Editorial
Several interesting developments are presented in this issue. We are very pleased that investigation of Redstone theory was picked up by Stephen Nulty. His ideas provide further evidence that Redstone is a game worthy of study—like Go, but strangely different, and likely just as complex. Likewise, Kevin Kane speaks further about the endgame strategy in NXS, which I highlighted in the review in AG20 as Shogi-like in its speed and timing. Fredrik Ekman returns to Jetan, with a discussion of the Princess and a sample game of Thuria Jetan—a variant which seems to be to be particularly worthy of study. Otherwise, we have several other chess variants represented, including of course Gliński's lovely Hexagonal Chess, and the brilliant 3D XYZ Chess. For a change of pace, here also are a two-player version of Swiss Jass that is very similar to Offiziers-Skat, a two-player version of the classic German game, and a solitaire domino game from Don Kirkby.
I was fortunate to connect with a group of game developers and players in China, whose activities were almost unknown outside of China, as far as I can tell. They have a collection of interesting and original games, some of which we hope to cover in Abstract Games in future issues. The first of these, in the current issue, is Shape Chess, which is an alignment game with the goal of creating symmetrical structures. The objective is unusual and beautiful. Shape Chess has been under development for a number of years and has been thoroughly tested. It works; it's brilliant. Tournaments have been held in China, and I'm glad we are learning of this game now.
We haven't begun yet to organize the next game design competition—but that is coming. I still wonder, however, about what we may call the "cult of the new," a phrase introduced by John Owen on BoardGameGeek. The abstract gaming community churns through a large number of new games. I've written about this in past issues, and I've lamented that so many games that look brilliant and original are hardly played at all before disappearing. In Abstract Games, one of our goals is to pick up on some of these new games, provide good reasons for playing them, and perhaps slow down their slide into obscurity. Our efforts, nevertheless, are a drop in the ocean. So many new games come and go that it's hard to find time just to read the rules.
Having said that, it's difficult not to be excited, even briefly, by some of the brilliant inventions that keep coming. Perhaps the next game will be so fascinating tactically and strategically that it will grab a substantial number of players who'll devote a lifetime to its study. Maybe Shape Chess is one of those games—at least for the players in its homeland of China. And so, we will continue with the game design competitions. I am still leaning towards abstract games with an element of bluff for the next game design competition, with the incomparable Mentalis as the paradigm. More about the game design competition will follow in the coming issue. In the meantime, happy gaming!
I was fortunate to connect with a group of game developers and players in China, whose activities were almost unknown outside of China, as far as I can tell. They have a collection of interesting and original games, some of which we hope to cover in Abstract Games in future issues. The first of these, in the current issue, is Shape Chess, which is an alignment game with the goal of creating symmetrical structures. The objective is unusual and beautiful. Shape Chess has been under development for a number of years and has been thoroughly tested. It works; it's brilliant. Tournaments have been held in China, and I'm glad we are learning of this game now.
We haven't begun yet to organize the next game design competition—but that is coming. I still wonder, however, about what we may call the "cult of the new," a phrase introduced by John Owen on BoardGameGeek. The abstract gaming community churns through a large number of new games. I've written about this in past issues, and I've lamented that so many games that look brilliant and original are hardly played at all before disappearing. In Abstract Games, one of our goals is to pick up on some of these new games, provide good reasons for playing them, and perhaps slow down their slide into obscurity. Our efforts, nevertheless, are a drop in the ocean. So many new games come and go that it's hard to find time just to read the rules.
Having said that, it's difficult not to be excited, even briefly, by some of the brilliant inventions that keep coming. Perhaps the next game will be so fascinating tactically and strategically that it will grab a substantial number of players who'll devote a lifetime to its study. Maybe Shape Chess is one of those games—at least for the players in its homeland of China. And so, we will continue with the game design competitions. I am still leaning towards abstract games with an element of bluff for the next game design competition, with the incomparable Mentalis as the paradigm. More about the game design competition will follow in the coming issue. In the meantime, happy gaming!
