[pbmserv-dev] potential new game, Hive

[Lyman Hurd <lhurd@yahoo.com>]

I don't know if anyone else out there is familiar with
the game Hive, (www.hivemania.com) but I received it
for Christmas.  It was reviewed (favorably) a couple
of issues ago in Abstract Games Magazine.

Well, having played a number of games (mainly against
my daughter), I am convinced that it would play well
be email (the board is relatively compact and the
number of turns in a game is not excessive).  That
being said, the game doesn't directly describe a
notation, and it shares with Trax and Zertz a board
that changes shape as you play (unlike those two
pieces actually move instead of being added or
subtracted).

Well to be sure that the effort would not be wasted, I
contacted the inventor who is in favor of deploying an
email version of the game and who sent mea  draft
someone came up with for notation.  It is my opinion
that there need to be some minor rule clarifications
that I will discuss with him (e.g., the current rules
don't allow for the third repetition is a draw rule as
in chess which would seem necessary to avoid infinite
games).

Does anyone else out there own the game and think it
would be interesting?  If anyone owns it I would like
to concurrent with other work play some correpsondence
games without benefit of a server just to see how
usable the notation would be in actual play.

Let me know what everyone thinks,

Lyman

PS In general category Hive has been described as a
sort of chess variant.  Each side has 11 pieces with
different abilities which are placed or moved but
never removed.  There is no fixed board; the board is
the sum total of the placed pieces.  No move may ever
disconnect the hive even temporarily.  Detailed rules
are on the website above.