From: darse@cs.UAlberta.CA (Darse Billings)
Subject: Chase (TM) Rules
Keywords: chase
Organization: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 11:36:47 GMT

In article <darse.714370337@silver-vly>, I wrote:
> Chase (TM) is a chess-like game played on a hexagonal board, using two
> colours of six-sided dice for men.  The range of mobility of the men is
> defined by the value on each die, and certain moves allow you to change
> those values during the game.  Thus the nature of the playing pieces may
> vary, and this must be taken into account when computing moves and
> strategies.

Since posting this in August, I have had several requests for more
information about this game.  I have finally dug up the game from my
archives, so here are the playing board and rules.  The game may be
purchased from TSR, Inc., and the address appears at the end of the rules. 

I haven't really played the game much, but it seems to have potential.
I am not interested in playing by e-mail, but there may be several other
opponents available, given the interest already shown.

						Cheers,  - Darse.
----

Chase (TM), the Challenging Game of Changing Strategies,
is a game produced by TSR, Inc.

The Chase (TM) Board:

              Chase Player Two
     /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\ 
    |  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  |
    \\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//
     ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 
    //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
    |  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  |
    \\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//
     ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 
    //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
    |  ||  ||  ||  ||ch||  ||  ||  ||  |
    \\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//
     ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 
    //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
    |  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  |
    \\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//
     ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 
    //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
    |  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  |
     \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/ 
              Chase Player One

Object
------

The Chase (TM) Game is a strategy game for two players that uses dice as
playing pieces [on a cylindrical hexagonal board].  Each piece can move the
number of spaces showing on its top, called its "speed".  To capture an
opponent's piece, land on it by exact count.  When a piece is captured, add
the speed of the lost piece to the remaining pieces on the same side, so
that a total of 25 points of speed is always maintained on each side.

A player wins the game when the opponent has only four pieces remaining,
since four pieces cannot possibly have more than 24 points of speed among
them.

Game Parts
----------

The Chase (TM) Game contains:
A plastic game box
A gameboard
A rulebook
Ten blue dice
Ten red dice

Setting Up The Board
--------------------

Each space on the gameboard has a designation.  Rows are lettered, and
columns are numbered.  Row and column notation begins on the lower left
corner of the player who moves first in the game.

There is no row "I" to avoid confusion with the number "1".  Space E5
(marked "ch" on the diagram) contains the "Chamber", which has special
properties, described below.

Space Designations:

              Chase Player Two
     /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\ 
    |J1||J2||J3||J4||J5||J6||J7||J8||J9|
    \\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//
   H1||H2||H3||H4||H5||H6||H7||H8||H9||H1
    //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
    |G1||G2||G3||G4||G5||G6||G7||G8||G9|
    \\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//
   F1||F2||F3||F4||F5||F6||F7||F8||F9||F1
    //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
    |E1||E2||E3||E4||ch||E6||E7||E8||E9|
    \\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//
   D1||D2||D3||D4||D5||D6||D7||D8||D9||D1
    //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
    |C1||C2||C3||C4||C5||C6||C7||C8||C9|
    \\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//
   B1||B2||B3||B4||B5||B6||B7||B8||B9||B1
    //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
    |A1||A2||A3||A4||A5||A6||A7||A8||A9|
     \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/ 
              Chase Player One

If you want to record your favorite Chase (TM) games, or play Chase (TM) by
mail, you can use the optional system of notation given here.

The pieces of the player that moves first are referred to by the letter "O"
(for One), and the pieces of the players that moves second are referred to
by the letter "T" (for Two).  The speed of the piece follows that letter.
For example, a piece with a speed of 3 that belongs to player Two is
abbreviated "T3".  If it is currently located on space H6, it is described
as "T3H6".

The players sit on opposite sides of the board.  Each player chooses a color
of dice, and places them on the gameboard as shown in the diagram below.
The two remaining dice (one red, one blue) begin the game off the board.
They may enter play at a later time.

