H. G. Muller wrote on Thu, Jul 2, 2020 07:04 AM UTC:
What do you think? Would it work?
Usually, the fewer rules the better, and the simpler the rules the better. Pretty much anything can be made to work, when you take away all the reasons why they would not work by additional rules. Most choices in CVs are arbitrary. Which is why there are so many. As I see it the 'brouhaha squares' are just one such arbitrary choice that work through very simple rules. To implement them in the Diagram's AI was also trivial.
I think that (in Brouhaha, at least) capture on a brouhaha square is mostly hypothetical; in practice players would develop their pieces long before these squares could come under attack, being sheltered by two fully occupied ranks. This would be different when you added brouhaha squares at the side edges near the middle; then this would become a real issue. But the simplest remedy to that is not do it. Why would you? Plenty of room near the back rank.
Usually, the fewer rules the better, and the simpler the rules the better. Pretty much anything can be made to work, when you take away all the reasons why they would not work by additional rules. Most choices in CVs are arbitrary. Which is why there are so many. As I see it the 'brouhaha squares' are just one such arbitrary choice that work through very simple rules. To implement them in the Diagram's AI was also trivial.
I think that (in Brouhaha, at least) capture on a brouhaha square is mostly hypothetical; in practice players would develop their pieces long before these squares could come under attack, being sheltered by two fully occupied ranks. This would be different when you added brouhaha squares at the side edges near the middle; then this would become a real issue. But the simplest remedy to that is not do it. Why would you? Plenty of room near the back rank.