Period board games

[melissawijffels (Melissa Wijffels)]

One outcome from an earlier survey of the Crescent Isles for alternative formats for Crown selection was period board games, particularly those involving strategy (e.g. chess, go).

This format would allow a much wider section of the populace to contest Crown, but would certainly be less of a public spectacle.

[Kinggiyadai Orlok (Kinggiyadai Orlok)]

The main problem with board games, and part of the problem with A&S in general as well as archery and perhaps fencing, is that we are sure to find experts at the contest who are completely foreign to the Society.

With chess as an example, the victor could be a supercomputer. I think we can all agree that such an outcome would be disastrous.

[Simon of Cluain (Simon of Cluain)]

The main problem with board games, and part of the problem with A&S in general as well as archery and perhaps fencing, is that we are sure to find experts at the contest who are completely foreign to the Society.

With chess as an example, the victor could be a supercomputer. I think we can all agree that such an outcome would be disastrous.

? Should a super computer turn up at an event, in garb, and conversing with due courtesy, I see no bar to the super computer contending for crown. Should some gentle pull out a modern device during a contest, in order to cheat, the disapproval of the populace would bear down upon them, leaving naught but a smoking ruin where once a proud gentle reposed. This I expect is the highest bar to traverse, and it is far more likely that a games round-robin would be a grand choice for choosing a crown. Not that my chess game is good enough to compete with, I play for the game, not for the winning.

[nathanaeldavranches]

Odds are that if you select a period chess variant that a supercomputer won't be able to help you much. Even finding good opening analysis for most of the period chess variants are hard. Go is vulnerable to cheating, but I don't think the stakes are worth the risk to the players reputation. Heavy combat is also vulnerable to cheating, and we also rely, for better or worse, on the honesty and chivalry of the participants. There are other options, such as Hnefatafl. The current crown could choose the game.

It is also not too difficult in my opinion to provide protections against people competing from outside our group, (see eligibility standards).

I think the main difficulty would be in engaging the populace, as board games are not as exciting as beating people with sticks.

[Felicia ad Aquam (Felicia ad Aquam)]

Could be exciting to have populace as pieces though. Have a knight with a little wooden hobby horse run across the field and knock a apprenticepawn on the head with a stick. The Rook could be a landed baron or baroness, with the coronet being like the castling on a modern rook.

Maybe a peer instead of bishops, and royal peers as the king and queen pieces?

Or is that too silly?

[lifa (Kallisfeniia Tykvina)]

Could be exciting to have populace as pieces though. Have a knight with a little wooden hobby horse run across the field and knock a apprenticepawn on the head with a stick. The Rook could be a landed baron or baroness, with the coronet being like the castling on a modern rook.

Maybe a peer instead of bishops, and royal peers as the king and queen pieces?

Or is that too silly?

I love that idea, sounds like so much fun. Heralds could get involved in announcing the moves. However, it would need to be timed I think. We wouldn't want to have people standing too long. And we need to consider the Stewards and how much more work this might entail for them, with setting up an area that looks chessboard-like. But I think there could be a great display of pageantry, with people potentially involving folks that will be part of their royal households. Kids could be involved in it too! It's a fun idea, but it is quite involved. Maybe it would be good to run it at an event as a trial, to see whether it is a fun time for everyone?