Help for the Game of Warp and WeftIntroductionWelcome to the network Warp and Weft server. The challenge command is described here. Other commands are the same as for all pbmserv games.WarpAndWeft challenge [-size=number] [-compact] [-thread|-patch] userid1 userid2 starts a new game between userid1 and userid2. The -size parameter sets the number of same-direction threads along an edge of the board. The default size is 4; valid values range from 2 to 6. The -compact parameter changes the board display from the standard form to a more compact (but therefore more cluttered) representation; this is useful for 5x5 and 6x6 boards, which otherwise go past the 80-column "limit." The -thread and -patch parameters determine whether the game is Thread-Primary or Patch-Primary, respectively. See below for details. By default, Warp and Weft is Thread-Primary; the rules below describe this version. RulesThe default Warp and Weft board is as follows:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O
+---+ +---+ +---+ +---+
| | | | | | | |
| +-----------| +-----------| +-----------| +-----------+
15 | | | | | | | | | 15
| |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+
14 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 14
+-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| |
13 | | | | | | | | | 13
+---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |
12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 12
| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---+
11 | | | | | | | | | 11
| |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+
10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10
+-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| |
9 | | | | | | | | | 9
+---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |
8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 8
| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---+
7 | | | | | | | | | 7
| |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+
6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 6
+-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| |
5 | | | | | | | | | 5
+---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |
4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4
| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---+
3 | | | | | | | | | 3
| |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+
2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2
+-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| |
1 | | | | | | | | | 1
+-----------+ |-----------+ |-----------+ |-----------+ |
| | | | | | | |
+---+ +---+ +---+ +---+
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O
Two players, Warp and Weft (or Vert and Horz), alternate turns.
On their turn, they can either place a piece on the board (based
on their current state) or use the turn to switch between
the two states.The states are as follows:
A sample section of the board is shown below.
Patch
+---+----
| | |
+-------+---| +
| | | Warp (Vert)
+-----------+ | Thread
Weft (Horz)| |
Thread +---+
Players start in the Threading state. The first player to connect their two sides of the board with a continuous chain of Threads and Patches is the winner. Alternatively, the first player who has no valid play is the loser. The second player may utilize the swap rule if they so desire. Thread-Primary versus Patch-PrimaryWarp and Weft, as describe above, is Thread-Primary. That is, the players start in the Threading state, and the location of played Threads is unrestricted (other than the matching-direction rule).Warp and Weft can also be played Patch-Primary. In Patch-Primary Warp and Weft, the players start in the Patching state. When Patching, players can play on any unclaimed Patch; when Threading, players can only play on unclaimed Threads that both run in their direction and lie adjacent to a Patch they control. Patch-Primary Warp and Weft can be chosen at the start of the game with the -patches parameter. Alternatively, Thread-Primary Warp and Weft can be made explicit with the -threads parameter; it is also the default. Move SyntaxWarp (Vert) moves first. The move syntax is:WarpAndWeft move boardnum userid password coord where coord is an unoccupied Thread or Patch in the form L11. For Threads, coord should be the centre "square" of the Thread. WarpAndWeft move boardnum userid password threads WarpAndWeft move boardnum userid password patches where threads or patches is the state into which the player wishes to switch. WarpAndWeft swap boardnum userid password will allow the second player to swap positions with the first player; this can only be done as the second move of the game. HistoryWarp and Weft appeared full-formed in Phil Bordelon's head one night in August 2004 as he tried to go to sleep after staring at the weave-like board shown above for a couple of hours. Mad typing ensued.EndnotesImplementation by Cameron Browne, August 2004.Help file by Phil Bordelon, August 2004. The Warp and Weft board is topologically (and therefore connectively) equivalent to the 4.8.8 octagons-and-squares tiling; the implied directionality of the "Threads" is (topologically) purely aesthetic. |