Rated Comments for a Single Item
The edge squares are essential for all the pieces since each can be swapped there, or end there in capturing, if only from another edge square. The Long Leaper is a more natural piece than say a Cannon, and in Rococo exceeded in value by two other pieces. My estimates: Immobilizer 10, Advancer 8, LL 7, Swapper 5, Chameleon 4, Withdrawer 3, Cannon Pawn 2. A Triangulator, as described, or Coordinator for that matter would not fit in well with this mix of pieces. CVP has about 2000 games the last time I checked, somewhat fewer than David Pritchard's Encyclopedia. Of course, there is substantial overlap, such as Ultima.
Yes, Rococo and Ultima should both thrive, somewhat as the open standard and as the closed standard of the same kind of game. That open or closed - strategic - character derives from the Pincer Pawns in Ultima and from the edge squares and Cannon Pawns in Rococo. Where I disagree is about tactics, that is, the officers. I would enrol one Coordinator, one Swapper, one Withdrawer, one Advancer, one Long Leaper, one Immobilizer and one Chameleon in both games. I don't see what makes the Advancer, the Coordinator or the Long Leaper worthwhile only in Ultima or only in Rococo. Indeed, I find the lack of either frustrating. (Should one or two new pieces - not pieces capturing by replacement - prove valuable in a future Ultima-Rococo spin-off, I would also call for adding them.) As for evaluation, well, I would reverse George's values for the Advancer and the Long-Leaper and also for the Swapper and the Chameleon.
Hi! I was exploring Rococo's ZRF, I found many divergences between what I was expected to be correct and what does Zillions do. Now I have many questions to any one concerned with Rococo: 1) wether the Chameleon could swap with the Swapper, jumping over any Long leaper; 2) wether the Chameleon could swap and capture any Withdrawer or Advancer; 3) wether a Pawn that's already on the 9th rank could promote by moving sidewards (it's clear it could not go to the 10th rank); 4) wether a piece on the outer ring could 'commit suicide' (i.e. - does this count as capturing?). I will appreciate having authors' opinion. Thanks a lot.
That was quick! Thanks! Great game!
The strength order probably goes like this: Immobilizer - 9 points Advancer - 8 points Chameleon - 6 points Long Leaper - 5 points Archer - 5 points Withdrawer - 3.5 points (resistant to the Immobilizer) Swapper - 2.5 points Withdrawer - 2.5 points (not resistant) Pawn - 1 point
Robert Abbott was inventor of Ultima in the 1960s. Abbott commented 13 years ago on Rococo:
Rococo is my single preferred CV whether Orthodox style or Track Two Heterodox style like Rococo. It themes every piece moving like Queen but capturing differently. Contrary to Abbott, the border squares substantially make the game, because different pieces and Rococo Pawns react differently with those "half-squares" variously accessible according to the piece-types divergent Rules. "Divergent" is carefully picked to describe because all Rococo pieces are divergent in the CV sense that they move and capture differently. But then Abbott has a narrow specialty having invented several (not a lot) of great game rules and secondly made challenging mazes. He admits here and there he does not play games, CV or not, very much himself. He seems to have just chanced on 2 or 3 great Rules sets in card game Eleusis and CV Ultima. Or maybe Ultima gets attention because it was one of the first modern ones in between Parton and Boyer and just prior to Betza. There is not much follow-up insight on Abbott's part, where for instance most revisions of his suggestion worsen the great original. Abbott never really delved into CVs and does not consider Ultima even to be one like we do, but just using Chess equipment in his words.
However, over-all we have played Abbott's great Eleusis quite a bit more than Aronson and Howe's Rococo, no comparison really. Eleusis, so thanks aplenty to Robert for countless hours at Eleusis.
A cool variant that may take some time to be at ease with, but it looks worth it.
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