Fencer: Initial position should be random ... is it balanced game ? my intuition tells me few things:

1. knights have an advantage in the crowded situations since they can attack up to 8 fields ... and bishops only 4 ... for pieces on the edges it even look worse for bishops ... but, when the board clears, long range bishops that can attack along diagonals and at much longer distances than knights in general ... so, distribution of power should switch to them ...

2. everything depends of the initial setup ... and I am not even try to speculate who will be the winner ...
   it's too complicated to foresee the outcome ... as every chess textbook  will tell you (regarding knight and bishop) : everything depends on the situation ...

3. And this unknown factor in every new game can make it fascinating ... like Big Uncle Einstein once said: "The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious ..."

4. The best test for every game is to play it ... if you , me and some other players could try it "behind the closed doors" we would be able to see if it make sense to release it ...
Thanks,
Andy.