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Navia Dratp. An upcoming commercial chess variant with collectible, tradable pieces. (7x7, Cells: 49) [All Comments] [Add Comment or Rating]

Matt Arnold wrote on Thu, Jul 1, 2004 03:18 PM UTC:

That's why there need to be rules for team-building. Personally, when
playing this game I intend to ask my opponent to agree on teams of a
comparable strength level, or a handicap which I consider reasonable for
our skills. I would not agree to play until Maseitai had been chosen
which
would result in an interesting game.

Keep in mind I am not a purist. I like the appearance of the toys (yes,
they are toys and I will call them that) better than the minimalistic
abstract pieces or ugly computer icons typical of chess variants. These
are characters with personalities and stories, not geometric patterns.

Purists who enjoy the perfect determinism, perfect information, elegant
simplicity and predictable objective value systems to study in chess will
surely roll their eyes at the magical powers, because it throws these
factors into a cocked hat. I enjoy those factors as much as the next
chess
variant enthusiast, but I also find Navia Dratp's wild unpredictability
exciting. In collectable games, every season the company releases new
pieces that throw the existing game analysis out the window.

And let's not forget, one of the most important factors about a game is
finding somebody who's willing to play it with you. A collectable craze
will generate publicity for chess variants in general, where it is most
important, among the next generation in their formative years. That can
only result in benefit to this hobby.