Game suggestion: Dou Shou Qi / jungle / animal chess (rules included)

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1. Corona,

It is a chinese board game sometimes refered as animal chess. It is not as complex as chess, but it could be interesting to see it here. I'm not a developer, but I think implementing it would be not too hard as we already have board and moving piezes features in chess.
There is an audiogame version made by blasbay studios, however it is just in english and it is self voiced, so it can't be translated. Here is the download link, just in case some one wants to try it and see how it works;
http://www.blastbay.com/jungle_english_installer.exe

Here are the rules, I recomend reading them from the web:
++General description
Each player controls eight game pieces representing different animals of various rank. Stronger-ranked animals can capture ("eat") animals of weaker or equal rank. The player who is first to maneuver any one of their pieces into the opponent's den wins the game. An alternative way to win is to capture all the opponent's pieces.

++Board
The Jungle gameboard represents a jungle terrain with dens, traps "set" around dens,[6] and rivers. It consists of seven columns and nine rows of squares (7×9 rectangle = 63 squares). Pieces move on the squares as in chess, moving one square vertically or orisontally per turn.
There are several special squares and areas of the Jungle board:

  • Den: Each player has one den square located in the centre of their first row of the board. The game ends when an enemy piece gets to the enemy's den; the player's can't move into theyr own dens.
  • Trap: Three traps border each den, to each side and in front. If a piece of the oposing player moves into a trap it's rank becomes 0 and can be captured by any enemy piece; it's rank is restored when it leaves the trap.
  • River: Two water areas or rivers are located in the centre of the board, each comprising 6 squares in a 2×3 rectangle that the pieces can't move on.
  • There are single columns of ordinary land squares on the edges of the board, and down the middle between the rivers.

++ Animals (pieces)
Each player has eight game pieces representing different animals, each with a different rank, and in their own colour (blue versus red).
The pieces are has follows, with theyr rank and special movements if they have it.

  • Elefant, Rank 8
  • *Lion, Rank 7; it can jump over the water areas orizontally and vertically
    *Tiger, rank 6; it can jump over the water areas oriszntally and vertically
    *Leopard, rank 5; In some variations it can jump over the water areas, but just orizontally;
  • Wolf, rank 4
  • Dog, rank 3
  • Cat, Rank 2
  • *Rat, rank 1; it can move into the water areas.

++Rules
Players alternate moves with Blue moving first. During their turn, a player must move. All pieces can move one square horizontally or vertically (not diagonally). A piece may not move into its own den. Animals of either side can move into and out of any trap square.

++Special rules related to moving and capturing

  • The rat is the only animal that may go onto a water square.
  • The lion and tiger can jump over a river horizontally or vertically. They jump from a square on one edge of the river to the next non-water square on the other side. If that square contains an enemy piece of equal or lower rank, the lion or tiger capture it as part of their jump.
  • A jumping move is blocked (not permitted) if a rat of either color currently occupies any of the intervening water squares.
  • The rat can kill an elephant, but only from a land square, not from a water square.
  • A rat in the water is invulnerable to capture by any piece on land. (Therefore a rat in the water can only be killed by another rat in the water.)
  • A piece that enters one of the opponent's trap squares is reduced in rank to 0. Thus the trapped piece may be captured by the defending side with any piece, regardless of rank. A trapped piece has its normal rank restored when it exits an opponent's trap square.

++ Optional rules / variations that could be included here in the playroom as custom options

  • Some play the game with the lion and tiger being equally strong, whereby they can kill each other.
  • The leopard may jump over the river horizontally but not vertically (due to its lesser strength than the tiger or lion). It can jump over a rat in the river.
  • All traps are universal. If an animal goes into a trap in its own region, an opponent animal is able to capture it regardless of rank difference if it is beside the trapped animal. The rules for being on one's own trap do vary.
  • Some players prefer allowing the dog to move onto water squares.

Score: +0

2. yoko_ono,

Nice idea, would like to see the game implemented :)

Score: +0

3. facelessghost,

This is a kind of chess, I understand!
It will be healthy to see this option here!

Score: +0

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