Initial Set-up:

              Chase Player Two
     /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\  /\ 
    |T1||T2||T3||T4||T5||T4||T3||T2||T1|
    \\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//
     ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 
    //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
    |  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  |
    \\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//
     ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 
    //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
    |  ||  ||  ||  ||ch||  ||  ||  ||  |
    \\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//
     ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 
    //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
    |  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  |
    \\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//
     ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  ||  || 
    //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\
    |O1||O2||O3||O4||O5||O4||O3||O2||O1|
     \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/  \/ 
              Chase Player One

Note that the total of the speeds of the pieces on each side in the opening
set-up is 25 (1+2+3+4+5+4+3+2+1 = 25).  The value of the pieces will change
during play, but the total of the pieces must always equal 25, or else the
side with fewer than 25 points loses.  (Four dice have a maximum of 24
points: 4x6 = 24).

Starting Play
-------------

At the start of the game, each player rolls a die.  The player with the
highest roll moves first, after which players alternate turns.  In case of a
tie, roll again.

Types of Moves
--------------

There are seven types of moves you can make in the Chase (TM) game.  You may
make any one type of move on each of your turns.

1. Normal Move.

You can move any one of your pieces the exact number shown on its top (its
"speed") in a straight line in any direction.  For example, a piece with a
speed of 2 can move two spaces.  Pieces can move forward, backward, or any
of the six directions available.  Pieces must always move in a straight
line; they cannot zig-zag or deviate from a straight line course.  Pieces
must always move their exact speed: a piece with a speed of 4, for example,
cannot move only three spaces.

If another piece, whether your own or your opponent's, is in an intervening
space, you cannot move through it or jump over it, and therefore you cannot
move in that direction.  If another piece is in the destination space (that
is, where your move ends), you can Capture it (if it belongs to your
opponent), or Bump it (if it is your own).  Bumping and capturing are
described in later sections.  You cannot move through or jump over the
Chamber space (E5); you can only land on the Chamber by exact count.

If both players repeat the same move three times consecutively, the game
ends in a stalemate.

In Chase (TM) notation, a normal move is described by giving the piece
designation, followed by a dash, followed by the destination space.  For
example, the piece O2C7 [on an otherwise empty board] can make the following
moves: O2C7-C9, O2C7-E8, O2C7-E6, O2C7-C5, O2C7-A6, or O2C7-A8.  A zig-zag
move, such as O2C7-B9, would be illegal.

2. Wraparound Move.

When a piece runs into the right or left edge of the board before using up
its full move, it completes its move is a "wraparound".  To visualize a
wraparound, imagine that the right and left edges of the game board are
connected, as if the board were shaped like a cylinder.

When the piece leaves one side of the board, it immediately returns on the
opposite side on the same space it would have entered if the sides were
physically connected, and continues its move until all its speed is used up,
just as in the normal move.

The half-hexagons along the right and left edges (spaces B1, D1, F1, and H1)
are considered to be the same board space as the half-hexagons on the same
row on the opposite edge.  A piece on one of the half-hexagons is therefore
also on the corresponding half-hexagon on the opposite side of the board at
the same time.

In Chase (TM) notation, a wraparound move is described just like a normal
move.  For example, the piece O4E8 [on an otherwise empty board] can make
wraparound moves O4E8-J1, O4E8-E3, and O4E8-A1.

3. Ricochet Move.

When a piece runs into the top or bottom edge of the board before using up
its full move, it completes its move in a "ricochet": it bounces off that
edge and heads away along the corresponding angle.  A piece cannot ricochet
back along the same path it was following, nor can it change direction to
move along the top or bottom row.

A ricochet move is described in Chase (TM) notation just like a normal move.
For example, the piece T6D9 [on an otherwise empty board] can make two
ricochet moves, T6D9-D6 and T6D9-H6.  It can also make a combination
wraparound/ricochet move, T6D9-D3.  A move such as T6D9-A4 or T6D9-D9 would
be illegal.

4. Exchange Move.

Two pieces belonging to the same player that are located on adjacent spaces
can swap points of speed between them.  This uses an entire turn.  Pieces
with a speed of 1 cannot give up points of speed, and pieces with a speed of
6 cannot receive points of speed.  To exchange speed points, you must
subtract points from one die and add the same number of points to an
adjacent die.

