B R O C H S - Strategy game for two players,
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I RULES OF THE GAME

 
 
 
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A. Setting up

The game board consists of 225 squares organized in 15 lines and 15 columns.
Four squares called «Brochs »or «Keeps »are particularized (  on the diagram),

The game opposes a player handling 24 White pieces , with a player handling 13 Black pieces .
The goal of the play is the conquest and the occupation, by the Blacks, of all Brochs occupied by the White.

One Black piece differs by its shape and colour from the others and is called the "main piece " (or Sorcerer, or Master, or well..whatever you like). 
The initial provision of the board is indicated on figure below :

By convention, the side of the board where sat the Black player is called " North".
   

Note: historically, Brochs are cylindrical keeps (Antiquity, at the beginning of Chistian era) located at the North and the North-West of Scotland, islands of Skye, the Orkneys and Shetlands. Their dimensions are approximately 10 meters in height and as much of interior diameter; they are equipped with walls of approximately 4 meters thickness, sometimes hollow. Their exact role is still badly known today.

 B Playing the game

Each player plays in turn. Black side plays usually first.

At the time of his turn of play, the Black player chooses among one of the possibilities described hereafter :

At the time he plays, the White player must, if possible, move one of the Whites pieces, possibly by carrying out a capture.

A player who happens to be unable to play (for example for lack of pieces able to move) must pass his turn. Each player can also choose voluntarily to pass his turn.

C Moves

All the pieces move in the same way, along a line or a column, of as many free squares as desired. It is not possible to change direction in the same stroke. Only one piece can occupy a square at a given moment. Diagonal moves are prohibited.

Each Brochs'piece move is comparable with that of a tower in the game of chess.

Moreover :

 

D. Captures

The capture consists in causing a new situation (compared to the preceding stroke), making it possible to withdraw definitively a piece from opponent's side. In certain cases, only one stroke can cause several captures simultaneously. There is various cases of capture, described below.
   

1. Capture caused by movings or setting of new pieces

A isolated piece (for example a White one) on the board may be captured by two other Blacks pieces if the Black player succeeds in (by moving or setting of Black pieces) sandwiching it by a couple of Black pieces, in line or in column.

   (eg : in line)

Thus a given piece is taken if 2 opposite pieces are installed on the couple of squares (South,North) or  on the couple of squares (Est,West). The same rule applies to the main piece , which makes its capture very easy if it is not protected.

If a piece voluntarily infiltrates into a gap between two opposite pieces, it is not considered as captured.

 2. Capture of Dungeon Keeper

A piece B (let's say it is White for instance) occupying a Keep is captured by four opposite pieces (i.e. Black),  if the player succeeds in (by moving or setting)) sandwiching B by two couples of pieces, in line, column, or diagonal.
The couples of positions allowing the capture of B are thus (North,South), (Est,West), (NW, SE), (NE,SW)

If a piece voluntarily infiltrates in a Keep between various opposite pieces, it is not regarded as not captured. A new configuration of four pieces (for example by two moves bringing back to the initial configuration) must be established in order to declare the new capture.

3. Remote capture of White piece (imprecation)

If a Black piece occupies a Keep, and if the main piece (i.e. the Sorcerer) is present on board, the Black player can cause a remote capture (also called «curse» of «imprecation »), in all the sector (quadrant) diametrically opposed to this Keep. For that, he indicates to the White player his intention of remote capture, and indicates the White piece of the quadrant to withdraw from board.

For example, the Western Northern Keep is occupied by a Black piece. The Black player can thus carry out a remote capture in the Southern quadrant (SE).

Even a White piece occupying a Keep can by this mechanism be withdrawn from the play (it is in general the last one which the white player wishes to withdraw). The capture followed by the occupation of a Keep by the Blacks thus makes easy the capture of that of the opposite quadrant.

However, the remote capture is authorized only if absolutely NO OTHER Black Piece does not occupy the quadrant where the capture is aimed to take place (in the example: no the Black piece in quadrant SE)

Note: the 29 boxes of the line and the column central squares do not form part of any quadrant.
The White pieces are thus always in security on those, for the capture in distance.
To help to locate those central boxes,  they are marked of a point.
 

4. Diagonal capture by main piece

The main piece is the only one who may in all circumstances, carry out a capture in diagonal, during its move or of its setting, helped of another Black piece.
The additional couples of positions allowing the capture of B, and of which one of the pieces is the main piece are thus (NW, SE) and (NE,SW). For example, the main piece is located SW, and the other Black piece is located NE.

If a White piece voluntarily infiltrates a gap between two Black pieces, it is not regarded as captured.

E Occupation of Keep

Any piece Black or White can occupy a Keep, provided that it is occupied by no other piece.

It is possible to introduce a Black piece by setting it on a free Keep, for example on the stroke which follows the capture of this Keep by the Blacks.

At a given moment, a Keep belongs to the side whose piece occupies it.

End of game

The goal of the game consists :  The game is declared finished in the following cases: