Posts:
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Dec 16, 2001
From:
Powell, OH
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Pente Plus
Posted:
Mar 13, 2004, 4:17 AM
I just got my new Pente board in the mail today from Winning Moves! It looks pretty good!
The board itself looks like the old pente boards I've seen (this is actually the first board I own!) The stones also look pretty nice, they have a nice metallic sheen to them.
All in all, I'd have to say it's definitely worth the $15 it costs. Of course I'm a bit biased because if you purchase the board through DSG I get a few dollars commission
They seem to have gotten the rules correct and do mention the tournament rule (though only towards the end and it doesn't seem to be part of the main set of rules).
The other interesting thing is the addition of a variation called Pente Plus. The Game of "Wild" Stones says the box. After reading over the rules my first reaction is it sounds kind of silly but then I've never played so I can't say for sure. Here are the exact rules as given on the box so you can see for yourself, perhaps this will be the next variation added to DSG! Sections in italics are my additions.
ABOUT PENTE RULES The object of the game is the same as PENTE -- form an unbroken line of 5 or more stones or capture 5 pairs of your opponent's stones. However, in Pente Plus, four "Power" stones are added. These are wild and count as either your color of your opponent's color. When Power stones are in play, the game becomes more suspenseful!
HOW TO PLAY At the start of the game, each player takes 2 green stones (the Power stones) and adds them to his stock of amber or blue stones.
Follow the basic PENTE rules and add the following rule.
You may play one of your Power stones on any turn, and as a bonus you immediately place one of your own colored stones on any vacant "diamond" point on the board (the 12 points on the board marked with a diamond symbol.) The diamonds are at positions D4, D10, D16, G7, G13, K4, K16, N7, N13, Q4, Q10, Q16
Like all stones, Power stones can be captured or used to create an unbroken line of 5 stones.
On the turn you play a Power stone on the board it must represent your color. (You may not assign your opponent's color to it on this turn.)
Each previously placed Power stone may be considered to be your color or your opponent's color. Tip: Choose your own color to achieve a five-in-a-row or to help capture two opposing stones. Choose your opponent's color to capture a Power stone as part of an opposing pair of stones.
CAPTURED POWER STONES Once a Power stone is captured it is out of play for the rest of the game, like an ordinary stone. Keep captured Power stones to the side of the board with all opposing stones you capture. (Captured power stones count towards the required 10 needed to win the game by cpature.)
The blue player places a Power stone adjacent to another blue stone; the amber player previously bracketed one end of the row. On the next turn the amber player brackets the other end of the row with his amber stone and captures the blue stone and the green Power stone. There is a picture of the capture involving a Power stone shown here.
The blue player places a power stone adjacent to three other blue stones, and also plays his bonus stone on an adjoining diamon. This gives him a five-in-a-row victory. There is a picture of the win using a Power stone plus extra move shown here.
Posts:
542
Registered:
May 9, 2002
From:
Northeast USA
Re: Pente Plus
Posted:
Mar 13, 2004, 6:27 AM
I'm not so sure I like this variation but it might be fun to see an implementation of it here for a short trial period of time. I'm sure somebody must have play tested this idea before they printed it but it seems to me that these extra stones would be played right away at the very beginning of the game and might be impossible to defend. But who knows -- as you said none of us have any experience with this so maybe it's more complex than it appears.
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260
Registered:
Dec 16, 2001
From:
Maryland
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53 Home page
Re: Pente Plus
Posted:
Mar 14, 2004, 4:48 AM
I just got my set today too. I like the colors of the new stones -- sort of an iridescent/mirrored finish. I don't so much like the variability in the size though.
Of course I will get to work on implementing Pente Plus in my program
-M
Message was edited by: mmammel at Mar 13, 2004 11:04 PM
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Dec 16, 2001
From:
Maryland
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53 Home page
Re: Pente Plus
Posted:
Mar 14, 2004, 8:03 PM
Juat thinking about the rules...so when you first play a power stone, it must be your own color therefore you cannot place a powerstone and then immediately capture it by moving on a diamond next to it.
After that I assume captures of power stones are OPTIONAL -- if you sandwich a power stone and an opponent stone you may consider a power stone part of an opponent pair and capture it OR you may consider it your stone if you do NOT want to capture it -- maybe because it would uncover a pair of yours or an opponent four....
So that will complicate things a little more by adding in the choice to make a capture of power stones or not.
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Re: Pente Plus
Posted:
Mar 15, 2004, 12:38 AM
Oh wait, that was kind of dumb, you won't have a power stone blocking an opponent four -- the opponent would win using the powerstone. Hmmm...well you could block a four with a powerstone because on your turn it would be only your color, but as soon as it is the next player's turn, that player would immediately win, considering the powerstone a friendly stone. So the only time you might block a four with a powerstone is when that powerstone gives you a four and a diamond space then give you the win with 5...
