Gala Xiang-Qi

Crossover of Xiang-Qi and Gala. Both games are historical, but if one is still played by hundreds of millions and have a lot of variants, another now is almost completely forgot among players, and i did not see any variations of it.

The thing these games have in common, is dividing board into zones, affecting the movement (and in case of pawn, effect is alike). Certain zones are considered castles. These common things inspired me for a crossover variant.

Setup

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    [0] => http://i.imgur.com/zW5bs1O.jpg">

Board is 16x16, with 7x7 Castles in corners. Two central ranks and two central files are the Road. Unlike Gala, four central squares don't play special role in the game (well, they do affect pawns and soldiers, but only because of their non-retreating nature).

Before you ask, unlike Gala, piece can capture regardless on crossing special lines, board's zones affect only paths of movement.

Empty board:
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
================
================
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------

Initial position:
kga-r-p==P-R-AGK
gbe--c-==-C--EBG
aeb---s==S---BEA
----hv-==-VH----
r--h--p==P--H--R
-c-v---==---V-C-
p-s-p-s==S-P-S-P
================
================
P-S-P-S==s-p-s-p
-C-V---==---v-c-
R--H--P==p--h--r
----HV-==-vh----
AEB---S==s---bea
GBE--C-==-c--ebg
KGA-R-P==p-r-agk
K - king;
G - general;
A - advisor;
R - rook (chariot);
B - bishop (alternatively can be called sage, as in Duniho's Xiang-Qi variants);
C - cannon;
V - vao (archer);
H - horse;
E - elephant;
P - pawn;
S - soldier (diagonal pawn, or stone general).

First player's pieces are uppercase, second player's are lowercase.

Alternatively, one may use setup, where friendly camps are not in opposite corners, but shares one border.

Both types of setup may be used for team four-player game.

Cut-throat four-player game also can be played.

Pawns and soldiers movement is slightly different, depending on setup.

Pieces

Rook moves as usual within the Castles. Once it entered the Road, it may not continue moving as rook. On the Road, it moves as bishop. It may continue rook move in either outward bishop direction (and vice verse if move started on the Road). Once type of location is changed within same move again, player may not choose either outward direcion, it must be same as in previous parts of the path (but in any case, orthogonal from Castle and diagonal from Road).

----*--==*------
----*--==*------
----*--==*------
----*--==*------
----*--==*------
----*--==*------
----*--=*-------
=====*=*========
======*=========
------*==*******
------*=*-------
******R*=-------
------*=*-------
------*==*******
------*==-------
------*==-------

Bishop is opposite to rook: Castles and the Road swaps their roles.

-------*=-------
-------*=-------
-------*=-------
-------*=-------
*------*=-------
-*-----*=-------
--*---*==-------
==*===*=========
***===**********
---*-*-==-------
----B--==-------
---*-*-==-------
--*---*==-------
-*-----***------
*------*=-*-----
-------*=--*----

Cannon moves without capturing as rook. It captures along the same paths, but must hop over exactly one piece (as in Xiang-Qi).

Archer is the same thing for bishop.

Horses steps to any adjecent space (it must be vacant), and then must make another step. If intermediate space is in Castle, second must be in oblique outward direction (thus, horse moves either as mao or moa), and if intermediate space is on the Road, second step must in the same direction (move of non-leaping Ali-Baba).

-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==--*-*--
-*-*---==-*---*-
*---*--==---H---
*=H=*=====*===*=
==========*=*=*=
*-*-*--==-------
-------==-------
-*-*---==-------
*---*--==-------
--H----==-------
*---*--==-------
-*-*---==-------

Elephant is horse's dual.

-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------*=**-----
------*==-*-----
========E=======
======*===*=====
-------*=*------
-------==-------
-*-*-*-==-------
-------==-------
-*-E-*-==-------
-------==-------
-*-*-*-==-------

King, general and advisor all are royal n this game. Capture them all to win.

King steps one space on any adjecent space.

