Game 44
(game for four)
Games index page Game 44 board to download Game 44 board with counters at start
position Game 44 is a simple boardgame for 4 people.
It can be played on a slightly modified checkers or draughts board.
In the game, there are pawns and kings. They move just like in checkers
too so it is easy to learn. They jump like in checkers too (you must jump
if a jump is available, etc.) but capture is different. When a piece is
jumped, it is taken prisoner under the capturing piece. In multiple jumps,
you acquire more prisoners under your piece! When in turn, your piece is
jumped, it is taken under and the top prisoner becomes the new jailer.
Pawns cannot be destroyed or removed from the board. A King is immediately
destroyed (and removed) if it lands on one of the 4 zone of death
squares during the game or if at the end of a move, there is a king on
a zone of death square. (This can happen if a king is uncovered when a
pawn jailer is jumped and taken under).
You modify your checkers board as shown in the diagram. (I used sticky
white labels to mark the zones of death) and painted the sides different
colours to indicate where each colour was going to be kinged.
The board should be set up as shown in the diagram. You paint half
of your white and half of your black checkers pieces different colours
(so you have have for instance 6 red, 6 black, 6 white and 6 yellow pieces
when you are finished painting).
The game is played on the white squares of your checkers board and
there is a black square in the bottom right hand corner (where black starts).
Black starts followed by red, yellow, white and back to black. This sequence
never changes. Sometimes all of a players pieces are captured and then
its turn is skipped (it cannot take the turn anyway!) When one of its pieces
is uncovered again, it can move again as soon as its turn comes around.
A draw is declared if a players turn comes and it has a piece or pieces
on the board and they are hemmed in and cannot move. (This mostly happens
with pawns). The winner is the player who takes control of all the piles
of counters.
Feel free to have alliances during the game.
The yahoo group can be reached here http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Game44 Please post your comments and suggestions at the group site. Having
tested out the game for 2 weeks, I am really pleased with it!
Simple rules yet hidden complexity for you to find and explore!
Copyright Brian White August 2001