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Fugue. Based on Ultima and Rococo this game has pieces that capture in unusual ways. (8x8, Cells: 64) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

George Duke wrote on Thu, Mar 18, 2004 04:52 PM UTC:Good ★★★★

A general criticism of Fugue is the high number of piece types (nine) for
its sixty-four squares, ratio 9/64. A much-commented game lately  is
Maxima with ratio piece types to squares 9/76, still (too) high, compared
to Orthodox (Mad-Queen, FIDE) 6/64, RNBKQP. (Somewhat afield, at one time
on CVP there were discussions of initial piece density where Orthodox shows
50%, as Fugue.) As further ex., in 84-square contest judging, my main
critique of Tamerspiel is this same Piece-type Density, 20/84 there,
twenty different types of pieces, confusing strategy. There is a point at
which game piece differentiation distracts and detracts, players having to
dwell on interpretations of rules before even considering actual moves;
any chess-like game on 64 sqs. with say 16 different ways of moving surely fails.
At some point, criteria like Drama, Decisiveness, Clarity and Depth, as in
Mark Thompson's 'Defining the Abstract', need be used more systemically
and justified than 'variantists' do today.  Games developers justify
choices with only 'I like this' or 'That works' without explanation.
On what basis? By what other criteria than the five mentioned above?--I
have five more to name for measure in another comment.
Now Fugue is neat adaptation to 64-sqs.,worthy of its 'Excellents',
retaining Cannon Pawns, Imm. and Swapper, the crux of Rococo, but the nine
game piece forms may confound tactics, sort of leveling play where often
one move is about good as another.