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Cataclysm. Large board game with short-range pieces designed to be dramatic without being overly complicated or dragging on too long. (12x16, Cells: 192) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Joe Joyce wrote on Fri, May 4, 2007 12:43 PM UTC:

Thought-provoking comment by Abdul-Rahman Sibahi. If I were to take his approach, I'd dump the row of berolinas and shorten the board to 12x12 or even 12x10, leaving 4-6 empty rows between the pawns. I think this would speed the game back up, as I think the suggested version would slow it down - you might wanna call it 'Paroxysm' in view of how you'd get the berolinas through the row of friendly pieces 2 squares in front of them... :-) Seriously, I think his suggested version would be a slower, more difficult game to play, but posing an interesting problem in development.

Consider the effects of the suggestion. First, it adds 8 more pawns to the mix, changing the pawn:piece ratio to 1:1 from 2:3. Second, it reduces the 'front' of the armies from 16 squares to 12. You get a 20% increase in total pieces and a 20% decrease in attack lanes toward the opponent. What this does is change the 'Average Friendly Pieces per File' from 3 to 4, a 33% increase. Now, the pieces are lined up 4-deep, instead of 3. All other things being equal [and they're not; the average piece speed has gone down from the introduction of the extra 8 pawns], I think that the game must be longer, less clear, and more drawish than the original, based on general principles. On the positive side, I think the suggestion allows for a game of greater depth, both tactical and strategic.