The Crossing

The Crossing
Designed by Cuc
Chinese Checkers variant. Be the first to get your pieces to the opposite corner.
:Players	Players:	2 - 4
:Time	Length:	Medium
:Complexity	Complexity:	Medium
Trios per color:		2
Number of colors:		0
Pyramid trios:
Monochr. stashes:		0
Five-color sets:		2
- - - - - - Other equipment - - - - - -
8x8 grid
Setup time:		20 seconds
Playing time:		10 minutes - 20 min
Strategy depth:		Medium
Random chance:		No
Game mechanics:		move, jump
Theme:		abstract
BGG Link:
Status: Complete (v1.0), Year released: 2023

Description

Each player tries to cross the board with their mids, starting in their “home” and ending on a corresponding field in the opponent’s home on the opposite side of the board. Each mid has moving options depending on its size: Smalls can only move 1 space, but larger mids can also jump a fixed distance over one or more mids. A tagging rule avoids stalemate, as it forces the opponent to move one of their mids still at home. The clever game mechanics make the game hot (both players will want to move), and urge each player to cross as fast as possible, at the same time trying to prevent their opponent from doing the same, or at least to slow them down.

Equipment

• Two sets of 3 trios, each set in a different color.
• An 8 by 8 board. For a printable board with 1 sq in fields, see
  • 8x8 Board

Setup

Set up the board between the players by turning it 45 degrees, pointing the black diagonal from one player to the other.

Definition.

[Home] The 3 by 3 square in the corner that is closest to a player, where all their 9 mids start, is called that player’s home. In each home, set up the 3 trios as follows (turn the board 45 degrees counterclockwise from shown):

Setup

Fig. 1. Setup of a [home] in one of the corners.

Note. Both homes are mirrored, located at opposite sides of the board, on the black diagonal.

Gameplay

Definition.

[Neighboring] Two fields are neighboring if they are directly adjacent in any of the 8 directions (horizontally, vertically, and diagonally), i.e., they share an edge or a corner.

Players take turns. On your turn you choose one of your mids, and choose to either move it or jump with it, according to its abilities, as follows:

• a Small can only move to a neighboring empty field.
• a Medium can EITHER a.) move like a Small, OR b.) jump in a straight line exactly 2 (two) fields away in any of the 8 directions, but always over one mid (of any size and player), landing on an empty field directly behind the jumped mid. See the Jump Rule.

• a Large can EITHER a.) move like a Small, OR b.) jump in a straight line exactly 3 (three) fields away in any of the 8 directions, but always over at least one mid (of any size and player), landing on an empty field. See the Jump Rule. Note. If jumping over only 1 mid, it can stand on either field between the starting and landing field of the jumping mid.

[Jump Rule] During your turn, if you choose to jump (as described above), after you complete your jump, you have the option to jump again, as many times as you want, with the same jumping mid; you may change directions with each consecutive jump. In this case, it is polite to say “jump” before each jump. Caution. With your jumping mid, you can not “jump” over just empty spaces! Depending on the size of the jumping mid, you must always jump over one (for Medium) or at least one (for Large) other mid, and over a distance of 2 (for Medium) or 3 fields (for Large).

Jump S Examples Jump M Examples Jump L Examples Fig. 2. All mids may move like S (distance 1); M may also jump 1 mid (distance 2); a Large may also jump 1 or 2 mids (distance 3). Note. Only some move options are shown.

Other Rules

Tag Rule

Definition.

[Tagging] When some or all of your opponent’s mids are still in their home and are neighbors of the field where the moving mid of your current turn ended, you can tag said mids by saying “tag”. Note. Your moving mid may end inside or outside your opponent’s home in order to tag. If you do not say “tag”, your opponent’s mids are not tagged! Within reason, to tag your opponent’s mids, you should say “tag” as soon as possible (ideally when still holding your moving mid, or when you release your moving mid), but in any case before your opponent touches one of their mids in order to move it.

This definition allows us to formulate the tag rule.

[Tag Rule] If there is a tagged mid in your home, you must choose your moving mid for your current move among the tagged mids. Test [Forfeit Rule]. After your turn, none of your mids are tagged any longer. Note. Using this rule forces the opponent to free up a field in their home, thus preventing stalemate.

