💡📝A. M. DeWitt wrote on Fri, Oct 7, 2022 03:07 PM UTC:
I've been working on reviving this game (and Mitsugumi Shogi), and pretty much everything is done, but I am not sure how I should handle trading of the Fire Demons in these games to keep them exciting. Such rules don't really matter in Tenjiku Shogi, as the Tenjiku Fire Demon burns every adjacent enemy piece every time it moves, and even on the opponent's turn, so you can easily get several pieces for the price of one. In Suzumu Shogi (and Mitsugumi Shogi), the Fire Demon moves like a Free Boar with an additional area move and can optionally shoot one adjacent piece, either without moving or after it stops, and has no passive burn (XBetza: shQshympacabQ(a)2KmcabK(a)2mpacabK). In other words, the Suzumu Fire Demon's burning move is much weaker, potentially requiring rules to conserve it until the very end of the game.
I thought about implementing Chu Shogi-style rules for this, but they don't really work for a piece like the Suzumu Fire Demon. I then thought about implementing Maka Dai Dai Shogi's contagious promotion rules as well, but I worried that it would make the Fire Demons too survivable.
Right now I have a more limited contagious promotion rule in place which only affects direct captures of a Fire Demon or Heavenly Tetrarch from pieces that are not (potential) royals. I also gave the Suzumu Fire Demon's burning ability to the Heavenly Tetrarch. The former ensures that at least one Demon/Tetrarch survives, and the latter makes the Chariot Soldier more dangerous to make up for the weakened burning move. I think these changes work quite well, but I still want an outside opinion on this to make sure I am dealing with this issue the right way.
I've been working on reviving this game (and Mitsugumi Shogi), and pretty much everything is done, but I am not sure how I should handle trading of the Fire Demons in these games to keep them exciting. Such rules don't really matter in Tenjiku Shogi, as the Tenjiku Fire Demon burns every adjacent enemy piece every time it moves, and even on the opponent's turn, so you can easily get several pieces for the price of one. In Suzumu Shogi (and Mitsugumi Shogi), the Fire Demon moves like a Free Boar with an additional area move and can optionally shoot one adjacent piece, either without moving or after it stops, and has no passive burn (XBetza: shQshympacabQ(a)2KmcabK(a)2mpacabK). In other words, the Suzumu Fire Demon's burning move is much weaker, potentially requiring rules to conserve it until the very end of the game.
I thought about implementing Chu Shogi-style rules for this, but they don't really work for a piece like the Suzumu Fire Demon. I then thought about implementing Maka Dai Dai Shogi's contagious promotion rules as well, but I worried that it would make the Fire Demons too survivable.
Right now I have a more limited contagious promotion rule in place which only affects direct captures of a Fire Demon or Heavenly Tetrarch from pieces that are not (potential) royals. I also gave the Suzumu Fire Demon's burning ability to the Heavenly Tetrarch. The former ensures that at least one Demon/Tetrarch survives, and the latter makes the Chariot Soldier more dangerous to make up for the weakened burning move. I think these changes work quite well, but I still want an outside opinion on this to make sure I am dealing with this issue the right way.