The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Proteus is the latest chess related game from Steve Jackson Games. For about $10 you get the pieces and the rules. You'll have to supply the chess board.

Speaking of the pieces, all you get is 16 dice (8 Black, 8 White). Instead of numbers on the dice, there are icons representing 5 standard chess pieces (pawn, bishop, knight, rook and queen) and also a pyramid. The pyramid is a defensive piece that can't be moved or captured.

Rules are simple. Players pick a color and set their 8 dice to pawns. All pieces start on the black squares of the chess board closest to the player controlling them.

On a turn, a player moves a piece (with standard movement rules from chess for the 5 chess pieces) and then "rotates" a different piece up or down one step. A note for emphasis: Yes, the pieces are dice, but you don't roll them in the standard game. The pieces are ranked in the order I listed them above, so for example, you could move a pawn, then rotate one of your knights up to a rook or down to a bishop. That's it, turn over.

Why not just move them all up to queens and send them over for an attack? Well, the more powerful pieces have a higher point value. Players score these points by capturing the pieces. Having several high ranking pieces risks handing over more points to your opponent.

Furthermore, the queen is not only the highest valued piece, it also can be captured by pieces landing on the square behind it (called "backstabbing"). If you're used to guarding your queen carefully in regular chess, imagine how you'll keep an eye on two or three of them when they're this vulnerable!

Players play until one player can't move (and thus loses) or until a player has only one piece (in which case scores are compared). As I hope my rule summary reveals, this is a very simple game. Still, there has been plenty of strategy and looking ahead in the games I've played so far. There are seven variants included that promise various degrees of fun or strategy.

In summary, I enjoy Proteus quite a bit and I look forward to many more plays. My wife won't play chess with me, but she'll play Proteus and she has beaten me at it. You'll likely find it to be a middle ground for chess and non-chess players as well. It's a good filler while waiting for the other players arrive for the RPG. If you like chess or chess-like games, I strongly recommend Proteus.

Proteus
Proteus Playtest Review by Mike Petty on 04/09/01 Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty) This is the latest of Steve Jackson's Chess related games. It's simple, fun and only $10. Product: Proteus Author: Francis K. Lalumiere Category: Board/Tactical Game Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Line: Cost: 9.95 Page count: Year published: 2001 ISBN: 1-55634-513-5 SKU: Comp copy?: no Playtest Review by Mike Petty on 04/09/01 Genre tags: Other	Proteus is the latest chess related game from Steve Jackson Games. For about $10 you get the pieces and the rules. You'll have to supply the chess board. Speaking of the pieces, all you get is 16 dice (8 Black, 8 White). Instead of numbers on the dice, there are icons representing 5 standard chess pieces (pawn, bishop, knight, rook and queen) and also a pyramid. The pyramid is a defensive piece that can't be moved or captured. Rules are simple. Players pick a color and set their 8 dice to pawns. All pieces start on the black squares of the chess board closest to the player controlling them. On a turn, a player moves a piece (with standard movement rules from chess for the 5 chess pieces) and then "rotates" a different piece up or down one step. A note for emphasis: Yes, the pieces are dice, but you don't roll them in the standard game. The pieces are ranked in the order I listed them above, so for example, you could move a pawn, then rotate one of your knights up to a rook or down to a bishop. That's it, turn over. Why not just move them all up to queens and send them over for an attack? Well, the more powerful pieces have a higher point value. Players score these points by capturing the pieces. Having several high ranking pieces risks handing over more points to your opponent. Furthermore, the queen is not only the highest valued piece, it also can be captured by pieces landing on the square behind it (called "backstabbing"). If you're used to guarding your queen carefully in regular chess, imagine how you'll keep an eye on two or three of them when they're this vulnerable! Players play until one player can't move (and thus loses) or until a player has only one piece (in which case scores are compared). As I hope my rule summary reveals, this is a very simple game. Still, there has been plenty of strategy and looking ahead in the games I've played so far. There are seven variants included that promise various degrees of fun or strategy. In summary, I enjoy Proteus quite a bit and I look forward to many more plays. My wife won't play chess with me, but she'll play Proteus and she has beaten me at it. You'll likely find it to be a middle ground for chess and non-chess players as well. It's a good filler while waiting for the other players arrive for the RPG. If you like chess or chess-like games, I strongly recommend Proteus.