Does the challenge game take too long?

So, I found a simple game that I think fits the tone of the rest of the board game to use as the challenge mechanism. I'm not sure if it is too long, though.

I imagine that challenges will occur about ten times in a game. I'm not sure of that number, though, as I haven't finished drawing up the board yet and haven't done any playtesting.

Keeping that number in mind, does it seem like the game takes too long to play? Will it detract too much from the main game? Do I need to make a new challenge system?

Challenge Resolution

When a player challenges another player's claim, the challenge is decided by a game befitting the monarchs the players represent.

A game of Five Men's Morris is played to decide the winner of the challenge.

The game is played on the square field on the side of the map made up of two concentric squares connected by intersecting lines in the center of each of the square's sides.



Each player takes with five pins from his bowl and places them near the field. If a player does not have five pins to play, he loses the challenge.

The challenger decides who starts first. The player then take turns placing one pin at a time on any unoccupied point on the field. There are 16 points (marked with dots in the illustration) on which pins may be placed.

Once both players have placed all of their pins on the field, they take turns in moving their pins around the field one at a time. Pins can only be moved to adjacent points along the marked lines. Only one pin may be placed on any point. If a pin is already on a point, another cannot be moved there.

The object is to form mills. A mill consists of a straight row of three of the player's own pins along a straight marked line. If a player succeeds in making a mill, he may capture an opponent's pin. This is done by removing an opponent's pin from the field. The pin is returned to the opponent's bowl. Once captured, pins cannot be brought back into play.

Whenever possible the captured pin should NOT be taken from an opponent's existing line of three (mill).

Players must move a pin if they can, even if it would be to their disadvantage. A player who cannot move a pin loses the game.

It IS allowed to move a pin out of a mill, then move back the following turn.

Once a player has been reduced to two pins, and therefore is unable to form a mill which lets him capture his opponent's pins, he loses the challenge.

The Mechanics

Kingdom Come

Each player is the envoy of the monarch of a great nation across the the sea. His goal is to claim the areas of the new world greatest in size and in the value of its resources. At the end of the game, the player with the most valuable stake in the new colonies wins the game.

Set Up:

Place the board on a flat service.

Set the bowl of black pins to the side.

Each player receives the following items:

1. A bowl containing 50 pins of his color.
2. 20 lengths of string of his color, each 18" long.
3. A bowl to use as a discard bowl.
   

Gameplay:

Gameplay proceeds in turns.

On his turn, a player takes one of the following actions:
- Places a pin
- Adjusts the dividers
- Places a string
- Removes one of his own pins or strings
- Challenges another player's claim
- Harvest claimed resources

Placing a pin:
When placing a pin, a player will either start a new claim or continue one.

Starting a new claim means placing a pin independent of other pins on the board. When starting a new claim, the pin may only be placed in one of the tan harbor bays. The pin may be placed anywhere on the map that is tan in color.

Continuing a claim means adding to a claim and extending outside of a harbor. When continuing a claim, the following rules must be observed:

1. The pin must be placed exactly one length of the dividers from the player's pin already on the board.
2. Placing a pin on a light brown plains area costs no additional pins.
3. Placing a pin on a green swamp area costs one additional pin. This additional pin goes into the discard bowl.
   
4. Placing a pin on a dark brown mountains ares costs two additional pins. These additional pins go into the discard bowl.
   
5. Placing a pin directly on a gold resource allows one discarded pin to be recovered.
6. Placing a pin directly on a red resource allows two discarded pins to be recovered.
   
7. Water may only be crossed if the distance crossed is 1" or less.

A resource with a pin directly on it is considered to be possessed by the player.

Adjusting the dividers:
A player may adjust the dividers to any size, including all the way open and all the way closed.

Placing a string:
A player may connect two pins using a piece of string, observing the following rules:

1. A string must be wrapped tightly 3 times around the first pin.
2. A string must be wrapped tightly 3 times around the last pin.
3. A string must be wrapped once around any pins in the middle of a string.
4. Only two pins may be connected in one action.
5. The string may be unwrapped and rewrapped when connecting two pins, so long as only two new pins are connected once the string is rewrapped.
6. A pin may have any number of strings wrapped around it.

