Chess is an incredibly fun, interesting, and adaptive game. Games can easily last hours. It''s easy to learn, but so much strategy is involved that it takes years of practice to play to it''s full potential. It''s been around for ages, yet it seems to be more popular and relatively unchanged. Are they any ways you can think of to increase the possiblities in chess while at the same time keeping it balanced and chalanging? I think on a couple of episodes of Star Trek: TNG there was some sort of multilevel game that looked similar to chess. And I''ve to think of ways to add to it, but it all seems to unbalance it, or something. Maybe it cannot be improved upon, I''m not really sure anymore. What do you think???

Ever heard of a little thing called checkers!

*** Triality ***

That which you seek can be summarized in one word: SHOGI

SHOGI is Japanese-style chess. It is quite different from our way of chess, for example, you can return the pieces you captured back to the board during your turn and almost every piece can be promoted. It is very interesting by itself, but the special thing about Shogi is over the years, hundreds of different games have been created out of it. For example, tai-shougi (Grand Shogi) is the largest and most complicated form of chess every recorded, holding something like a 50x50 board and over 100 pieces including the most powerful chess piece ever, the Emporer piece, which, as long as you don''t put it in danger, can move to ANY square on the board. In Tai-Shougi, there are pieces so powerful that after you take a piece with them, they "de-mote" to lesser piece.

I forget where online, but if you search a little, you can find a way that has a whole slew of ways to play the game.

Good luck.

You could make small changes, like I did when I was younger.

For example:

Some kind of "Medieval-Fantasy Chess"

A bigger board (not too big. just add 2X2 squares)

Each bishop has some spells (They can use them only a limited number of times)
- Double Speed : Touch (move to a square next to the unit you want to touch) a unit. That unit can immediately play two turn.
- Attack spell : Cast a spell from distance (2 squares at least). Need a clear line of sight (roll dice to see if it is a hit)

Two towers can merge into one Golem. The Golem will move in any direction but only 3 squares far. When the Golem is destroyed there is a possibility to change the Golem back into one tower (put it on one of the 4 square next to where to Golem was, if the squares are not empty, you can''t save it)

Mark 3 pawns as archers.
Archer move like the King, but can only kill by firing an arrow at the 3rd square in front of them (roll dice to see if it hit)

Horsemen are invulnerable against Archers
- Charge (1) : Go in a straight line (5 squares) The 3 first squares must be free but the 2 last squares can be occupied by enemies, thoses will be destroyed.

The King have a loyalty ability (can use it only a limited number of times) which permit him to sacrifice another unit that is next to him, instead of being killed.

Now for the Queen, it''s fun because you can make her a special unit that the player have to choose at the beginning of the game.
ie: Sorceress that can cast powerful spells, Abomination that eats own pawn to be stronger, A catapult of some sort (required the use of pawns to operate), etc...


Just some food for thoughts

You should give experience points ;-)
After each kill your unit will get stronger and get more powers.



The wisest men say:
Keep it simple, stupid

KISS, That''s my minimalist motto for a lot of stuff (like interface, web sites, form, etc..)

But sometimes you want more complicated stuff because it is fun, and if it is well presented and organised it will look simple.

But you should as well play Rock Paper Scissor or flip a coin to see who won.

Steve Jackson Games made something called Knightmare Chess that added some interesting things to chess. The basic idea is that you have a hand of cards in addition to the chess pieces, and on your turn you can play a card. Each card changes the rules in some way. It was fun.

Another thing that is becoming more popular is random chess, where the back row pieces are randomized according to specific rules. That way the same openings don''t always work.

Take care,
Bill

Ever play Kung-fu chess?

I think it was an IGF entry at this year's GDC. I played it second hand on a friend's computer. Like chess, but real time. I was doubtful first, but it was actually a pretty fun game. You may want to check it out.

edit: While I'm at it, the one thing I wanted in chess was a decent way to set up handicaps. I always hated getting whipped by the people who were good at the game.

[edited by - ThoughtBubble on April 22, 2002 4:12:07 AM]

Don''t forget 3D chess - playing on 3 boards simaltaneously one stacked ontop of the other - and one of the moves that could be performed was that pieces could move up or down... and you had to kill all 3 kings...

Zaptruder

Think Archon. Instead of having deterministic combat resolutions you have to actually kill the piece on the board in a deathmatch.
(Which, btw. is the game I''m working on right now