Help For the Game of Majorities

Welcome to the network Majorities server. The rules of Majorities are given below. The Majorities challenge command is described here. Other commands are the same for all pbmserv games.

majorities challenge [-size=number] userid1 userid2

This will start a new game between userid1 and userid. The -size parameter sets the overall board size and must be an odd number in the range 3..7 with the default being 5.

Introduction

Majorities is a new type of game, with exceptionally simple rules, and bearing little relation to other games as yet. Many variants (including a very natural 3-dimensional version) are possible.

It is based on the fact that in politics, or committees with sub-committees, a minority of people in critical places, may nonetheless carry a voting motion. This has long been felt as a weird situation by the game inventor (Bill Taylor), who has devised this family of games to illustrate this phenomenon.

Rules

The board is initially empty. The first player places a stone on any cell, then players take turns placing two pieces per turn on empty cells.

A majority of stones in a line wins that line.
A majority of parallel lines in a direction wins that direction.
A majority of directions wins the game.

The size of the board refers to the number of cells along the edge. The default size board is 5, shown here...

. . . . . The cells marked - are NOT on the board;

. - . . . . they are effectively vacant spaces,

. . . . . . . they cannot be played in and do not

. . . - . . . . count towards the final scoring.

. . . . . - . - .

. . . - . . . .

. . . . . . .

. - . . . .

. . . . .

Here is a board of size 3...

. . . This very tiny board is probably susceptible

. - . . to a complete analysis, (but possibly not).

. . - - .

. - . . It would make an excellent starting size

. . . for two beginners to get the hang of the game.

The same pattern of unplayable cells follows all sizes; here is size 7...

. . . . . . .

. - . . . . . . Note that IN ALL CASES

. . . . . . . . . there is an odd number of rows,

. . . - . . . . . . and every row has an odd number of cells.

. . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . - . . . . . . This is vital, so that every line

. . . . . . - - . - . - . can have a clear-cut "majority" winner.

. . . . . - . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . The lines are in three possible directions,

. . . - . . . . . . NE/SW, NW/SE, horizontal.

. . . . . . . . .

. - . . . . . .

. . . . . . .

The server will keep a running record of the number of lines won in each direction, for quick reference as the game continues.

Syntax

Moves are specified in the usual format:

majorities move 101 garfield pizza c1 (opening move)

majorities move 101 garfield pizza a5,f4 (subsequent moves)

History

Implementation by Cameron Browne, July 2007.