General steps only orthogonally.

Advisor steps only diagonally.

They can capture opponent's royal pieces distantly, along lines of their directions. Distant captures are NOT bent, like moves of rook and bishop, since it's not move, it's shot. It takes separate turn.

They may leave Castle, but may not leave Road spaces, adjecent to Castle (may move along them or return to Castle). Thus, each royal piece is restricred to 8x8 area - 7x7 Castle, plus 15 adjecent Road spaces.

On the Road, general and advisor change their movement and directions of distant capture to dual ones (thus, advisors are not colorbound). King don't change movement, since he is compound of general and advisor, and have both orthogonal and diagonal moves.

-------==---*---
-------==--*G*--
-------==---*---
-------==-------
-------==---*-*-
-------==----A--
-------=**--*-*-
========K*======
=*A*==*=========
--*----G=-------
------*==-------
--------=-------
-***---==-------
-*K*---==-------
-***---==-------
-------==-------

Exact pawn and soldier movement depends on opening position, as was stated above.

Pawn moves orthogonally within or from Castles, and diagonally within or from Road, vice-versa for soldier.

While in friendly Castle, pawns and soldiers have only one possible move - away from it.

-------==-------
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-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
================
*==*===*========
P-S---S==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------*=-------
------S==-------
-------==-------
------P*=-------

Only case, when such piece have two possible moves from friendly castle, is if pawn is in it's corner square, and it can happen only in setup, where friendly camps share the border (see below).

-------==-------
================
======*=========
------P*=-------
-------==-------

From Road square, adjecent to friendly Castle, pawn/soldier can move to any other Road square (there are expections for position with friendly camps, sharing border, again, see below), but may not return to friendly Castle.

-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
==*====*========
=*S*==*S*=======
-------*=-------
-------=*-------
-------P=-------
-------=*-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------

From Road square, adjecent to opposing Castle, pawn/soldier may move to another square of same kind or enter opponent's castle, but not return to square, adjecent to friendly Castle.

-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
------*==-------
-------P=-------
------*==-------
---*---*=-------
==*S*=*S========
================
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------

Within enemyfortress, pawn may step freely in their directions, and may leave them.

-------==-------
--*-*--==-------
---S---==-------
--*-*--==-------
-------==-------
--*----==-------
-*P*---==-------
==*=============
================
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------

Note, that in cut-throat four-player game all Castles, expect for home one, are hostile, and thus pawns are a little stronger in this variation.

Now, about setup, in wich Castles of one player (or of friendly players) shares one border (and ONLY for it).

Road part, located between two friendly Castles, acts irregularly here.

Pawns and soldiers can't enter it from other Road squares.

Also, they may not retreat within them (only two forward directions for pawn, and one forward and two sideways for soldier). And, as expection, pawns and soldiers may return to friendly Castle from these squares.

-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
-------==-------
=====*=*========
======P=========
-------==-------
-------*=-------
------*S*-------
-------==-------
------*=*-------
-------P=-------
-------==-------

Rules

Capture all opposing royal pieces to win.
In four-sided game, player with no royal pieces left, still may move his pieces (untill they all got captured). Even in cit-throat game (player may have sweet revenge, or assist to the opponent, he mostly sympathize, or simply be random obstacle).
It's allowed to capture partner's pieces.
Once only two player left in cut-throat game, they may choose to share victory or continue playing.

Notes

Cannons and archers can be replaced with Korean-like analogues: must hop over one piece, wether move is capturing or not.

Adding Korean elephant analogue is not that simple, it's initial position must be thought out. But i have an idea for such piece. It makes two steps on vacant spaces, and the second may be either in horse's or elephant's direction, but third and last depends the second square: if it's in Castle, third move must lead either to square zebra's leap away or three spaces orthogonally away, and if second square is on Road, third step must lead to square camel's leap away or three squares diagonally away, and the entire move may not contain orthogonal or diagonal moves in different directions. Of course, this piece may also have dual counterpant.