This game is demonstration of my program, Macgammon—backgammon for Macintosh! It requires a color Mac and system 7.1 or better. This demo is fully functional except it will only allow 11 moves per game and then stops. To order the real game, send a check for $15 to John Vaughn, 2707 Valmont Rd. #209D, Boulder, CO 80304. Please include either a return physical address or email address, and I will send the game when your check clears. Please email me at john52445@aol.com if you have questions. Thank you!
OBJECT OF THE GAME
Each player must move his men according to the numbers shown on the throw of two dice. He moves his men from his opponent’s inner table, along the playing board, across to his outer table. The dark and light pieces move in opposite directions.
THE PLAY
If playing against the computer, the human player goes first. A player moves by first clicking on either die on the right side of the board. Then the player drags the man he wants to move to its destination point. The player can move one man the distance of one of the dice, and then another man the distance of the other die; or one can move a single man a distance equal to the sum of the dice, as long as there is an open point in between where the man would fall if the two moves were done separately. If doublets (see below) are rolled, a player can move one man at a time in the usual way, or two men at a time by pressing the command key as the men are dragged.
A player MUST use both numbers of each roll whenever possible. If he can use only one number, he must, if possible, use the larger. If he cannot move at all, the player should press the PASS button, and play passes to the opponent.
DOUBLETS
Doublets merely means rolling doubles, the same number thrown on both dice. When this occurs you move the number shown on one die four time. You can move the same man all four moves, or any other combination of men you choose.
BLOCKED POINT
A blocked point is any point on the playing board on which two or more men of the same player sit. The opposing player’s men may not land on a blocked point, however they may move over the blocked point. Once a player has landed two men on any one point he is said to have “made the Point”. There is no limit to the number of men one player may have on a point, but no more than five men will be shown on the screen.
BLOT
A blot is any point on which a player has only one man. since men of opposite colors cannot occupy the same point, when an opponent lands on a blot the man that was there is removed. This is then called a “hit”. The removed man is placed on the bar (see below).
BAR
The bar is the middle strip that separates the inner and outer tables. Once one of your men has been placed on the bar you must throw the dice, when your turn occurs, and you must “enter” into you opponent’s inner table BEFORE you may move any of your other men. Entering is accomplished by moving the man on the bar to the point indicated on either die as long as that point is not blocked. If you cannot enter because both points indicated are blocked, you must press PASS. A SHUTOUT or CLOSED BOARD occurs when you opponent’s inner table is completely closed (each point is covered by at least two men).
BEARING OFF
Bearing Off means removing your men from the playing board by the roll of the dice. You cannot start bearing off until ALL 15 of your men are in you inner table. You man then either bear off men from points corresponding the die thrown or you may move your men within your inner table according to the numbers shown on the dice. You must use your entire roll, if possible. This means that if you roll a six, but have no men on your six point, you must take a man off the highest point on which you do have men. The same rule applies if you roll doublets. However, you cannot bear off a man if the point indicated on the die is vacant and there are any men on a higher counting point. If while bearing off, a man in your inner table is “hit”, that man goes to the bar and must reenter as described earlier. You cannot continue to bear off until you have managed to get this man who was “hit” back into you inner table.
SCORING
A game is won when either player bears off all of his men. A gammon (double game) is won if your opponent has not born off any of his men. A backgammon (triple game) is won if your opponent is won if your opponent has not born off any of his men and has one or more men in the winner’s inner table or on the bar.
EDIT MENU
The only active item in this menu is “Undo This Turn”. This allows you to start your current turn over again. If you are in the middle of your turn and change your mind, select this item to start over. Once your opponent begins his turn, however, you cannot go back.
GAME MENU
The first two menu items, “Human vs. Computer“ and “Human vs. Human“, allow you to set the game to play with one player or two. The third menu item, “Switch Tokens”, allows you to switch token styles with your opponent. Your and your opponent’s men stay in the same places and it is still the same player’s turn, but you are now playing with different-looking pieces. The last item, “Switch Directions”, allows you to move your men in the opposite direction. You do not take over your opponent’s game; everything is simply turned backwards so that if you were moving left to right along the top and right to left along the bottom, you now move the other way.
BOARD MENU
This menu is a list of board styles. Each item displays a different style of board to play on. You can change board styles at any time without affecting the play of the game.
