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| Original Concept & Rules by: Patrick Mulcahy & Geoff Cowper-Hill | ||
| Copyright © 1987-2001. Patrick Mulcahy / AstroQab All rights reserved. |
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Imagine if you will, upon the computer screen, a chess-board. The pieces are arrayed against each other but they have a fantasy/combat theme. (Yes, I know it's been done a hundred times before, but not in the way I am about to describe.)
The pieces begin to move as they do in chess but when a warrior (pawn) moves to ‘take' an opposing warrior piece, the action shifts to another place - an overhead view of a terrain map (a la WARCRAFT and DIABLO, etc). The warrior pieces proceed to move into battle (for the duration of a turn). The outcome is not automatic as it is in chess but the attacking piece does have the advantage of acting first, and other advantages.
The view then shifts back to the game-board where the active square has become marked as a ‘battle square'. The players may now move more pieces onto the ‘battle square' (and thus into the combat arena) if they can - perhaps another warrior, or a priest (bishop) to heal, or an assassin (knight) or an archer (rook).
On the game-board the pieces move as they do in chess. A ‘battle square' is a doorway onto an active battlefield. The terrain map (where the battle is occurring) is in another dimension but represents on a larger scale the game-board square to which it is linked. Here the pieces can move in any direction but their distance is limited each turn and varies for each piece type.
The players move in alternate turns. Any pieces that they bring onto the terrain map (via the battle-square) may join the combat during their turn (movement rate permitting). When the battle is won then the focus returns to the game-board. The victorious pieces remain on the previously 'active' game-board square (i.e. the ex ‘battle-square') until they are moved during a future turn. Thus it is possible to end up with clusters of friendly pieces on single game-board squares. They are the victorious pieces left on a game-board square after a battle.
There is another aspect to the game - spell-casting. The wizard (king) may cast spells across the game-board onto a square where there are enemy (and/or friendly) pieces. He may also enter the battle-square and cast spells whilst within the terrain-map. Some of his spells move slowely along a row of game-squares (for say... 3 turns at 1 square per turn) affecting every piece that happens to be in the way. He also has spells with an 'area of effect' - perhaps...a 2x2 block of game-board squares filled with meteorites. All his spells can be cast also within the terrain map but with different ‘areas of effect' etc.
The wizard and priest pieces choose their spells from a large selection at the beginning of the game. Thus each player can have access to different spells during the game. The terrain maps could be randomly selected when a battle is initiated, landing the combatants in unpredictable situations...for instance, a bridge over a ravine where long range spells or archers might be very useful.
The game ends when one of the wizards is eliminated.
This game was invented by myself and a friend in 1986-1988. We designed it as a board-game over a two year period. We thoroughly playtested it (with our friends) and found it a very enjoyable game with lots of strategy involved as well as good combat situations. I have included my most up-to-date version of the rules (we never did finish writing them because we moved to different parts of the country). We designed it with two boards - a game-board (8x8 as in chess) and a battle-board (10x10) onto which we moved the dueling pieces.
But, because of its complexity, the game is most suited to computer format, especially now that computer games have developed the required technology. If you think this game has potential (as I do) and you would like to participate in its development, then I can be contacted via the email address below. Thank you for your time.
RPGchess is especially suited to conversion into computer format. If the computer was programmed to manage the mechanical aspects of the game (i.e. dice-rolling, keeping track of spells and Endurance Points, etc) then the players would be free to explore more fully the strategic elements of the game.
Like the standard Chess board-game, the board-game version of RPGchess could also be adapted to the computer screen in both player vs computer, and player vs player modes. This conversion of RPGchess would (I presume) be easier than the full 'adventure game' style version described above.
[Written December 2001: Note that I have now created a software version of the game. See the Download Page.]
Please Note: The RPGchess rules are in a constant state of revision, and I am still in process of publishing them in a comprehensive and comprehensible form in these pages. In other words, I will be adding more information to these pages periodically. Feel free to present me with your questions and suggestions.
Patrick
