Re: Is the piecepack color-blind friendly.

[jdroscha@...]

--- In piecepack@y..., rmundsc@g... wrote:
>
> I would like to recommend that the piecepack pawns be 
> modified so that a piecepack is completely color-blind 
> compatible just like a deck of cards.  I would think the 
> easiest way to do this is to include the suit symbol on 
> the pawns.  At the very least the elimination of Red or 
> Green (Yellow is a better choice) as a color for one of 
> the suits would be a good idea.

   Thank you for bringing up the important topic of accessibility.  
This was considered at the conception of the piecepack, which is why 
the anatomy (read specification), viewable at 
http://www.piecepack.org/Anatomy.html, allows manufacturers to use 
either green OR yellow for the suit of crowns, at their discretion.  
Why allow green?  Because I expected the most cost-effective material 
for short run piecepacks to be wood, and yellow ink or paint on most 
shades of wood is not very readable.
   Somewhere along the way, the suit option for pawns must have been 
missed, as the original spec called for pawns to be marked by suit 
and/or color.  As you suggest, manufacturers should certainly feel 
welcome to include the suit on their pawns.  (It is not required so 
that manufacturers may use off-the-shelf available pawns to help keep 
the piecepack affordable.)  The travel-size piecepack that I keep in 
my car (which is in a box the size of a deck of Magic: the Gathering 
cards) uses 1/2" birch furniture plugs with the suits stamped on 
their tops in the appropriate colors.
   Again, I feel this is an important topic, and I thank you for 
bringing the matter to the fore.

Game On,
James