[pbmserv] New variant: Two-Player Druid's Hex

[Cameron Browne <cameronb@optusnet.com.au>]

Hi,

The recent variant Druid's Y proved too easy to win due to the no-deadlock 
nature of the hexagonal grid. Two-player Druid's Hex is similar in nature 
(players still try to form a Y) but offers a better balance as the game may 
temporarily deadlock. Also, the board is more compact while allowing a game 
at least as deep.

Testers wanted! Please apply to:

  druid challenge yourname camb -hex
  druid challenge camb yourname -hex

Cameron

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Two-Player Druid's Hex: The game is won by the first player to connect
   any three alternating (non-adjacent) sides with a path of their
   stones. The following example shows a game won by X, who has
   completed a path of X stones between three alternating sides.

                                    E9
                                  _____
                             D8  /     \   F8
                           _____/       \_____
                     _____/                   \   G7
                    /     \      .     .       \_____
               B6  /  x x  \                         \   H6
             _____/\  x x  /    .       .     .       \_____
        A5  /     \ \_____/                                 \   I5
      _____/       \/     \      .     .       .     .       \_____
     /        _____/  x x  \                                       \
    /        /     \  x x  /    .       .     .   _____     .       \
    \       /  o o  \_____/                      /     \            /
     \     /\  o o  /     \      .     .   _____/  o o  \    .     /
     /     \ \_____/  x x  \_____         /        o o  /____      \
    /       \/____/\  _____/     \  _____/  o o   _____/     \      \
    \             \ \/     \ x x  \/        o o  /     \ o o  \_____/
     \     .       \/  o o  \x x  /  o o   _____/  x x  \o o  /     \
     /             /\  o o  /____/\  o o  /        x x  /____/  x x  \
    /       .     /\ \_____/     \ \_____/  x x   _____/     \  x x  /
    \             \ \/     \ x x  \/        x x  /____/  x x  \_____/
     \     .       \/  x x  \x x  /  x x   _____/     \  x x  /____/
     /        _____/\  _____/____/\  x x  /____/  o o  \_____/     \
    /        /     \ \/     \    \ \_____/    /\  o o  /____/       \
    \  _____/  x x  \/  o o  \_____/____/     \ \_____/             /
     \/     \  x x  /\  o o        \___/       \/____/       .     /
     /  o o  \_____/\ \_____   o o  \_____                         \
    /\  o o  /     \ \/____/\  o o        \   .       .     .       \
    \ \_____/  x x  \/     \ \_____   o o  \                        /
     \/____/\  x x  /  x x  \/____/\  o o  /____     .        _____/
           \ \_____/\  x x  /____/\ \_____/     \            /
        A1  \/____/\ \_____/____/\ \/____/  o o  \     _____/   I1
                  \ \/____/       \/____/\  o o  /    /
               B1  \/____/       .     /\ \_____/____/   H1
                         \             \ \/____/
                      C1  \_____        \/____/   G1
                                \       /
                             D1  \_____/   F1

                                    E1

   The following diagram shows two possible winning paths for O:

                 .                                   .
              .     .                             .     .
           o     .     .                       .     .     o
        .     o     .     .                 .     .     .     .
     .     .     .     .     .           .     .     .     o     .
        .     o     .     .                 .     .     o     .
     .     .     o     .     .           .     .     .     .     .
        .     .     .     .                 o     o     o     .
     .     .     o     o     o           o     o     o     .     .
        .     o     o     o                 .     .     .     .
     .     .     .     .     .           .     .     o     .     .
        .     o     .     .                 .     .     o     .
     .     o     .     .     .           .     .     .     .     .
        .     .     .     .                 .     .     o     .
           o     .     .                       .     .     o
              .     .                             .     .
                 .                                   .

   The alternating-sides winning condition is not usually found in
   connection games played on the hex hex board, as players can spoil the
   game by cutting off opposite sides of the board, making it impossible
   for either player to win:
                 .
              .     .
           o     .     x
        .     .     .     .
     .     o     .     x     .
        .     .     .     .
     .     o     .     x     .
        .     .     .     .
     .     o     .     x     .
        .     .     .     .
     .     o     .     x     .
        .     .     .     .
     .     o     .     x     .
        .     .     .     .
           o     .     x
              .     .
                 .

   However, this is not a problem in Druid as players can build over
   enemy blocks to resolve potential deadlocks. In fact, such deadlocks
   are good for Druid; they build tension and define hot spots where
   players must concentrate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Since the Druids are celebrating this week's Yog-Sothoth festival of 
friendship, happiness and disembowelment, there are no anti-bart measures 
in two-player Druid's Hex.