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Charles Gilman wrote on Thu, Nov 14, 2013 06:57 AM UTC:
It has recently struck me that the suffix -trialler for 90° alternators between cubic semi-duals is a bit of a cheat. Firstly, trial is not used as a verb as duel is. The verb relating to a trial is of course try. Secondly, the analogy suggests a piece changing between directions of a simple leaper, as is the case with -dueller. The Ninjadueller's move comprises a series of 2:2:1 moves whereas the Ninjatrialler's alernates 2:2:1 leap in one direction with 4:1:1 ones at right angles to it. Finally, I have many other suffixes starting with -tri- and it might be less confusing to drop this one.

What I do notice is that such pieces are oblique analogues to the Tapir in the same way that the -potamus pieces, 45° alternators between square-board duals, are to the Rhino. As an animal, the tapir is the nearest living South American relative of the rhinoceros, and Man and Beast does not yet use he name of the nearest living South American relative of the hippopotamus, the peccary. Therefore I have been wondering whether to substitute the suffix -peccary, so that the 90° Ninja-Nimel alternator would be the Ninjapeccary, the Elf-Lecturer one the Elfpeccary, and so on.

Another interesting group of 45° alternators are those between longer Knightwise and Camelwise leaps. It is no accident that the Knight-Crane, Camel-Chamois, Knight-Cassowary, Camel-Caltrap, Crane-Chamois, and Charolais-Cassowary alternators share the Even Move Directions of the Zebrapotamus, Girafoptamus, Antelpotamus, Zemelpotamus, Satyrpotamus, and Gimelpotamus, so for these I propose prefixing the latter pieces' names with Inverse. The Hippopotamus and Camelpotamus are their own Inverse versions.

A group of 90° alternators that I have recently noticed are those alternating hex pieces with leaps leangths in ratios of root-3 - oblique analogues to the Archimedes that is the 90° Wazir-Viceroy alternator. These include Sennight-Overscore, Aurochs-Barnowl, and Student-Bettong alterntors, and all have as EMD their shorter stage's directions. As yet I have not thought of a sutable suffix for these, but ideas are welcome.


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