For example, if a blue piece with a speed of 3 is adjacent to a blue piece
with a speed of 4, they can exchange points of speed in the following ways:

3 becomes 4 and 4 becomes 3 (3+1; 4-1)
3 becomes 5 and 4 becomes 2 (3+2; 4-2)
3 becomes 6 and 4 becomes 1 (3+3; 4-3)
3 becomes 2 and 4 becomes 5 (3-1; 4+1)
3 becomes 1 and 4 becomes 6 (3-2; 4+2)

In Chase (TM) notation, an exchange move is described as follows:  
"T4G6 = T6; T5G7 = T3" shows pieces of speeds 4 and 5, swapping two points
of speed to become pieces of speeds 6 and 3, respectively.  The format is
"owner/speed/row/column = owner/newspeed".

5. Capture Move.

If a piece moves by exact count onto a space that is occupied by an opposing
piece, the opposing piece is "captured", and is removed from the board.

Since a capture leaves the opponent with fewer than 25 points showing on the
dice, the opponent must add the speed of the captured piece to the piece on
his side with the lowest speed.

If a player has more than one piece that qualifies as having the lowest
speed, he or she may choose which one of them to change.

If a player's lowest speed piece cannot absorb all the captured points of
speed, it's speed is increased to 6, and the speed of the next lowest piece
(or other piece with the same speed, if the player had a choice of which
piece to increase) is increased as necessary to make up the difference.  If
that does not account for all the captured points of speed, then the next
qualifying piece is increased, and so forth, until all captured points of
speed are accounted for, and the player's total speed on all dice once more
equals 25.  If that is impossible, the player whose piece was captured has
lost the game.

For example, is a 5 is captured, a 1 may be changed to a 6 to make up for
it.  If a player has two pieces with a speed of 1, the player chooses which
one to change.  If a 6 is captured, and the players lowest speed dice are
3, 4, and 4, then the 3 and either of the 4's are both changed to 6's, and
the remaining 4 is changed to a 5.

A capture move is shown in Chase (TM) notation by using an "x" instead of a
"-", and noting the owner and speed of the captured piece, followed by a
parenthesis containing the dice adjustment of the player whose piece was
captured, using the same format as an exchange move.  For example,
"O3D4xT5G5 (T1H9 = T6)" shows player One's speed 3 piece located on space D4
capturing player Two's speed 5 piece located on space G5, with player Two
adding the five captured speed points to a speed 1 piece located on space
H9.  Alternately, "O3D4xT5G5 (T3G9 = T6; T4C1 = T6)" shows that player Two
had to adjust two dice to make up the lost points.  If a capture results in
a victory, instead of noting the dice adjustment, write the word "WIN" in
the parenthesis.  For example, if the above capture had won the game, it
would be described "O3D4xT5G5 (WIN)".

6. Bump Move.

If a piece moves by exact count onto a space that is occupied by another
piece belonging to the same player, the piece landed on is "bumped" onto the
next space.

The "next space" is always the space that the original piece would have
moved to next if it had one more point of speed.  The "next space" can be
reached through wraparound or ricochet movement.  A piece cannot be bumped
into the Chamber.

If the space into which a piece is bumped is already occupied by yet another
piece belonging to the same player, that piece is likewise bumped, and so
on.  For example, in the opening set-up, a player may move either of his
speed 1 pieces to the right or left, setting off a chain reaction of bumps,
resulting in all nine pieces shifting their position by one space.

If the space into which a piece is bumped is already occupied by a piece
belonging to the opposing player, that piece is captured.

To describe a bump move in Chase (TM) notation, use a slash.
"T5A5-F8/T1F8-G8" shows a speed 5 piece bumping a speed 1 piece.  If the
speed 1 piece had made a capture, it might be described as
"T5A5-F8/T1F8xO4G8 (O2D1 = O6)".  To describe a multiple bump, omit the
destination space of the intervening bumps.  For example, if on the first
turn player One moved O1A1-A2, setting off a bump chain reaction, it would
be described as "O1A1-A2/O2A2/O3A3/O4A4/O5A5/O4A6/O3A7/O2A8/O1A9-A1".

7. Chamber Move.

The space in the center of the gameboard (E5) is called the Chamber.  It
allows you to put captured piece (or the piece that began the game off the
board) back into the game.

As with any other space, you must land on the Chamber by exact count.  You
cannot bump a piece into the Chamber, or make a move that would result in
such a bump.  You cannot move through the Chamber without stopping (treat
the Chamber as if another piece was in the way).

