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Shuffles have been proposed as a way to mix up the opening in chess
variants.  I was curious if having a set number of formations could be
another approach.  This line of reasoning came to mind when I was fiddling
with Near Chess and came up with Near vs Normal Chess.  While the opening
lines of play isn't as varied as in shuffles, a formation (set arrangement
of pieces) does address weaknesses in the structure of how pieces are
arranged.  

Anyhow, I was curious if anyone has given thought to the use of different
piece formations (set arrangements) as a compromise between an outright
shuffle, and a set static open.

Any thoughts here?