Pawn Thoughts

[Michael Schoessow <mschoessow@...>]

Last night my brother Steve and I were talking some more about piecepack
pawn design. 

Pawns could be designed so that they appear either suited or neutral
depending on how they are placed. One way to do this would be to make the
pawns symmetrical, top to bottom, like spindles or thick barbells. The ends
would be flat and round, and of the same diameter as the coins. On one end
(the nominal "top") the suit logo would be printed along with a directional
marking. 

The advantages are that the suit and the facing direction of the pawn are
visible from all sides. If the pawn is turned over the suit is hidden and
the pawn now becomes appropriate for games in which neutral pawns are
desirable. The directional marking would be retained on both ends.

Pawns with flat, round tops have some other advantages as well. For one
thing, they're stackable, although this may be impractical if they are very
tall. Secondly, one or more pawns can be used to support an elevated tile.
Thirdly, they can hold or transport one or more coins, and this
significantly improves their versatility. For example, the suit of a pawn
could be changed by placing a coin on top, suit side up, and this may be a
useful mechanic in a capture type strategy game to indicate a change in pawn
ownership. Alternatively, coins could be placed number side up on top of
pawns as a way of conferring  value or rank on pawns, or of changing it. 

While I'm on the subject of piecepack design I want to add another idea
concerning the tiles too: rounding off the corners of the tiles, just a bit,
would allow for smoother implementation of games which employ tile shifting
(Amazing Labyrinth fashion) while not affecting their use for any other
games.