Gr☺uch☺: I dont like anti because it can last way too long, and this new variant can be even worse! Plus i am frustrated that I had was only a couple moves from a decisive victory in one game, and now just like that there is no end in sight to this game!
gogul: They are no longer playing on the site, but a 21 point match just completed giving him another rating. Just wait 30 days, and they will again drop from the ratings list (like all inactive pawns do)
Anyone interested in the score system of Cloning Backgammon: At first, you totally right when you say the scoring is not correct. It is already a big advantage to have extra pieces on the board, and even 21-point cube matches can be (will be) completed in one single game if played correctly. In the past, I thougt that cloning makes a disadvantage, but playing the game here at BK showed otherwise. This has to change.
In fact, the game is invented by me, so a rules change cannot be done if I don´t agree.
My proposal is:
Score only for games, gammons, or backgammons (multiplied by the cube). Don't score for anything else.
Anyone agreed? Post it on the boards. Anyone disagreed? Post it on the boards, but please MOTIVATE your disagreement or give ideas for improvements. So don't post that CG sucks, but post WHY it sucks (and what could be done to make it better).
joshi tm: I agree 100% with what you said and with returning to the standard scoring system. For the few games I played, CG looks like a great variant to me. Only could it benefit from a good auto-pass feature :-)
joshi tm: As soon as I get some experience I will form an opinion about scoring...by the moment I respect opinions from those who already experienced the game.
Gr☺uch☺: Thanks for the link (I was lazy) ...the tournament has started now. If anyone else likes this torunament format I have another set to start Feb1. If it is popular, I'll set one up each month.
The goals of the format are: Multi point cube matches with at least reasonably skilled players with a rating. Interestingly I've found it very difficult to find these criteria in the tournaments set up by others...thoughts?
jryden: actually once you join stairs, the games keep popping up,never ending, I can never knock down my game total thus leaving less time to join new tourneys
Is anyone else having trouble seeing the left hand die? I can only see one die, though I can guess what the other die is by observing which moves are legal.
Is there currently any variants that exclude the race portion of the game? I am so sick of having the dice kill me in a race!!!
Maybe not use doubles during a race or just having the winner declared whomever is in the lead when the game becomes a race??? Does this make any sense?
Okay, I am the inventor of an official new backgammon variant.
Its called Czuch Backgammon.... It is the same as a normanl backgammon game, except that once a game becomes a race, whomever is in the lead is declared the winner. In the event that it takes only one die to make the game a race, the other die is not used. (doubling cube rules to follow soon)
Fencer: Apart from the geometrical shape, what is the common point between a die and a doubling cube ? But I agree that the doubling cube makes less sense since no luck factor is involved.
grenv: Yeah, so you like the cube because it takes some of the luck out of the game, yet you think luck is part of the game so any game that eliminates some luck is silly? I think it would make a nice variant, and the more I have thought about it, there would be some added strategies not present in a traditional backgammon game!
Czuch Czuckers: I also think that your proposal deserves to be tried. It is true that the doubling cube adds skill even to straight races, but it is not very difficult to learn the basic cubing strategy in races, so when both players know it there is again few room for errors and it is 99% luck all the same. What you would really like to test in your variant is the type of positions where contact is almost broken, for instance both sides still hold their midpoint. Those positions would turn from quiet almost-race positions to extremely volatile. The only thing I don't like about your proposal is that for playing over the board, it requires taking the exact pipcount into account while playing, which is tedious. Online, having the pipcount shown would be a must.
I have an idea for a new variant I would like to propose be added to Brainking ...it's rather simple actually and I call it "backgammon choice" the idea is to have a player choose his/her (2) die from a 3 die roll.... ... given that more double die will be an option, I found it best to limit the # of doubles a player can use... (3) works best in my opinion, and after a player has used his/her 3 doubles in a game they are forced to use the non double combination... the only exception to this rule would be if all 3 die are identicle... in which case the player passes and losses his/her turn... I have found this to be an interesting variant that I have tested only here at home, and would like to see it here so I could play it with people that have many different strategies to the game... ...an added note is that I have found that after a player uses his/her 3 doubles and it is in a race situation, that it is alot harder to lose to an opponent that is clearly behind and you get killed by doubles in the ending moves of a game, something I'm sure many players would like to see... ...other than that, the rules are the same for a normal backgammon game... ...and yes, a coubling cube can be used... ...any thoughts? do you think I should submit this to fencer?
Czuch Czuckers: Actually there are good techniques for counting pips across the board using patterns and a little math. Do a search and you'll find a few.
Wow. I have no interest in this game at all. Sorry Fencer (et.al.) Other than being played on the same board, this game bears no resemblance to backgammon at all.
I think LionsLair has a great idea for a variant. (I don't think you should limit doubles though). This would make for an interesting game. I think that instead of limiting doubles you could do something else to benefit your opponent when you choose to play doubles. (Perhaps your opponent would automatically get a doubles option on the remaining dice).