Breakthrough (board game)
Encyclopedia
Breakthrough is an abstract strategy board game
invented by Dan Troyka in 2000 and made available as a Zillions of Games
file (ZRF). It won the 2001 8x8 Game Design Competition, even though the game was originally played on a 7x7 board, as it is trivially extendible to larger board sizes.
Choose a player to go first; then play alternates, with each player moving one piece per turn.
A piece may move one space straight or diagonally forward if the target square is empty. In the diagram on the right, the white piece on c5 can move into any of the marked squares.
A piece may move into a square containing an opponent's piece if and only if that square is one step diagonally forward. The opponent's piece is removed and the player's piece replaces it. For example, the black piece can capture either the white piece e2 or the one on g2; it would replace them if it chose to capture. Note that capturing is not compulsory, nor is it "chained" as in checkers.
The first player to reach the opponent's home row — the one farthest from the player — is the winner. If all the pieces of a player are captured, that player loses. A draw is impossible because pieces can only move ahead (or be captured), and any piece has always at least one forward diagonal move available.
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
invented by Dan Troyka in 2000 and made available as a Zillions of Games
Zillions of Games
Zillions of Games is a commercial General Game Playing system developed by Jeff Mallett and Mark Lefler in 1998. The game rules are specified with S expressions, Zillions rule language. It was designed to handle mostly abstract strategy board games or puzzles. After parsing the rules of the game,...
file (ZRF). It won the 2001 8x8 Game Design Competition, even though the game was originally played on a 7x7 board, as it is trivially extendible to larger board sizes.
Rules
The board is initially set up as shown on the right. To play the game on a different-sized board, just fill the two front and two back rows with pieces; the board need not be square.Choose a player to go first; then play alternates, with each player moving one piece per turn.
A piece may move one space straight or diagonally forward if the target square is empty. In the diagram on the right, the white piece on c5 can move into any of the marked squares.
A piece may move into a square containing an opponent's piece if and only if that square is one step diagonally forward. The opponent's piece is removed and the player's piece replaces it. For example, the black piece can capture either the white piece e2 or the one on g2; it would replace them if it chose to capture. Note that capturing is not compulsory, nor is it "chained" as in checkers.
The first player to reach the opponent's home row — the one farthest from the player — is the winner. If all the pieces of a player are captured, that player loses. A draw is impossible because pieces can only move ahead (or be captured), and any piece has always at least one forward diagonal move available.