[pbmserv] New game: Marque

[Cameron Browne <cameron.browne@btinternet.com>]

Hi,

A new game Marque has been added to the server. This is a 
connect-the-bases game with Go-like capture played on a fancy tessellation.

Official rules:   http://www.cameronius.com/games/marque/
PBeM help page:   http://www.gamerz.net/pbmserv/marque.html
Graphical web UI: http://www.gamerz.net/pbmserv/List.php?Marque

Needless to say, it's much nicer played via the grahical web interface!

Please try it out:

  marque challenge <you> camb
  marque challenge camb <you>

Cameron

PS. Does anyone know whether this tessellation has been used before 
or has a particular name?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Help for the Game of Marque

   Welcome to the network Marque server. The challenge command is described
   here. Other commands are the same as for all pbmserv games.

     marque challenge [-any_2|-any_3|-any_4|-non_adj_2|-opposite|-y] userid1
   userid2

   starts a new game for two players.

   The -any_2... parameters specify different winning formations.

  Introduction

   Marque is a Go-like connection game played on a special tiling.

  Rules

   Play: O starts the game by placing an O piece on any triangle, then players
   take turns making either of the following moves:
   1) place a piece of their colour on any empty cell, or
   2) place two pieces of their colour on two adjacent empty triangles.

   Any groups of same-coloured pieces with no freedoms (adjacent empty cells)
   are captured and removed from the board. Players may not move at cells
   without freedom unless that move captures enemy pieces to create freedom.

   Players may not make the same move they made last turn.

   Aim: Players occupy bases (hexagonal areas labelled 'A'..'G') by having
   three or more consecutive pieces within them, and win the game by forming a
   path connecting three non-adjacent occupied bases. Both players 
may occupy a
   base if both have three consecutive pieces within it.

   For example, the following board shows a game won by O who has occupied
   bases A, E and F and connected them with a single group. X 
actually occupies
   more bases (B, C, E and G) but has not connected three of them.

                    _-+-------+-_         _-+-------+-_
                 _--   \     /   --_   _--   \  o  /   --_
               +-       \   /       -+-       \   /       -+
              / \        \ /   o    / \   o    \ /   o    / \
             /   \      _-+-_      /   \      _-+-_      /   \
            /     \  _--  |  --_  /  o  \  _--  |  --_  /  o  \
           +-------+-_  o | o  _-+-------+-_  x | x  _-+-------+
           |       |  --_ | _--  |       |  --_ | _--  |       |
           |       | o  _-A-_  x |   x   | x  _-B-_ x  |   o   |
           |       | _--  |  --_ |       | _--  |  --_ |       |
         _-+-------+-_  o | x  _-+-------+-_    | x  _-+-------+-_
      _--   \     /   --_ | _--   \  x  /   --_ | _--   \  o  /   --_
    +-       \   /       -+-       \   /       -+-       \   /       -+
   / \        \ /   o    / \    o   \ /   x    / \   x    \ /   o    / \
  /   \      _-+-_      /   \      _-+-_      /   \      _-+-_      /   \
 /     \  _--  |  --_  /  o  \  _--  |  --_  /     \  _--  |  --_  /  o  \
+-------+-_  x | x  _-+-------+-_  o | x  _-+-------+-_  x | x  _-+-------+
|       |  --_ | _--  |       |  --_ | _--  |       |  --_ | _--  |       |
|       | x  _-C-_  o |   o   | x  _-D-_ x  |   x   | o  _-E-_  x |   o   |
|       | _--  |  --_ |       | _--  |  --_ |       | _--  |  --_ |       |
+-------+-_  x | o  _-+-------+-_  x | o  _-+-------+-_  o | o  _-+-------+
 \     /   --_ | _--   \     /   --_ | _--   \  x  /   --_ | _--   \  o  /
  \   /       -+-       \   /       -+-       \   /       -+-       \   /
   \ /        / \   o    \ /        / \   o    \ /   x    / \   o    \ /
    +-_      /   \      _-+-_      /   \      _-+-_      /   \      _-+
       --_  /     \  _--  |  --_  /  o  \  _--  |  --_  /     \  _--
          -+-------+-_  o | o  _-+-------+-_  o | x  _-+-------+-
           |       |  --_ | _--  |       |  --_ | _--  |       |
           |       | o  _-F-_  x |   x   | x  _-G-_  x |       |
           |       | _--  |  --_ |       | _--  |  --_ |       |
           +-------+-_  o |    _-+-------+-_    | x  _-+-------+
            \     /   --_ | _--   \     /   --_ | _--   \     /
             \   /       -+-       \   /       -+-       \   /
              \ /        / \   x    \ /   x    / \        \ /
               +-_      /   \      _-+-_      /   \      _-+
                  --_  /     \  _--     --_  /     \  _--
                     -+-------+-           -+-------+-

   Note that both players occupy base E while neither player occupies base D.

 Syntax

   Place a piece at cell f3:
     marque move board# userid password f3

   Place two pieces at adjacent triangular cells f3 and f4:
     marque move board# userid password f3,f4

  History

   Marque design and rules by Cameron Browne and copyright (c) Cyberite Ltd
   2008.

   Official Marque rules: http://www.cameronius.com/games/marque/

   Graphical web interface: http://www.gamerz.net/pbmserv/List.php?Marque

   Implementation and Help file by Cameron Browne, November 2008.