Byte is a fundamentally unique abstract game engineered for Checkers sets. No draws or ties. Highly resistant to first-move-advantage (and second-move-advantage). No jumping, capturing, racing, surrounding, in-a-rowing, or any of the usual ho-hum mechanisms.
Players cooperate in forming three stacks of eight checkers. Winner of two out of three stacks wins game.
Rules and FAQ at: http://bytegame.com
It's a short game (about 36 moves) but the game tree is gargantuan nonetheless. It makes Reversi look like Tic-Tac-Toe in comparison.
Thank you for your responses regarding Byte. There seems to be a widely perceived “downside” to Byte, which was touched on here. The first time you play Byte you may find it interesting or intriguing. And you might not have the tiniest inkling of strategy. But you won’t be concerned . . . yet. At two weeks you’ll be beaten by a first time player, and you’ll have to sit there and listen while they reveal their “strategy” to you.
Playing Byte is like piloting a boat that’s a little too small in seas that are a little too rough. You will have almost no control over the “direction” of play for your first couple of weeks. Beginner gameplay is eerily similar to Ouija. It takes a few weeks to develop your "sea legs" and begin to have a significant influence on the outcome of play. At three months you will dispatch newcomers handily (90% of the time).
Everyone has their own criteria for a “good game”. For me as a designer, a good game is a fair game. The first time you play or the 20,000th. No draws or ties of course, and the game must be as resistant to first-move-advantage as possible. A huge game tree doesn’t guarantee a fair game, but you can’t have a fair game without one. Uniqueness and simplicity are also design imperatives. If a game excels in all of these categories then I’ve succeeded.
Byte is about as good as it gets for me. Quadrature and Tanbo aren’t too shabby, but I think Byte has moved to the head of the class. Not everyone is going to like Byte, but I remain confident that a core group of dedicated Byte players will form.
Byte is presented as a long term investment. There will be some blunt force trauma to your ego in the beginning. In one of my writings I almost stated, “You don’t wring out Byte – Byte wrings you out.” I deleted that line because it sounded kind of mean. But I do think players are getting a little intimidated after playing me once or twice. Most of them, after some pause, have returned for additional beatings though.
Clark has correctly observed that long term strategy is a “monster”. That is the nature of Byte. It may take years for any proper strategy to develop (assuming the existence of that core group of dedicated players I mentioned).
I get into trouble when I say things like, “There is no other game like Byte.” I should temper that by disclosing my extremely limited knowledge of other games.
Moe's a bit of a ham. He has an uncanny sense for when the camera timer is due to expire, and he steps into the picture during the final second.