If an area of the map has been completely enclosed by a player's string, that area is referred to as a territory. Territories can score points for the player at the end of the game. All resources inside a player's territories are considered to be possessed by the player.

Removing one of his own pins or strings:
A player may remove one of his own pins or strings. No pin's or string's placement may be made illegal by doing so. After removing the item, he may recover 2 discarded pins from the discard bowl.

Challenging another player's claim:
If a player's string crosses another player's string, he may challenge the opposing player's claim. The player's compete in a game of ((The Challenge Game that hasn't been written yet.)). The loser must remove the string and may remove up to three pins to which the string was connected.

A territory whose strings connect at least 10 pins may not be challenged.

Harvesting claimed resources:
A player may harvest a resource he possesses. A resource which has a pin directly on it may not be harvested. When a resource is harvested, the player may either recover 3 discarded pins from the discard bowl or score 1 victory point. When a resource is harvested, place a black pin directly on the resource. This resource does not score at the end of the game.

End Game:

The game continues until one player has run out of strings. When a player runs out of strings, he gains a new action which he may take on his turn in place of another action. He may call the game. When a player calls the game, each player takes one more turn before the game ends.

When the game ends, tally up each player's score, using the following procedures:

1. Each gold resource possessed by the player scores 2 points.
2. Each red resource possessed by the player scores 3 points.
3. A resource with a black pin directly on it scores no points.
4. A pin placed directly on a resource scores 1 point.
5. Each three pins left over in a player's bowl score 1 point.
6. The player with the largest total area in territories scores 3 points.
7. The player with the second largest total area in territories scores 2 points.
8. The player with the third largest total area in territories scores 1 point.
9. Any player with no strings remaining scores 1 additional point.

The player with the most points wins.


Any comments on the rules as written? I know that it's not very clear without the board. I will get a picture of that up as soon as it is finished being drawn.

So, the ingredients...

So, let's look at these newfangled medals we get to earn this year.

Submission Deadlines:
Hopefully...

Theme:
Intrigue--Not sure how I'm going to use this. Perhaps the players will keep something hidden (other than a gradually-unveiled strategy) for most of the game.

Ingredients:
Fleur-de-lis--Symbol of royalty and the Boy Scouts. The players are competing monarchs, perhaps?

Dividers--Clearly this indicates that the board is a map. I think the dividers will be a key piece of equipment used in the game.

Seabird--No clue how to use this. Maybe I'll think of something.

Star--Again, no idea were to go with this.

Special Distinctions:
Brevity Award:
This is a board game. The rules should be short.

Dressed to Impress Award:
Well, in theory a board game should look good. I'm not that much of an artist, though. If any artists, namely cartographers, would like to lend a hand, I'd appreciate it.

The Royal Academy of Flatland Award:
Well, I'm making a board game.


So, my opening thoughts are this:

It's a fairly abstract strategy game. By the story of the game, the players are the monarchs of competing nations attempting to claim regions of various continents as colonies. The board consists of a map of the continents, painted or laid on a cork board.

Play consists of players placing pins with their flag on the board to mark settlements or claims to land. Eventually, they would connect the pins with string. There might be a go- or reversi-style capture mechanic (pins located inside closed spaces are lost). Otherwise, maybe there will be a more involved "combat" mechanic.

There won't be defined spaces where players may place pins. Instead, I think they will place pins anywhere on the board. They will be restricted by the dividers. They will have place a new pin within the current size of the dividers as a previously-placed pin. Adjusting the size of the dividers could be an action. (The question with that, though, is why would the dividers ever be shorter than the maximum length?)

The different kinds or colors of land/water could effect scoring, the number of pins needed to claim, or something else. It could alternate enough to necessitate the changing of the dividers' length.

Tagging In

Here is my official tag in.

Hopefully, this will be my first successful game design contest. I've tried and failed to compete in one before, but I really like the concepts for this round of Game Chef.

I'm making a relatively-simple board game.