I have a few Backgammon variant ideas that I would LOVE to hear feedback from anyone about how it could be good/bad and such..... since I would also like to suggest them to Fencer as possible game ideas.

#1: Double & Triple Choice Backgammon - Details of the game can BE FOUND HERE - but basically each player has 2 (or 3) rolls already rolled in which you can choose which one of the rolls to use each turn. Your opponent can also see all of your possible moves in advance of their own move. This brings a lot more strategy into the game since you can see all possible moves that your opponent might make in their next turn before you make yours.... but how good can you plan ahead?

#2: Dark Backgammon. Each player starts with 10 pieces. The pieces are setup like they are in Backgammon Race (all 10 on space 1 & 24 on the board).

You can NOT see your opponents pieces

You can NOT see your opponents pip count

You can NOT see your opponents dice roll
You can only see where your pieces are.

If you move your piece to a space with 0 opponent pieces on it, your piece stays there (just like normal backgammon)

If you move your piece to a space with 1 opponent piece on it, you send it to the bar and your piece stays there (just like normal backgammon)

If you move your piece to a space with 2+ opponent pieces on it, your own piece is sent back to the bar.

Since it is "dark", you will not know the results of your move until you "submit" the move. So lets say you have double 5's, and you move 4 pieces from space 1 to space 6 - and hit submit. If your opponent already had 2 (or more) pieces on space 6, ALL 4 of your pieces are sent to the bar.

It should be a fun cat-n-mouse game

#3: New Russian Backgammon - Just made up the name, but it is a mix of Tabula and Russian Backgammon

So same as Tabula EXCEPT use only 2 dice & normal double rules apply. (roll double 4's, move 4-4-4-4)

So same as Russian Backgammon EXCEPT no choice of reroll of first roll, and no strange double/invert/roll again type of thing. Just regular good-old normal double rules.


= = = = = = = = =

AGAIN - Please feel free to comment good or bad about either of those 3 ideas. The first 2 are games that I have written. The double/triple choice seems to work well in real life. The Dark is not very easy to test in real life. The New Russian rules are basically the same as on the sites lists - other then the small tweak in the rules by myself which I think make the game more playable without having new strange rules to get in the way.