Terrace (board game)
Encyclopedia
Terrace is an award-winning strategy game
played by two, three, or four players on a multi-leveled 8×8 (or, more recently, 6×6) board. It is most widely known for also being a prop
in the American television series Star Trek: The Next Generation
.
Computer versions of the game are also available.
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The object is to win either by moving your "T" piece from its starting point at one corner to an opposite corner, or by capturing your opponent's "T". Players can move any number of squares on the same terrace, and are allowed to jump over their own pieces. Players can move up a terrace by either going straight up or diagonally up. Players can move down a terrace by going straight down. Opponent's pieces, and even one's own pieces, may be captured by moving diagonally down. Pieces may only capture those of equal or lesser size. It is courteous to say 'Terrace' when the opponent's "T" piece is placed in jeopardy of being caught the next turn; "Terrace-Mate" should be said when the opponent's "T" piece cannot escape. In 3 and 4 player games, when a player loses his or her "T", all of their pieces are removed from the board; other players continue the game. If a player cannot make a move during his or her turn, the game is a draw, with no winner or loser.
, Dresden showed his game to Buzz Siler, who bought the rights to Dresden's design for $100 and, over time, created a simplified set of rules. After the game was introduced in 1991, 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 36 squares, with 12 pieces per player instead of 16. Two rows separate the two players' pieces, instead of four. The change came about because of legal problems with the owners of the molds to the original version of the game.
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...
played by two, three, or four players on a multi-leveled 8×8 (or, more recently, 6×6) board. It is most widely known for also being a prop
Theatrical property
A theatrical property, commonly referred to as a prop, is an object used on stage by actors to further the plot or story line of a theatrical production. Smaller props are referred to as "hand props". Larger props may also be set decoration, such as a chair or table. The difference between a set...
in the American television series Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
.
Computer versions of the game are also available.
Rules
The game board for Terrace has either 64 or 36 squares of uniform color, 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 four 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 chessKing (chess)
In chess, the king is the most important piece. The object of the game is to trap the opponent's king so that its escape is not possible . If a player's king is threatened with capture, it is said to be in check, and the player must remove the threat of capture on the next move. If this cannot be...
.
The object is to win either by moving your "T" piece from its starting point at one corner to an opposite corner, or by capturing your opponent's "T". Players can move any number of squares on the same terrace, and are allowed to jump over their own pieces. Players can move up a terrace by either going straight up or diagonally up. Players can move down a terrace by going straight down. Opponent's pieces, and even one's own pieces, may be captured by moving diagonally down. Pieces may only capture those of equal or lesser size. It is courteous to say 'Terrace' when the opponent's "T" piece is placed in jeopardy of being caught the next turn; "Terrace-Mate" should be said when the opponent's "T" piece cannot escape. In 3 and 4 player games, when a player loses his or her "T", all of their pieces are removed from the board; other players continue the game. If a player cannot make a move during his or her turn, the game is a draw, with no winner or loser.
History
The original 8×8 game of Terrace was invented in 1950 by Dutch-born Anton Dresden, with rules that "proved unworkable"; in 1988, while living in Lake Oswego, OregonLake Oswego, Oregon
Lake Oswego is a city located primarily in Clackamas County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Small portions of the city are also located in neighboring Multnomah and Washington counties. Located south of Portland surrounding the Oswego Lake, the town was founded in 1847 and incorporated as Oswego in...
, Dresden showed his game to Buzz Siler, who bought the rights to Dresden's design for $100 and, over time, created a simplified set of rules. After the game was introduced in 1991, Terrace won a number of major awards and was subsequently featured on Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
as a permanent prop.
In 1997, a revised version was introduced, with the board changed to 36 squares, with 12 pieces per player instead of 16. Two rows separate the two players' pieces, instead of four. The change came about because of legal problems with the owners of the molds to the original version of the game.
Awards
- Best New Abstract Strategy GameAbstract strategy gameAn abstract strategy game is a strategy game, aiming to minimise luck, and without a theme. Almost all abstract strategy games will conform to the strictest definition of: a board or card game, in which there is no hidden information, no non-deterministic elements , in which two players or teams...
(Games magazine, 1992) - Best New Mind Game (Mensa InternationalMensa InternationalMensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test...
) - BronzeBronze medalA bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
, Industrial DesignIndustrial designIndustrial design is the use of a combination of applied art and applied science to improve the aesthetics, ergonomics, and usability of a product, but it may also be used to improve the product's marketability and production...
Excellence Award (Industrial Designers Society of AmericaIndustrial Designers Society of AmericaIndustrial Designers Society of America is an organization of professional industrial designers primarily in the United States. Recently IDSA has started chapters in Canada and in China...
, 1992)