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This page is written by the game's inventor, Nick Wolff.

Wild Kingdom Test

This is only for play testing this game and refining the rules. Focus is on:

- Aesthetics of the board colors (piece colors and images to come later)
- Simplifying the complexity of the game
- Reducing the overpowering of certain pieces (wish to use all pieces as close to equally as possible)
- Swamp location / board size
- I'm not looking for new piece ideas, but I'd be interested in hearing any ideas for abilities. Not adding to the total number of abilities, so please have a suggestion of what ability to remove if you are suggesting an add.
- Piece initial setup

Thank you for all of your help!!

Setup

Preset is here

Please note that extra graphics are put on the starting setup and immediately removed at the start of the game in order to eliminate unused pieces from the Alfaerie Many piece set.

Pieces

Changes from previous play tests are bolded.


Frog – Frogs can only move in a non-backwards direction. Moves 1 space diagonally. It captures by leaping over enemy pieces, but it can leap over friendly pieces without capturing, too. Capture is mandatory and takes precedence over all other moves and abilities, even if your Lion is threatened by capture.. The frog can make only 1 leap per move. On the last row, it promotes to the Poison Dart Frog.

Ability – Frogs can stick out their tongue and devour enemy spiders with 2 spaces from the frog in a straight line. Counts as a move.


Poison Dart Frog – Moves as a frog and has the same ability, but can now move backwards and can leap a maximum of 2 times. Captures are still mandatory.

Ability – Shoots a poison dart up to 2 spaces in any direction and poisons the enemy. Poisoned enemies lose all abilities, but can still move and capture. Poison Dart Frogs cannot be poisoned. This ability counts as a move.


Jungle Spider – Jungle Spiders are small and quick. They must move three spaces every time they move. It can be in any direction and can change to any direction mid-move one or two times, but may not move through or land on a square already moved through during that move. It may not end its turn in the swamp. It cannot capture.

Ability – Jump: Jungle spiders are also jumping spiders. They can jump to the second or third space in a straight line away from its location. It can leap over swamp spaces in this manner, but cannot land on them. It cannot capture with this ability. This ability counts as a move.

Ability – Web: A Jungle Spider immobilizes all enemy pieces next to it. Those pieces cannot move nor use abilities. Enemy Jungle Spiders are immune to this ability. Pieces can freely move next to a Jungle Spider, but are webbed if they stop on a square adjacent to it.


Crocodile - Moves and captures one space in any direction, but cannot move more than 1 space from a swamp square. It is removed from the board if anability causes it to move further than that from the swamp.

Ability – Submerge: Any piece can treat a swamp square that any crocodile is on as a regular square. Only enemy pieces can land on a crocodile square, though, which counts as a capture. This ability is always active.

Ability – Drag: As long as a crocodile is in the swamp, it may drag any enemy piece that is adjacent to it and drown it. This ability counts as a move.


Porcupine (Represented by the Water Buffalo) - Moves and captures up to 2 spaces in a straight line in any direction. Immune to all abilities except the Crocodile and Hippo’s submerge and the Poison Dart Frog's Poison Dart. Can only be captured by Frogs and Poison Dart Frogs. Cannot enter swamps.

Ability - Partnership: Every time you move a Porcupine, you can choose to move your second porcupine 1 space in any direction.


Rhino – Moves any amount of spaces orthogonally and captures by replacement. If crossing the swamp, must stop on the second swamp square that it moves through, but doesn’t count the square it starts on.

Ability – Rhinos don’t notice enemy frogs. They are able to move through any square with an enemy Frog or Poison Dart Frog just as if it were empty. Any of those Frogs or Poison Dart Frogs moved over are captured. This ability is always active.


Giraffe - Moves any amount of spaces diagonally or one space in any direction and captures by replacement. If crossing the swamp, must stop on the second swamp square that it moves through, but doesn’t count the square it starts on.

Ability – Giraffes may use their neck to fling one adjacent piece (friend or foe) 1 or 2 spaces directly away from the Giraffe. Flung pieces stop if they hit the edge of the board. Pieces that are flung into areas they are not allowed are removed from the board. If pieces are flung into another piece, that piece is removed from the board (except in the cases of a piece being flung into a Porcupine – Porcupines always win). A piece cannot be flung over another piece and must stop on the square of the first piece encountered. This ability counts as a move.


Hippo – Moves any amount of spaces in any direction and captures by replacement. Not limited by swamp.

Ability – shares submerge ability with Crocodile.

Ability – Hippos are territorial. Hippos can move through and capture an unlimited amount of enemy pieces that are on your side of the board, similar to Rhinos and frogs. Hippos can leave your side of the board after capturing enemy pieces but still may not move through enemy pieces on the other side of the board.


Lion – Moves and captures up to 2 spaces in any direction and is able to change direction mid move. Must stop if it hits an enemy piece and can’t leap over pieces. Lion is not limited by the swamp and capture of the lion is the object of the game.

Jungle Rot – Removed

Swipe – The Lion can capture ALL adjacent pieces along any of the four sides surrounding him (for example the squares directly to the NW, N and NE. Or NW, W, SW). All pieces are captured with this ability to include friendly pieces. This ability counts as a move.


Rules

Object is to capture opponent's Lion.

This 'user submitted' page is a collaboration between the posting user and the Chess Variant Pages. Registered contributors to the Chess Variant Pages have the ability to post their own works, subject to review and editing by the Chess Variant Pages Editorial Staff.

By Nick Wolff.
Web page created: 2016-12-27. Web page last updated: 2016-12-27