Dugi

• The Center Line variant is really tremendous. It really gets the game started. You are in immediate danger. Throw in Entrapment and you'll be biting your nails as you click that Submit button

• This game still needs some work, however. As the game winds down, there's still lots of mobility…too much I think. We need more variant ideas.

• Part of the problem with the game is the elimation factor. I think it is already hard enough with all your pieces to try and create a fork where your opponent has to decide which piece to sacrifice…once you get down to less pieces it becomes even harder…and since all the pieces are equal and have a lot of moblility that just adds to the problem. And I think the elimation factor only makes this game become a rich getter richer and the poor get poorer game. I think if the game became a game about scoring points and not elimation, it might work a little better. I've been working on some ideas and will post them later.

–Istari–

• One possibility might be the random elimination of an empty cell every turn (or so).

• It could perhaps be turned into a connection game instead of a capture game, where the goal is to somehow connect the outer ring to the inner ring with an orthogonal line of pieces.

• Perhaps restricting the pieces' mobility in an Ichouse-style way, where each piece has a value and can only move so many spaces. You could then introduce a Pikeman-style scoring approach where you try to capture a certain number of points worth of pieces.

• The Dark Dugi

The Dark Dugi variant incorporates the Center Line variant, the Entrapment variant and a modified Blackout variant. The game pieces start using the starting position in the Center Line variant. The basic game is played like regular Dugi with these three variants. The difference being that when a piece is captured either by being sandwiched by two pieces of the same color or by being entrapped…instead of becoming a black out space it becomes a Dark Dugi (which should be a different color then the other pieces, maybe a dark gray). Dark Dugis act like other game pieces: they can move an unlimited number of spaces in any orthogonal direction; can capture other pieces by sandwiching them with two Dark Dugis; can_not land on spaces occupied by other game pieces; can_not move over other game pieces or blackout spaces; can_not move off the board. Unlike other game pieces a Dark Dugi controlled by any player (i.e. on your turn you can move one of your own pieces or a Dark Dugi), also Dark Dugi can_not be captured, but can be entrapped by 4 Blackout spaces on all 4 sides…in which case the Dark Dugi becomes a Black Out space. Dark Dugis create the Blackout spaces…anytime a Dark Dugi moves the space it moved from becomes a Blackout space.

Note: this variant has yet to be play-tested. –Istari–

–Hedge-o-Matic–

Quicksand: When a player enters a space, that space gains a token. An empty space with three tokens is blacked out and cannot be re-entered. A piece in a space that has three tokens is safe from the quicksand until vacated. This varient helps with the mobility problem in the endgame, and capture-free moves gain hieghtened significance. A piece that is “trapped” in an area alone, or with a single opposing piece is eliminated.

Clusters movement variant: When two or more pieces are orthogonally adjacent, they may move as a single unit, retaining their oroginal formation, and moving orthogonally as usual so long as the path is not obstructed. Think of it as moving like a Tetris brick. For example, in [http://superdupergames.org/main.html?page=play_dugi&num=2038|Dugi #2038], the piece formation at 13C-13D-12D-11D could move to 14C-14D-13D-12D or 13F-13G-12G-11G or 2C-2D-1D-24D. Of course, clusters can be broken up after being formed; a cluster is still made up of individual pieces, or even other clusters, and those pieces can still be moved as such. Capturing works as usual. - Cerulean, 13 March 2006 (dammit! now I've got the blasted tetris ditty in my head!)

• The Blackout variant remains optional.
  • (Cerulean) I vote to make the Blackout variant part of the standard game on SDG.
• Two alternate layouts have now been implemented.
  • 2-players: your 12 pieces are laid out in 4-piece blocks
  • 3+ players: pieces alternate one-for-one around the outside edge
• The Center Line variant has been added where the pieces start on row D instead of A. Thanks, Istari!
• The Entrapment variant has been added where pieces that are completely boxed in and unable to move (i.e. blocked on all 4 sides) at the end of a turn are also captured, even if against a blacked-out piece or board edge. This means you can end up capturing your own pieces! This variant implies both Blackout and Center Line.