Re writing the rules a bit

Tafl rules
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jrton80
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Re writing the rules a bit

Post by jrton80 » Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:22 pm

When I first start playing, reading the rules confused me, mainly because the section were not all together. I have gotten very annoyed losing games because I missed something which was not where I thought it should be. So, I rearranged things a bit only adding a little bit here and there

Fetlar Hnefatafl Rules

1. The game is played on a board with 11×11 squares and with the below initial set-up. (I did copy from the site rules)

2. The central square, called the throne. The throne is always hostile to the attackers (Black), but only hostile to the defenders (White) when it is empty. The king is able to re-enter the throne, and all pieces may pass the throne when it is empty.

3. The four squares in the corners are restricted and may only be occupied by the king. The four corner squares are hostile to all pieces, except the King, which means that they can replace one of the two pieces taking part in a capture.

4. To win the game: The objective is for the king to enter any of the four corner squares. In that case, the king has escaped and his side wins. The attackers win if they can capture the king before he escapes.

5. The attackers' side moves first, and the game then proceeds by alternate moves. All pieces move any number of vacant squares along a row or a column, like a rook in chess.

6. Capture: All pieces except the king are captured if they are sandwiched between two enemy pieces, or between an enemy piece and a hostile square, along a column or a row. The two enemy pieces should either be on the square above and below or on the square to the left and to the right of the attacked piece. A piece is only captured if the trap is closed by a move of the opponent, and it is, therefore, allowed to move in between two enemy pieces. A captured piece is removed from the board and is no longer active in the play. The king may take part in captures.

You can also capture an enemy warrior by sandwiching him between one of your pieces and a refuge square or the throne square. However, when the King is occupying the throne square, a single white warrior next to the throne square cannot be captured in this way.

7. The king is captured when the attackers surround him in all four cardinal points, or on three side if he occupies the square next to the throne, the attackers must occupy all surrounding squares in the four points of the compass except the throne.

The king cannot be captured on the edge, UNLESS he is the only white piece remaining on the board and is completely surrounded by black.

8. Draws: The game is declared a draw if:
  • Either player is unable to make a move, for instance, if all your pieces are blocked in and no move is therefore possible
  • The same move or sequence of moves is repeated three time
  • Since the repetition rule does apply to this board: The consent of your opponent is also required.
Last edited by jrton80 on Fri Aug 10, 2018 12:05 am, edited 1 time in total.

jrton80
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Re: Re writing the rules a bit

Post by jrton80 » Thu Aug 09, 2018 10:24 pm

*groan* it lost the formatting - i'll try again later

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Hagbard
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Re: Re writing the rules a bit

Post by Hagbard » Sun Aug 12, 2018 12:54 pm

Thank you for this formulation! It is uploaded to the Rules section.

Just a comment about point 8:
If a player cannot move, he lost.
About repetition, were the software perfect, it would detect the Fetlar repetition and make the game a draw. Alas this automatic feature is not implemented, so the players have to end the game manually by both offering a draw.

jrton80
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Re: Re writing the rules a bit

Post by jrton80 » Wed Sep 12, 2018 11:23 pm

I just added that specifically for the way the software works. I ran into that not so long ago where someone through they had a draw because they kept moving i10-i11 when it was really a loss. It does help to set certain expectations. He could have resigned, but I was not giving a draw when I could see at least 2 other escape routs.

jrton80
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Re: Re writing the rules a bit

Post by jrton80 » Fri Sep 14, 2018 5:57 am

Berserk Hnefatafl Rules


1. Two players may participate. One player plays the king's side, with a king and his defenders, and the other player plays the attackers. There are twelve defenders, one of the defenders being the king's knight, and twenty-four attackers, four of them being viking commanders.

2. The game is played on a board with 11×11 squares and with initial set-up like the standard Fetlar board.

3. The central square, called the throne, and the four squares in the corners are restricted and may only be occupied by the king. It is allowed for the king to re-enter the throne, and all pieces may pass through the throne when it is empty. The four corner squares are hostile to all pieces, which means that they can replace one of the two pieces taking part in a capture. The throne is always hostile to the attackers, but only hostile to the defenders when it is empty.

4. Movement:

The attackers' side moves first, and the game then proceeds by alternate moves. All pieces move any number of vacant squares along a row or a column, like a rook in chess.

Jumping: Besides the ordinary way of moving, the king, the knight and the commanders may also make a short orthogonal jump over an ordinary enemy piece, landing on an empty square beyond. The king and commanders do not capture by this maneuver, unless they trap an enemy piece between themselves and one of their own men. It is not allowed to jump over the king, the knight or the commanders, and the king can only jump over an ordinary enemy soldier from and to restricted squares.

5. Capture:

All pieces except the king are captured if they are sandwiched between two enemy pieces, or between an enemy piece and a hostile square, along a column or a row. The two enemy pieces should either be on the square above and below or on the square to the left and to the right of the attacked piece. A piece is only captured if the trap is closed by a move of the opponent, and it is, therefore, allowed to move in between two enemy pieces. A captured piece is removed from the board and is no longer active in the game. The king may take part in captures.

The knight can capture an enemy piece by jumping over it, as well as by the ordinary way of capture.

The Berserk Rule: When a piece makes a capture, the player may continue to move the same piece as long as he makes captures with it.
The king may finish a berserk run with a winning move to a corner square.

Capturing The King:

The attackers win if they can capture the king before he escapes. The king is captured when the attackers surround him in all four cardinal points. When he is on a square next to the throne, the attackers must occupy all surrounding squares in the four points of the compass except the throne.

When the king is not on or next to the throne, two viking commanders can sandwich and capture the king, and one commander can capture the king against one of the four restricted corner squares.

6. The objective for the king's side is to move the king to any of the four corner squares. In that case, the king has escaped and his side wins.

7. Perpetual repetitions are forbidden. A player who maintains a board repetition ("the aggressive player") must find another move to break the repetition, or he loses the game.

"The aggressive player" is the player who continually side steps with a piece in order to find an open path to break through. The other player continually brings his piece in line with the aggressive piece in order to block the open path. In other words, "the aggressive player" is the one who has some choice in whether to repeat the pattern or not.

If a board position is repeated for the third time, "the aggressive player" loses the game.

8. If a player cannot move, he loses the game. The defenders cannot move and lose.

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Hagbard
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Re: Re writing the rules a bit

Post by Hagbard » Sat Sep 22, 2018 9:03 am

Thank you for this formulation! It is uploaded to the Rules section.

jrton80
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Re: Re writing the rules a bit

Post by jrton80 » Sat Sep 29, 2018 1:22 am

I always thought

The Berserk Rule: When a piece makes a capture, the player may continue to move the same piece as long as he makes captures with it.
The king may finish a berserk run with a winning move to a corner square.

to short for a complex rule which can be devastating when used.

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