Tag Examples Tag Examples Tag Examples Fig. 3. Green moved the G2, said “tag”, and tags circled 3 Red mids.

Clarifications.

• If any one of you notices the mistake that a tagged mid should’ve been moved but wasn’t, say something. Then, the current player takes their turn back, and moves a tagged mid instead.
• If your opponent made the above mistake, but neither of you noticed it during the turn, and you touch a mid to move it for your next turn, then the game continues as if no mids were tagged during your previous turn. So, pay attention!

Forfeit Rule

In rare situations, it is possible that a player can not move.

[Forfeit Rule] If a player can not move, their turn is forfeited. The next player takes the next turn. Note. Hence, in rare cases, a player could stay “out of the game” for a while, until they can move again. E.g., if they’re tagged, but none of the tagged pieces can move, the opponent may tag them again, while none of the newly tagged pieces can move, etc.

End

Definition.

[Crossed] A mid has crossed if it sits in the opponent’s home at a starting position of a same-sized opponent’s mid. Note. Crossed mids are still allowed to move.

[End] The game ends if one player has crossed all their mids.

[Win] The first player who crossed all their mids wins.

Strategy

• In assessing the situation, look for a.) your farthest jumps, b.) your other possible moves, c.) your opponent’s farthest jumps, and d.) your opponent’s other possible moves.
• Use your Smalls to help your Mediums and Larges to advance, i.e., to jump over your Smalls. Consider: you will have to move the Smalls one step at a time to their goal, so you may as well help your other mids to advance. If you don’t, and the larger mids can’t jump, you are losing tempo against your opponent.
• Look for an opportunity to tag your opponent’s mids to gain tempo by limiting their options.
• Move your mids out of their home as soon as possible, to avoid being tagged. When your mids get tagged, it is always sub-optimal, unless you’ve prepared a jump with one of the tagged mids.
• Prevent your opponent’s farthest jump, or prevent part of their possible jumps.
• Prevent an opponent’s move that allows them a future jump or prevents you from making a future jump.
• Move your Smalls forward whenever you think you don’t have a better move. Since they must move across sooner or later, it’s better to move them sooner rather than later, as to increase your jumping options.
• Block their Smalls, so their moves become inefficient and they stay behind.

Variants

Handicap

Consider that at the end of the game, you can count how many turns the losing player still needed in order to finish. To compensate for this difference, the losing player gets that many turns to start with, before the other player plays their first turn. If the handicap is too large, lower it after the weaker player wins three times in a row.

Solo Crossing Challenge

Play by yourself with 1 color. Count the number of turns (multiple jumps during one turn count for one turn) to complete your crossing. What’s the minimum number of turns you need to complete?

Challenge. Score yourself as follows: you score 0 points with 30 or more turns; if you use N < 30 turns, you score 30 – N points. Can you get 10 points?

Feedback. This solo variant helps you develop some techniques in getting across fast. What you learn from the solo variant won’t be easy to apply in a game against an opponent, but you will be able to understand some of the subtleties involved. Also, once you have a “best” solution, the solo challenge will be gone. Here are two hints.

Hint 1. It is possible to score 10 points. Hint 2. Prove that 10 points is the best possible score. (Proof can be found in the book.)

Multiplayer Crossing

You can play the game with 3 or 4 players. The rules are the same. The center gets busy, but who can break the impasse? You can tag any mid of any opponent that’s in a home that’s not their goal home. Suggestion. To facilitate tagging, use tokens, e.g., pony beads. Each player gets one token in the color of their mids. If you tag another player, give your tagging token to them; this helps everyone to remember. If a player on their turn has tokens of other players, it means they’ve been tagged after their last turn; they must move one of their tagged mids. Choose the restricted or free variant (see below), to decide what needs to happen when they get tagged by more than 1 player. Note. The order of tagging is not relevant.

Restricted. They must move a mid that is tagged the most. If more than one mid is tagged most, they can choose one freely among those. Note. If none of the most tagged mids can move, the turn is forfeited.

Free. They must move a tagged mid. If more than one mid is tagged, they can choose one freely among those. After their turn, they return all the tagging tokens to the respective players.

References

Play More Games with the Homeworlds Set. By CubeMan69. 174 pp., Lulu.com, 8/5/2023.

• https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/263684/play-more-games-homeworlds-set