From: Carl Worth Date: Fri, 1 Jun 2007 19:21:35 +0000 (-0700) Subject: Add entry about SCRIBE X-Git-Url: https://git.cworth.org/git?p=cworth.org;a=commitdiff_plain;h=277ed783bc9be7f4556e7d67192990eb7f492f76 Add entry about SCRIBE --- diff --git a/src/blog/personal.mdwn b/src/blog/personal.mdwn index ad406c0..3e00068 100644 --- a/src/blog/personal.mdwn +++ b/src/blog/personal.mdwn @@ -3,4 +3,4 @@ Here are [[Carl's|index]] most recent personal blog entries. More information [[about]] the blog is available. -[[inline pages="link(tag/family)"]] +[[inline pages="link(tag/family) or link(tag/games)"]] diff --git a/src/blog/technical.mdwn b/src/blog/technical.mdwn index 31ed3f2..eb894ad 100644 --- a/src/blog/technical.mdwn +++ b/src/blog/technical.mdwn @@ -3,4 +3,4 @@ Here are [[Carl's|index]] most recent technical blog entries. More information [[about]] the blog is available. -[[inline pages="link(tag/cairo) or link(tag/exa) or link(tag/performance) or link(tag/xorg)"]] +[[inline pages="link(tag/cairo) or link(tag/exa) or link(tag/games) link(tag/performance) or link(tag/xorg)"]] diff --git a/src/games/scribe.mdwn b/src/games/scribe.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c74bdc0 --- /dev/null +++ b/src/games/scribe.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,132 @@ +[[meta title="Have pen and paper? Play SCRIBE"]] + +[[tag games]] + +So [[Andrew]] had his [[Big Show|andrew/big_show]] recently. We had a +great time watching him perform in his four gymnastic events, but not +so much fun waiting 20-30 minutes between events. Without any suitable +flat surface, the other boys and I couldn't play any of our favorite +[[icehouse]] games, but we did at least have pen and paper. If only we +had a great, engaging game to play, (and I'm not talking about +tic-tac-toe). + +I think [SCRIBE](http://www.marksteeregames.com/index.html) is the +perfect game for a situation like this. Mark Steere invented this game +in October 2006, and I discovered it in a recent issue of GAMES +magazine. It's really a fantastic game, so I thought I'd give a brief +overview of it here. + +## Rules + +First, draw 9 3x3 grids in a 3x3 pattern. That is, make a 3x3 pattern +of tic-tac-toe grids something like this: + + | | | | | | + -+-+- -+-+- -+-+- + -+-+- -+-+- -+-+- + | | | | | | + + | | | | | | + -+-+- -+-+- -+-+- + -+-+- -+-+- -+-+- + | | | | | | + + | | | | | | + -+-+- -+-+- -+-+- + -+-+- -+-+- -+-+- + | | | | | | + +(Amusingly enough, the coloring sheets the kids got at a restaurant +last night were printed with nine grids exactly like this.) + +So there's a super grid with 9 mini grids inside it. Now, each player +will take turns putting their symbol, (+ or o), into one of 81 +possible spaces. But, here's the trick, the position you play within +the mini-grid of one move mandates which mini-grid you must play in +for your next move. For example, if you play in the upper-left corner +of the center mini-gird on your first move, then for your second move +you must choose one of the available spaces from the upper-left +mini-grid, and so on. (Each player puts a slash through their last +symbol played to help keep track of where there next move must be +played.) If the mini grid you are supposed to play in is full, then +you can select any mini grid with empty squares for your play. + +The goal is to win the most mini grids by earning more points in each +mini grid than the opponent. Points are earned for symbols that form +one of the following 19 glyphs (reflections and rotations count of +course): + + 1 point: * Single + + 2 points: ** Double + + 3 points: *** Line + + 4 points: * Pipe *** Squat-T ** 4-block + *** * ** + + 5 points: *** * + * T *** Cross + * * + + 6 points: *** *** * * + *** 6-block ** Bomber *** Chair * * J + * * * (or Llama) *** + + 7 points: ** * * * * * + * * Earring *** House *** H * * U + *** *** * * *** + + 8 points: *** *** + *** Ottoman * * O + * * *** + + 9 points: *** + *** 9-block + *** + +Note that subsets of a glyph do not count for anything. So if you end +up with a shape like: + + * + * L is not a glyph (0 points) + *** + +you don't score anything for this shape, (you don't get any points for +the pipe that appears within this for example). + +So here's an example of a completed mini grid: + + ++o Pipe = 4 points for + + o+o Double = 2 points for o + o+o Line = 3 points for o + +And o wins this grid 5 to 4. + +At the end of the game, the player who has won more of the mini grids +wins. (Or for a more advanced game, score the super grid according to +the same glyph rules as used for the mini grids.) + +OK, so that wasn't so brief. I suppose I should have just linked to +Mark's original [complete +rules](http://www.marksteeregames.com/Scribe_rules.html) +([PDF](http://www.marksteeregames.com/Scribe_rules.pdf)) in the first +place. Also, see this [printable +board](http://www.marksteeregames.com/Scribe_board.pdf) which +conveniently contains diagrams of all 19 glyphs in both margins. But +also, I've found that after playing a single game, most players will +find that all the glyphs are committed to memory, (just remember that +there are 19 glyphs and draw them out before you start playing to make +sure you remember them all). + +## Comments + +I won't comment too much on strategy since I don't know much yet. But +I will say watch out for the end game. There's not a lot of freedom at +the end, so both players may find themselves making moves they don't +want to make. Also, look out for chains of forced moves that can lead +you (or your opponent) to ruin several mini grids in a row. + +In general the way that the current move is intertwined with future +move possibilities gives the game a lot of rich tension, and I've found +it extremely satisfying. diff --git a/src/tag/games.mdwn b/src/tag/games.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000..9e38e8a --- /dev/null +++ b/src/tag/games.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1 @@ +[[inline pages="link(tag/games)" show=10]]