Abstract Games magazine: game strategy articles, game reviews, news : MAGAZINE 13

Abstract Games Issue 13 Spring 2003

For a recent event I was asked to bring my favorite book. I found this to be a very difficult choice. Should I choose a classic, something by Dickens or Faulkner, or perhaps I should go with one of my beloved science fiction or fantasy novels? I was in a dilemma. The evening before I picked up Sid Sackson's A Gamut of Games to check something. I suddenly realized that this was my favorite book, a book that I taken with me wherever I lived and that I must have referred to at least several times a year since I first discovered it 27 years previously when I was in my early teens. I had read a few other game books before—George F. Hervey's Card Games was a favorite, and I loved Bruce Becker's Backgammon for Blood—but A Gamut of Games was a revelation. I still remember that trip to the library. I remember the television show playing that evening once I returned home and started reading Sackson's book for the first time. I remember copying out in longhand the rules to many of the games before I had to return the book to the library.
           In any case, I went along to the gathering clutching my worn copy of A Gamut of Games. Someone had brought the complete works of Shakespeare. Someone else had a Bible. There was even a book on fly-fishing. Then I saw somebody with the Gormenghast novels by Mervyn Peake. "Now there's a choice!" I thought. But I remained secure in my selection. I had my picture taken with my book, and filled out a form explaining why it was my favorite book. That was easy. I wrote, "It's the greatest game book ever written. It changed my life."
           Sadly, Sid Sackson died in November last year after a long illness. I did not know him personally, but he touched my life. Because of his book and also because of the many fine original games he published, surely he must have entered the lives of a great many people he would never actually meet.
           One of Sid Sackson's original games is Focus. It introduced a stacking and movement mechanism that has since been copied in many different games. I would like to investigate Focus in this magazine, so if any readers know something about the strategy and tactics of Focus, please contact me.
           In this issue we are proud to have two articles written by world-class players in their respective games, Manfred Nüscheler in Nine Men's Morris and John Vehre in Grand Chess. The latter, of course, is a game by Christian Freeling, as is Emergo, also covered in this issue. In the next issue will see the start of a short series on another of Christian's games, Havannah.
           This issue also includes the article on Go variants that I had promised several issues back. Of course, we have previously had other articles about games that may be classified as Go variants, notably Anchor and Orbit, two games by Steven Meyers. Anchor and Orbit, nevertheless, depart from the classical Go model since they do not use the concept of liberties to define life and death. Within the next couple of issues we will return to the subject of Go-like territorial games.
           We have so far covered four games in this magazine that originated in works of fiction. Three of them are in this issue. There are probably many more of these "fictional games." It would be very interesting to get some reader feedback on this topic.
           Although there is nothing on the Simultaneous Moves Game Design Competition in this issue, rest assured that many entries have come in. We will start presenting the results of the competition in AG14. From what I have seen already there are many original ideas. It is going to be a lot of fun investigating them! In the meantime,
           Happy gaming!