Firstly a general message: the Get Together is just a bit of fun! I know some people
get very serious about the exact rules but, hey, relax and have fun.
What is a loop? Basically it means traversing the same bit of track as the result of two
(or more) moves by the same player travelling in the same direction without an
intervening double or shuffle. To give a simple example in a game with two players:
Player A's move: Camden Town.
Player B now has an obvious choice: to risk a move towards North Barnet or play safe and
make his move to somewhere like Moorgate (assuming we haven't passed through Moorgate or stations
between Camden and Moorgate already). By contrast a move to Totteridge & Whetstone would
be very risky indeed as player A can easily force the loop in three moves times with the move
"High Barnet"** unless player B perhaps moves "Chalk Farm" or "Belsize Park" on his next move
(and player A moves north west allowing player B to move further north west for one more move)
and thus puts player A in danger of being "looped" himself. (For "himself" etc please read
"himself or herself".) Of course if player A makes a move to a
station between Kentish Town and Woodside Park he (or she) creates the risk of one of the
intervening stations being "Nidded" (i.e. not counting for a double) and things begin to get
complicated.
But, don't worry about it. Only Masters and above are forbidden from "looping" as
it can be quite a complicated rule.
(Anyone playing Real Geography can of course bridge between lines if the bridge would be
shorter than from their last move to their opponents stated next move, thus making it harder to
be "looped" straight away, but leaving dormant loops all over the place which it is then
easy to forget and you end up falling into a loop trap later, even one of your own making.
But this gets awfully complicated and is only recommended for players with two heads!)
**because player B must move south from High Barnet, allowing player A to make
a (non-loop) move back to say West Finchley thus forcing player B either to move north or south
either of which would constitute a loop, unless of course he or she had managed to engineer
a double in the meantime (or a shuffle, but I don't think that's possible in this example).
(Unless you're playing Real Geography in which case a bridge may be possible if the bridge would
be less far than the opponent's proposed move to West Finchley, but not being a Real Geographist
I'm not even going to try and work out if that would be possible in this case!)
I think this is also a good example of why duels sometimes resulted from games of Mornington
Crescent in the past! At the Get Together acrimony is definitely banned! RG.
Phew, that one's a bit easier. Yes! Would anyone like to volunteer to do the web page?
What is a straddle, please?
Two successive moves by one player that are contiguous with and either side of a given station.
If the given station is accessible by more than one line it can only be straddled if all of the
contiguous stations are played in successive moves by one player, however this is almost
impossible. Straddles are illegal in some variations of the game but highly prized in others. RG.
What is a strile?
A straddle-stile, as it was originally known is a combination of a straddle and a stile: if
a series of moves would qualify as a straddle and a stile then the move or moves qualify as
a strile. Stiles are rarely played on their own these days. RG.
What is a pegging?
Would anyone like to answer this one for us? (RG - where are you!!!!???)
RG's explanation of a strile is all very well if you know what a stile is! I don't!
Please can you enlighten me?
Yes. A stile is a very simple, basic move. It is like climbing over a stile on a country
path. So a stile is three successive moves by one player, the middle one being to a station on
a line that crosses above the line on which the first and third stations are situated. Since
there are so many junctions which are adjacent to closeable loops (not the same as loops!)
stiles are fairly easy and probably for this reason some variations of the game don't recognise
stiles as specifically banned or encouraged moves. HP.
On the Get Together Day will there be a conducted tour of Mornington Crescent Station?
No, this has not been arranged. HP.
You say "extra marks for arriving at Mornington Crescent on a Direct Diagonal". I'm a
complete novice, what is a Direct Diagonal?
Firstly, as a novice you do not have to approach Mornington Crescent in any particular
way (although try not to make a direct approach from Tottenham Court Road). Secondly that bit
was a joke! It is impossible to approach Mornington Crescent on a Direct Diagonal as a quick
look at the tube map will show. (Unless you play Real Geography in which case a Direct Diagonal
may well be possible, but not being a Real Geographist I wouldn't like to say.)
Do we have to attend for the whole day or can we join the meeting at 5pm?
Of course anyone can come along at any time! If you're arriving much after 5pm you will
need to scour the local pubs for the group - just wave your tube map and I'm sure the group
will spot you when you find the right pub.
Can you give this site more visibility on the web? It's the first place I've found that
explains some of the rules. Why doesn't someone put up a site which explains ALL the rules?
I think there may be copyright reasons why the full rules are not to be found on the web.
But if anyone knows of such a site please let us know. However, one thing to bear in mind is that
there are many (competing) sets of rules even for the basic game, let alone all the
variations, gambits, etc. Then of course there are the Real Geography lot who have very
different rules and probably come from another planet anyway. And even then we're only talking
about games based on the London Underground - the "true game" many would say.
As you're probably aware there are also Mornington
Crescent games based more widely on London streets, where the rules are different. And people
who play the game in other countries, based upon their local subway or whatever, probably have different
rules again - Wales and the Reynolds protocols being a good example.
So, you can see, having a site with "the rules" is not so simple.
What is Real Geography?
I'm afraid it would need a very large book to answer that question! But broadly it differs
from games based on Beck's Schematic in that it is based on actual (i.e. real) geographic
positions and relationships and direct transposition is allowed. (Direct transpositions such as
lateral shifts not usually being allowed in Beck's Schematic games rules.)
When is the Mornington Crescent Annual Get Together 2008 and can I get there via Vauxhall? Jeremy
Date isn't fixed, watch this space. Vauxhall, yes, very amusing!