[ List Latest Comments Only For Pages | Games | Rated Pages | Rated Games | Subjects of Discussion ]
Comments/Ratings for a Single Item
As Scythe to Rotary, are Lance to Shogi. The merit that Scythe could rotate after the move without limit compensates for the actual loss of one direction.
Rotary is based on Ploy, and constitutes an improvement over that game IMO. I suspect that computers may solve Ploy some day, finding a specific opening repertoire with smashing attacks. I believe Ploy is more imbalanced than chess, although it hardly matters for casual play. Rotary is much deeper and better balanced, and involves long-range planning and strategical concepts which chess players can latch onto. If you have a Ploy set and an extra set of pieces, you can add Rotary to your box. You could grind down the direction pointers on 18 pieces to make the pawns, and add a circular disk on the back to indicate a promoted pawn. A photo of such a set is at http://www.boardgamegeek.com/image/267282 One nice feature of Rotary is that draws cannot happen due to insufficient material. If just the two kings remain on the board, one will always be able to force checkmate on the other! It's an interesting puzzle to solve this 2-piece endgame. My solution, presented without proof, is at http://www.boardgamegeek.com/thread/237991 scroll down a bit for the solution. Here are the rules for this 2-piece endgame: The board is a square 9x9 grid. Each king is a circular disc with pointers in four directions, which looks like an X or like a + depending on how it is oriented. A move consists of either rotating without moving, or moving one space in an indicated direction followed by optionally rotating. The only way to rotate is to change from X to + or vice versa. You may not pass.
3 comments displayed
Permalink to the exact comments currently displayed.
Today played a game of Rotary with a set of pieces I made myself. It is a very nice game. The rotational element adds a nice layer of tactics. Only thing that feels weird is the promotion rule