Terrace (board game)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Terrace is a strategy game played on a three dimensional board. The board has 64 squares of uniform color, which are arranged in L-shaped levels ("terraces") that rise stepwise from the board's lowest points in two diagonally opposite corners to its highest points in the other two corners. All pieces are shaped alike and move according to the same rules, but they are of 4 different sizes and vary in capturing "power." One of each player's smallest pieces has the letter "T" carved into it and has a role somewhat similar to the king in chess.
The object is to win either by moving your T from its starting point at one corner to an opposite corner, or by capturing your opponent's T. Born out of one of the inventors' frustration at the difficulty of teaching chess, Terrace features simple, locally-oriented rules that applies across all pieces, without compromising on depth of strategy. Games tend to be circling rapier duels for territorial control and material advantage, and players are often faced with the dilemma of pursuing one of the two victory conditions.
When the board game was introduced in 1992, Terrace won a number of major awards and was subsequently featured on Star Trek: The Next Generation as a permanent prop. In 1997, a revised version was introduced, with the board changed to 6x6 (36 squares), a 43% reduction in size, with 12 pieces per side instead of 16. Only two rows separate the two players' pieces, instead of four.
Terrace appears to be out of print and is rather difficult to find. Several computer versions are widely available, including the original implementation from the board game's creators at Home of the Underdogs.
