A repository for the game Thud.
The octagonal playing area consists of a 15 by 15 square board
from which a triangle of 15 squares in each corner has been
removed.
The Thudstone is placed on the centre square of the
board.
The eight trolls are placed onto the eight
squares adjacent to the Thudstone.
The thirty-two dwarfs are
placed so as to occupy all the perimeter spaces except for the
four in the same horizontal or vertical line as the Thudstone.
One player takes control of the dwarfs, the other controls the trolls. The dwarfs move first.
The battle is over when both players agree that no more captures can be made by continuing to play, or
when one player has no more valid moves to make. At this point the players count score: the dwarfs score 1
point for each surviving dwarf, and the trolls score 4 for each remaining troll, with the difference being the
'final' score. The players should then swap sides to play another round, and the sum of their final scores for
the two battles determines the overall victor.
- Move: any one dwarf is moved like a chess queen, any number of squares in any orthogonal or
diagonal direction, but not onto or through any other piece, whether Thudstone, dwarf, or troll; or
- Hurl: anywhere there is a straight (orthogonal or diagonal) line of adjacent dwarfs on the board, they
may hurl the front dwarf in the direction continuing the line, as long as the space between the lead
dwarf and the troll is less than the number of dwarfs in the line. This is different from a normal move
in that the dwarf is permitted to land on a square containing a troll, in which case the troll is removed
from the board and the dwarf takes his place. This may only be done if the endmost dwarf can land
on a troll by moving in the direction of the line at most as many spaces as there are dwarfs in the
line. Since a single dwarf is a line of one in any direction, a dwarf may always move one space to
capture a troll on an immediately adjacent square.
- Move: one troll is moved like a chess king, one square in any orthogonal or diagonal direction onto
an empty square. After the troll has been moved, only a single dwarf on the eight squares adjacent to
the moved troll may optionally be immediately captured and removed from the board, at the troll
player's discretion; or
- Shove: anywhere there is a straight (orthogonal or diagonal) line of adjacent trolls on the board, they
may shove the endmost troll in the direction continuing the line, up to as many spaces as there are
trolls in the line. As in a normal move, the troll may not land on an occupied square, and any (all)
dwarfs in the eight squares adjacent to its final position may immediately be captured. Trolls may
only make a shove if by doing so they capture at least one dwarf.