Battle Line - a very small superlarge variant
The board is 20x30, 600 squares. Each side starts with 48 pieces, for a starting piece density of 16%. This game features multiple piece moves per turn and command control.
A non-rules-checking preset is located at: [http://play.chessvariants.org/pbm/play.php?game%3DBattle+Line%26settings%3DBattleline1]
I will be happy to play any one or group who wishes to play, and I'll take black. User ID: joejoyce
Pieces
King 
- Use the king's standard FIDE rules for movement, capture, check, and checkmate. No castling. Getting out of check: a king may stay in check up until that king's last friendly piece is moved in the turn immediately following the imposition of check.
Marshall 
- This piece slides [up to] 3 squares, changing direction at each square if so desired, or it may leap straight across 1 square, over any piece in that square, to land in the square on the opposite side, and still have a 1-square slide available, in any direction, before or after the leap.
Colonel 
- This is a Q3 piece. It slides up to 3 squares in any direction, orthogonally or diagonally.
Captain 
- This is a guard, stepping 1 square in any direction. 1-step piece
Lesser WarElephant 
- This piece steps 1 or leaps 2 orthogonally or diagonally.
Greater WarElephant 
- This piece steps 1 or leaps 2 orthogonally or diagonally, and then may continue on in the same direction, making 1 more step or leap, at the player's option.
Light Warmachine 
- It may move as a wazir and/or as a dabbabah, and may change direction between the first and second step.
Light Elephant 
- It may move as an alfil and/or a ferz, and may change direction between the first and second step.
Heavy Warmachine 
- This is a linear 2-step piece, moving as either a dabbabah or wazir, and then moving in the same direction as either a dabbabah or wazir again.
Heavy Elephant 
- This is a linear 2-step piece, moving as either an alfil or ferz, then moving in the same direction as either an alfil or ferz again.
Minister 
- This piece may move as a knight, or dabbabah, or wazir.
High Priestess 
- This piece moves as an alfil, or a ferz, or a knight.
Wazir 
- This piece moves one square orthogonally. 1-step piece
Ferz 
- This piece moves one square diagonally. 1-step piece
Sargeant 
- This piece moves 1 square diagonally or orthogonally forward only. 1-step piece
Rules:
Movement
This is a multi-move game. Each turn, all leaders may activate up to as many pieces as each of them is allowed by the rules. However, movement is not required. If both players pass, one after the other, the game is a draw.
All pieces capture by replacement, ending their move on the square of the captured piece.
Command Control
1 - Activation. All pieces must be activated by a leader to move. Leaders may activate themselves or other leaders. Once a piece finishes its move, it is no longer activated, and must be activated again to move again in a later turn. No piece may be activated or move more than once per turn.
2 - Three Levels of Leaders
- The king and marshall are the top level of leader. Each may activate any 3 pieces per turn.
- The colonels are the middle level of leader. They may activate any 2 pieces per turn.
- The captains are the lowest level of leader. They may activate any 1 piece per turn.
Captains also have a unique ability: they may activate any 3 pieces that move only 1 space per turn. They must be directly adjacent to the piece they are activating; or to a piece that touches the piece they are activating; or a piece that touches a piece that touches a piece, no matter how long or twisted the chain of pieces is. This chain may not include a higher-level leader. It can end at a higher-level leader; that is, a captain can activate, and cause to move, a king. This saves one [longer range] king activation, since the king doesn't have to activate itself to move.
3 - Range of Activation
Each leader has a maximum distance at which it can activate pieces. Distance is counted, orthogonally, diagonally, or any combination thereof, at the exact time any particular activation is being made. Example: a leader that may activate 3 pieces activates a piece just within its range. That piece then moves farther away, out of the activating leader's range of activation. Then the leader activates itself. It then moves farther away from the first piece and just into activation range of a third piece. The leader may then activate the 3rd piece, which can promptly move outside the leader's activation range also. Marshalls and colonels may activate pieces at any point of their movement paths, not just the beginning and end. They may interrupt their own movement to activate other pieces. The player may then move those pieces before continuing with the Marshall or Colonel's move.
Colonels and captains must be within 10 squares of either the king or the marshall to be able to activate any pieces except themselves. This does not count against the king or marshall's 3 pieces per turn activation allowance. It is an additional requirement of colonels and captains before they themselves may activate other pieces. This must occur at any point during the turn before the colonel or captain activates any piece, including itself. Otherwise, the colonel or captain may only activate itself for movement.
- The king has an activation range of 10 squares.
- The marshall has an activation range of 8 squares.
- The colonels have an activation range of 5 squares.
- The captains have an activation range of 3 squares.
Promotion
All 1-step pieces non-leader pieces which cross the entire board to the opponent's back row are automatically promoted. The sargeant, wazir, and ferz all promote to captains.
Notes:
At the beginning of the game, each side may activate up to 23 of their 48 starting pieces.
Discussion
This is an attempt to:
- simulate some aspects of a wargame in a chess variant.
- test out some very simple AMPs under game conditions.
- examine a higher level of command organization.
