Nothingness:
Perhaps an even smaller (faster) game on an 8x8 (or 8x10) board with no bombs.

happy hermit: Have you tried small fast espionage? It is played on an 8x8 board. So just remove the bombs

Colours and graphics make no difference to me, they won't improve my game!

On IYT we had a prolonged debate on an extra piece. I think we decided for the cannon in end?

happy hermit: Developing Eric's idea for a faster game, what about:

White places his/her pieces, but does not have to take the full compliment (base must always be placed). So they might choose to only play 5 pieces + base.

Black now places their choice of 5 pieces + base. They will know that they can only place 5 pieces, but won't know what white has chosen!

SL-Mark:
To me this sounds like an interesting idea, Mark!
We first should check out if there will be a greater strategic variety for choosing pieces. It should not end up everybody choosing 2x5, 2x4, 2x3 and so on plus the hq as a default

Sandoz: Not knowing your selection, but only that you chose 6 pieces + hq, I might have chosen a recon, 1x5, 2x4, 1x3, 1xsab.

That would make an interesting battle :)

Chaos: As you don't have a recon, you won't know this, and Sandoz might have opted to barricade his hq with 2 bombs and dispensed with the 3s! :)
But yes, you are right, I ought to replace it with a 5.

Perhaps a minimum of 5 movable pieces must be chosen, and a general cannot be selected unless you have the one below it. So if you went for 5 pieces, you could choose 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 1x5, or perhaps 1xRecon, 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, 1x4 or even 1xRecon, 1xSab, 1x1, 1x2, 1x3.

Sandoz: If you chose only two pieces, I might guess that you have gone for 2x5 and your strategy is to blast through to my base. I would place my base and choose my pieces accordingly.
Probable outcome would be a draw?

Nothingness:
I think the Corner variant already exists and it was very successful at IYT.
The game is faster than Open fast and the strategy is different.
If they could implement it at IYT, sure Fencer can do better at BK!
Is there anyone remembering the adress of the site with the example of the game? Rules at IYT don't show the "corner pattern " of the board.

dAGGER:
I have posted a new corner game on IYT. Would you be able to use that to send as a template?