digits from 0-9. Board 8x8 has its own limitations because the numbers with digits 7,8,9 cannot have their own mirrors. So, I had to modify some usage of these numbers. Rules are basically the same as for Knight Fight so let me talk about differences.

Out of 64 numbers there are:

• 40 numbers that have their mirrors (example: 34-43)


• 18 numbers that do not have their mirrors (example: 27-72)


• 5 doubled numbers (11,22,33,44,55)


• 1 STRANGE number, namely 56, which for this game is attached to doubled numbers - that's the only number that doesn't have 7,8, or 9 in it, but still its mirror goes beyond the set of numbers from 1-64

Management of these sets:

• Numbers with mirrors behave exactly like in Knight Fight (mirror is taken out of the board)


• Numbers without mirrors behave exactly like doubled numbers in Knight Fight (after jumping on non-mirror numbers, player is asked to choose another non-mirror number to be taken out of the board)


• 5 doubled plus number 56 ( there is no consequence after jumping on these numbers)

This game is very aggressive and fast moving due to relatively large number of non-mirror numbers and list of choices we will have. The board is smaller and this also contributes to the pace of this game.

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My own opinion is that a game of this kind can satisfy players who like (as the author says) an aggressive fight which can be quickly over, so the games would not last weeks, months or even years. Which is what most users really like.
Comments please.

This game has been sent by Michael Coan and it belongs to a multi-player game category (a good example is our Run around the Pond and its variants).

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Game Details:

Based: Game is some-what based on the card game War - where each player flips over a card, highest card wins.
Number of players: Between 2-10 players (works best with 5-7 players)
Game lasts: 13 rounds
Setup: Each player gets 13 cards - one of each "suit": 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,J,Q,K,A (Ace high, 2 low). (Player can see that cards in their hand & can see what cards the other player has left)

Scoring:

• 2-10 = 2-10 points (face value)
• J (Jack) = 11 points
• Q (Queen) = 12 points
• K (King) = 13 points
• A (Ace) = 14 points

Game Play:

Round: Each round, a player chooses 1 card to play from their hand. The goal is to have the highest UNIQUE card. You can only use each card once.

Round 1 example:

• Player 1 = 5
• Player 2 = 8
• Player 3 = K
• Player 4 = 2
• Player 5 = 8

Round 1 example (cont): In this round, Player 3 wins this "war" with the highest card of a K. So Player 3 gets 5+8+13+2+8 points (36 points). Lets continue on with a round 2 example:

Round 2 example:

• Player 1 = A
• Player 2 = Q
• Player 3 = A
• Player 4 = 4
• Player 5 = Q

Round 2 example (cont): In this round, Player 4 wins since he has the highest UNIQUE card. The two Aces take themselves out, and the 2 Queens take themselves out - leaving the winning card the 4. (So player 4 gets 56 points!)

Continue for a total of 13 rounds. The goal is to have the highest played unique card each round. At the end of the game, the person with the most points win.

Special Rules & Notes:

ALL TIE RULE: If all cards tie another (example of 5 players: A,8,8,A,8) - then those points are rolled over to the next round - making the next round a VERY important round. If a tie like this happens on the last round, then those points are just "lost on the battlefield"

ROUND TIME-OUT RULE: If a player times out during a round, by default the HIGHEST card left in the hand is used as a sacrifice - BUT the card does not count nor does this player win anything from this round. The card is just added to the "pot" for the others to win. So for example:

• Player 1 = A
• Player 2 (timed out) = so computer picks highest card left, A
• Player 3 = 4
• Player 4 = 8
• Player 5 = J

So for that example, Player 1 wins. Player 2 was not really playing, but just sacrificed their best card (14 points) to the battlefield for someone else to collect. So if a player does time out for 1 round, they would still be able to come back and continue the war... but at a slight disadvantage by losing their best card.

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I like this idea because BrainKing does not have many games for more than 2 players and it could be a great fun for everybody. Do not hesitate to add your comments.

This new game proposal has been sent by Andy Lewicki, the author of the game called Cheversi, which is already implemented on BrainKing.

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The game of Knight Fight is played on a 10x10 board. 100 squares are assigned, in a randomly fashion, numbers running from 00 to 99 (00, 01, 02, ..., 97, 98, 99). Each player has one knight of different color.

The game starts by placing a (let's say white) knight on any chosen square on the board. If the chosen square is numbered with two different digits, let's say 57, then, as a consequence a mirrored number 75 is erased from the board making this square unusable for further game, which means, no knight may land on it till the end of the game.

If a knight lands on a "double" number, let's say 66, then any other "double" number can be erased and the player decides which one depending on his/her strategy. After a player leaves a square to jump on another the square, the square he/she resided so far, becomes unusable for further game.

