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Capture The Fruit (爭果棋) (梅花棋)

Rules:

1. Capture The Fruit (CTF) is a game for two players. Each player controls 12 animals from The Chinese zodiac, as well as 4 deities who are in charge of the weather. The goal of the game is to bring the one fruit in the middle of the board back to the animal cave (the semi-circles on the sides of the game board).

2. Each chess piece consists of a color (red or black) which represents the player side, a Chinese character that represents the animal or the deity, and a number or letter for non-Chinese readers to distinguish different chess pieces. The 12 animals are (ordered by their ranks): 鼠1(rat), 牛2(ox), 虎3(tiger), 兔4(rabbit), 龍5(dragon), 蛇6(snake), 馬7(horse), 羊8(goat), 猴9(monkey), 雞10(rooster), 狗11(dog), and 豬12(boar). The 4 deities are 風A(Wind), 雷B(Thunder), 雨C(Rain), and 電D(lightning). In the center is the fruit ring.

3. Preparation: At the beginning of the game, place each chess piece according to the colored markings on the game board (note that the ABCD pieces are placed farther from the respective caves). The fruit piece should be placed in the center of the board.

4. Animal movement: 鼠1(rat), 牛2(ox), 虎3(tiger), and 兔4(rabbit) can move one step at a time. 龍5(dragon) and 蛇6(snake) can move as far as one wants on a straight line (as the Queen in the western Chess). 馬7(horse), 羊8(goat), 猴9(monkey), 雞10(rooster), 狗11(dog), and 豬12(boar) can move up to 2 steps on a straight line at a time.

5. Animal encounter: When two animals encounter each other, the lower ranked one loses and must leave the board, with one exception: the lowest ranked 豬12(boar) prevails the highest ranked 鼠1(rat). If both animals are equally ranked, then both leave the board.

6. Carrying the fruit: an animal can grab the fruit from the center spot and start carrying it back to its cave. To carry a fruit, put the fruit ring on top of the animal piece and move both together. A fruit carrying animal can only move one step at a time. When encountering another animal, the winning animal gets the fruit. If both animals leave the board, the fruit goes back to the center spot.

7. Weather Deities: all deities are equally ranked and cannot harm each other or any animals. Their only function is to strategically block the pathway to and from the center fruit spot. They can only move on dashed lines in the yellow area. They cannot enter the center spot, nor can they carry the fruit.

8. If the fruit is on the center spot, any animals can enter and grab it. However, if the fruit is taken, only a fruit carrying animal can enter that center spot.


History:

Capture The Fruit is a modification of an old game called The Plum Flower Chess, released in Taiwan probably around 1980. I read about this game in this blog: http://twohu2001.pixnet.net/blog/post/51893148-75.-%E6%A2%85%E8%8A%B1%E6%A3%8B

The Plum Flower is Taiwan's national flower so the theme of the game had a little bit of propaganda in it. I changed the flower to the fruit, for it makes slightly more sense for animals to want to go after it; I also changed the English name to "Capture The Fruit", sharing the same acronym as Capture The Flag, for their resemblance. According to the blog, the original flower piece can somehow be attached to the animal piece. I used a ring here, since TTS doesn't seem to support transparent 3D models yet. (Earlier versions of my mod just used another chess piece that says "Fruit").

I added numbers and letters below the Chinese characters on the chess pieces, for non-Chinese readers to quickly identify them. I also added some colors onto the board to make things easier to read.

The original game rules called Wind, Thunder, Rain, and Lightning the four disasters. In my revision, I personified them into weather controlling deities.

Credits:

Chess piece model is taken from hihi1210's Chinese Chess game: http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=269108525

The ring model is taken from luibenghan's Arktia by Stefan Kögl: http://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=789154960