💡📝Gary Gifford wrote on Mon, Mar 10, 2008 04:31 PM UTC:
Thanks for the comments. They are much appreciated. As a side note: I had an idea to add a 'Pawn Shield Variant' to the rules - in that variant pawns would be immune from Mace capture... but, upon further reflection I will leave that variant out... it is different enough from the intended game that it should not be considered in the same write up.
Of interest, to me at least, is the fact that a horizonal line of pawns will tend to hold off a lone Mace. The Mace could take out one pawn, but then another would capture the Mace (unless the Mace took a pawn at the edge from the adjacent file). This gives us an interesting Pawn dilema. Diagonal pawn chains (where one pawn protects another) are great against standard chess pieces, but week against maces, and horizontal pawns (that offer no protection to each other) are effective against Maces (but not against standard pieces). Piece and Pawn play will need to be carefully calculated.
Of interest, to me at least, is the fact that a horizonal line of pawns will tend to hold off a lone Mace. The Mace could take out one pawn, but then another would capture the Mace (unless the Mace took a pawn at the edge from the adjacent file). This gives us an interesting Pawn dilema. Diagonal pawn chains (where one pawn protects another) are great against standard chess pieces, but week against maces, and horizontal pawns (that offer no protection to each other) are effective against Maces (but not against standard pieces). Piece and Pawn play will need to be carefully calculated.
oops... got to run to a meeting...