When a piece lands in the Chamber, it "splits" into two pieces, thus
bringing another piece onto the board.  Since the combined speeds of all
pieces on a side must always equal 25, the piece that lands in the Chamber
loses half its speed to its retrieved teammate, and the dice faces are
adjusted accordingly.

For example, if a piece with a speed of 4 lands in the Chamber, two pieces
emerge, each with a speed of 2.  If a piece with a speed of 5 lands in the
Chamber, two pieces emerge, one with a speed of 3, and the other with a
speed of 2.  Pieces must always be split as equally as possible; for
example, you cannot split a 5 into a 4 and a 1.

The two "split" pieces are each placed outside the Chamber based on which
space the original piece entered the Chamber, according to the following
table:

Enter from E4; exit on D5 and F5.
Enter from F5; exit on E4 and F6.
Enter from F6; exit on F5 and E6.
Enter from E6; exit on F6 and D6.
Enter from D6; exit on E6 and D5.
Enter from D5; exit on D6 and E4.

An easy way to remember where the pieces go is to imagine an arrowhead.  The
point of the arrowhead is in the Chamber space, and the base of the
arrowhead is in the space through which the original piece entered the
Chamber.  One piece goes on the right arrowhead tip, the other on the left
tip.  If the two pieces that result from a Chamber move are of unequal
value, the piece with the highest speed is always placed on the left tip,
and the slower one on the right.

If the spaces on which the "split" pieces are placed after a Chamber move
are occupied by pieces belonging to the same player, those pieces are
bumped.  If they are occupied by an opponent's pieces, those pieces are
captured.  This is the only occasion in which is is possible to capture (or
bump) two pieces in the same move.  If this happens, the player whose pieces
are captured must add the combined speeds of the captured pieces to his
remaining pieces in the normal manner.

A piece with a speed of 1 cannot be split, since it has no speed it can
share with another piece.  If a piece with a speed of one lands in the
Chamber, it immediately exits onto the left arrowhead tip.

If all ten pieces (the original nine plus the one that began play off the
gameboard) are on the gameboard at the same time, no further splitting is
possible.  If a piece enters the Chamber when all ten pieces are in play, the
piece does not split, but immediately exits the Chamber by itself and is
placed on the left arrowhead tip.

In Chase (TM) notation, a chamber move is described using the letters "ch".
"O4A7ch" describes a move by a speed 4 piece from A7 into the Chamber.  If
bumps and or captures follow, they combine the notation above:
"O4A7ch/O3D5-C4" shows a bump following a chamber move.  Or, there's the
ultimate Chase (TM) move, the "double bump / double capture move", which is
notated as follows: "O4A7ch/O3D5xT4C4/O6E6xT1E7 (T3H4 = T6; T5B6 = T6; 
T5F3 = T6)".

A final note about Chase (TM) notation.  When you are describing an entire
game, as opposed to a single move, it's not necessary to always use the
full, formal notation style, since the consequences of each move are fully
determined by the rules.  In fact, a game can be fully described only with
normal move notation, exchange notation, capture notation, and the "ch" part
of a Chamber move notation.

The Chase Club
--------------

If you're interested in finding Chase (TM) opponents, joining local clubs or
play-by-mail groups, or participating in regional or national tournaments,
send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to:

	The Chase Club
	TSR, Inc.
	POB 756
	Lake Geneva, WI 53147
	USA

Questions
---------

If you have any questions or problems concerning the Chase (TM) Game, please
send your questions (phrased so they can be answered with a "yes", "no", or
short answer, please), accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope to:

	Chase Questions
	TSR, Inc.
	POB 756
	Lake Geneva, WI 53147
	USA

Game Design: Tom Kruszewski
Rules Editing: Michael Dobson
Graphic Design: Colleen O'Malley
Logo and Map Board: Dave (Diesel) LaForce


Chase is a trademark (TM) and copywrited (1985, 1987 Tom Kruszewski).
All Rights Reserved.  The TSR logo is a trademark owned by TSR, Inc.

--

 - Darse Billings, 2065 CFC, 7 kyu.

Go is better than Chess.  Poker is more lucrative.  Sex is more fun.
Newsgroups: rec.games.board