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Thanks for the responses here.  

Well, I don't see what I had suggested being done before. It does look a
bit like the Ninja Pawn or the Sergeant, but the difference as I see it,
is that this pawn merely adds one capture forward to its usual move.  This
is meant to offset the distance involved in odd number row games.  I can
see other methods working during a game.  My take is this approach of just
adding capture forward, is probably the least disruptive.  In other cases,
where you have the Sergeant, you can fix holes in pawn structures that
isn't naturally part of chess.  The Ninja pawn is a neat piece to use in
addition to Pawns, but as replacement for pawns, the lateral movement, as
I see it, stalls the game out.

What I had found on a Nx9 board is that the capture forward (in cases
where they only move one space forward) creates an additional buffer zone
in front of the pawns, which makes them act like they are an addition
space forward, even when they aren't.  They also strengthen double and
triple pawns, but don't do it by shifting.

By the way, regarding the Sergeant, anyone know what you call a pawn that
moves NSEW, promotes, and captures diagonally NE, NW, SE, SW?

Anyone on the Sergeant thing, is there a Corporal piece?  If the Sergeant moves as that, then I would suggest the piece that moves one space forward, and captures all three spaces forward, be called a Corporal piece, unless it exists under another name.  It is a weak version of a Sergeant. And a weakened version of a Corporal would be a regular Pawn, which could also have the name 'Private'.