A knight cannot land on an empty (unusable) square and also cannot land on a square which is under direct attack of the opponent's knight.

The whole idea behind all the jumps is to outsmart the opponent and by choosing correct square to jump on trying to corner the opponent and leave him without a square to jump to.

Game ends when on of the players has no place to land and the other player is a winner.
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Any comments would be appreciated.

The game proposal of the day has been created by ColonelCrockett and Retep, and the intention of this variant is to bring new ideas and possibilities to the classic Jungle game and make it less "drawish".

The idea for a jungle variant is pretty simple. The "hierarchy" of jungle pieces is the same as in regular jungle except that the board will be bigger and more pieces added (see the screenshot). The new board is 9x9 (adding a file on either side of the existing board). The extra pieces follow the "zigzag" placement pattern to be at either end of the second and eighth rank.

The two new pieces are the monkey and the snake. The monkey is just above the cat in the hierarchy of animals but moves like a chess king. The monkey is on a player’s left (elephant side for either player). Once the new ranks are added to either side of the jungle board that would put a white monkey on a2 and a black one on i8. The Snake is at the opposite end of the 8 and 2 rank from the monkey. (a8 and i2 on the new board). It moves like a Silver General in Shogi (i.e. diagonally a singly square and forward a single square). His place in the hierarchy of animals is between the dog and leopard.

To compensate for the larger board two water squares are added … one at each end of the 5th rank (a5 and i5 on the 9x9 board).

And, as usual, comments are welcome.

According to our experience from the past, it seems that introducing new games invented by BrainKing users is not a good idea if those games were not thoroughly tested and discussed first. It is always a difficult job to change rules of already released games, not to mention the necessity to modify all 20 translations of the former rules description.

And it is the reason why I have just created a new article category, called Board Game Ideas. It should be a good opportunity for everyone to post comments or suggestions to all new game proposals which we want to publish here, in order to pinpoint possible unbalances and similar problems, before the game implementation work is actually started.

The first entry to this category introduces a proposal of three Ludo variants, suggested by Michael Coan:

• Ludo Variant #1: (since "faster" games seem to be very popular)
  
  Name Idea: Ludo Express
  
  Same board and pieces as regular Ludo.
  
  Get out of start with either a 1 or a 6.
  
  Roll 2 dice each turn. Each turn, 2 dice rolled. (doubles are nothing special)
  
  Each dice is separate. Like Backgammon, you first make a move with Dice #1 – then make a move with Dice #2 (or swap and move first with Dice #2, then Dice #1 – order is up to player) You can move the same piece twice, OR move 2 different pieces – 1 with each die
  
  So for example, first turn of the game, you roll a 1 & 6 – you have 2 options. Use the "1" to get out of start, and then use the "6" to move 6 spaces – or use the "6" to get our of start, and then use the "1" to move 1 space.
  
  You can split the dice up between different men. You can use the "1" to get a piece out, and use "6" on a different piece on the board.
  
  NOTE: If you own man is sitting on your "start space", you have to move it BEFORE you can get another piece out of the board.
  
  If you can move – you have to move. (only pass if you have no move) Plus it is possible to move with 1 die, and then pass the other if there is no move with that one.
  
  The rest are the same rules as regular Ludo.


• Ludo Variant #2:
  
  Name Idea: Ludo Strategy
  
  Same board and pieces as regular ludo. 2 main differences:
  
  1. You can place your piece on top of another one of your own pieces to form a "block". This "block" will block the board an NO pieces (yours or opponents) can move past the block. To get rid of the block, you simple move the "top" piece from the block just as a regular turn (leaving your bottom piece still sitting there in danger of a capture)
  
  2. You can move forward like normal, or backwards. If you roll something like a 6, then bonus 3 – you must either move a piece forward a total of 9 spaces, or backwards a total of 9 spaces. There is no "splitting" the dice up and going forward 6, then back 3.
  
  NOTE #1: You can NOT move backwards past your starting point. You can move backwards all the way to and on top of the starting spot, but not any further
  
  NOTE #2: You can NOT move backwards out of your own "home" area. Once you enter your home (last 4 ending spots), you can no longer move those pieces backwards.


• Ludo Variant #3:
  
  Name Idea: Ludo Strategy Express
  
  As you can guess, it would be a combination of the 2 variant ideas above. Have the "fast" with the ability to block & move backwards.
  
  The only difference would be because you roll 2 dice each time, you CAN split the forward/backwards decision up. Move with 1 die forward, and then move with another die backwards. (same or different pieces)

Comments are welcome.