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Bob Greenwade wrote on Mon, Sep 4, 2023 11:33 PM UTC in reply to Bn Em from 09:08 PM:

…or fellow Bodyguard?

Good catch, that. I generally write these things with the assumption that the Bodyguard will stay in the back and play defense, but there's no real reason that one couldn't try to make a play for the center or even the far end.

But how would that other friend get there? Surely if it got there on its own volition it would be considered to have moved, meaning can't have and therefore can't transmit the initial Pawn moves?

This would require that the move be passed on from another Friend, who is in range of both the Pawn and whatever piece that Friend is using to transmit the move. The Friend transmitting the move can have moved, and pass it on to the Friend in question; the restriction against having moved is on the recipient.

Does a Squirrel Displacement not count as movement for the piece being displaced? That would solve this, though it'd also make it possible (indeed necessary for the chain) for a Friend to gain the initial moves directly

For purposes of an "opening move," Displacement does count as a move. (This decision is not final.)

So to be clear (purely for my benefit, as I was thrown the first time I read it), the Squirrel can still capture enemy pieces normally?

Yes, that's correct.

Iow a Friend captured whilst under the guard of a Poison annihilates its attacker? Is this optional (in the rare case, such as blocking check(mate) that waiving it would be desirable)?

I probably should make it explicit one way or the other. Probably the Poison (and Jellyfish) would be automatically poisonous, making this answer "no, not optional."

Hia could be optional, though; that seems like something that a Bodyguard could "turn off" if desired, though I'm not sure why one would. The rifle and withdrawal captures are already optional for the host pieces.

And this is why I didn't use Zombie Pawns in this game!

I have to say I like this a lot. It's a shame it looks like a nightmare to programme; looks like playing it would be a fascinating experience :‌)

Thanks! And yes, it'd be an absolute nightmare to program in software, for more reasons than I want to think about. I personally would want to play it in person! It may be most practical to play by conventional email. But even if nobody ever plays it in any mode, at least it'll give readers something to think about.


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