Comments by brainburner

The rules as stated here don't make it clear that you can't use part of
your last ring to capture your opponent's last ring, or moreover break
your last ring at all. The Archimedeans'
(http://www.archim.org.uk/eureka/53/gess.htmlrules) are much more
precise:

[begin quote]
The object of the game is to capture (or disable) your opponent’s ring or
rings; if at the end of a move either player has no ring then he loses:
the player who has just moved being considered first, so you cannot use
part of your ring to take your opponent’s ring or rings. It is possible to
have more than one ring at a time—indeed this may be considered
desirable—and you may destroy one or more of your own rings provided that
you still have at least one at the end of your move.
[end quote]

This distinction is important in a game I have going on now!

BoardGameGeek.com has some useful info, some brought over from the Navia
Dratp Enthusiasts Yahoo group, like an easy-to-read copy of the rules with
FAQ. I don't suppose there's any reason to repeat those here, unless
someone has an improved version. There are many obscure combinations of
the rules which we now know will never be officially ruled on, many of
which will never happen (but could), like my favorite: a ring of three
Kanabas confining each other!

I think the game has to be respected in its entirety as an artistic
concept, even though the names and forms of the playing elements may seem
arbitrary to some. Most of the 'ugliness' of the pieces owes to the fact
that most of them come unpainted. See the game Dreamblade for how to do it
right (but it's still a collectible game, unfortunately).