Rules
The default Warp and Weft board is as follows:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O
+---+ +---+ +---+ +---+
| | | | | | | |
| +-----------| +-----------| +-----------| +-----------+
15 | | | | | | | | | 15
| |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+
14 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 14
+-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| |
13 | | | | | | | | | 13
+---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |
12 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 12
| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---+
11 | | | | | | | | | 11
| |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+
10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 10
+-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| |
9 | | | | | | | | | 9
+---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |
8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 8
| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---+
7 | | | | | | | | | 7
| |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+
6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 6
+-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| |
5 | | | | | | | | | 5
+---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |
4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 4
| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---+
3 | | | | | | | | | 3
| |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+ |---+-------+
2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2
+-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| +-------+---| |
1 | | | | | | | | | 1
+-----------+ |-----------+ |-----------+ |-----------+ |
| | | | | | | |
+---+ +---+ +---+ +---+
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O
Two players, Warp and Weft (or Vert and Horz), alternate turns.
On their turn, they can either place a piece on the board (based
on their current state) or use the turn to switch between
the two states.The states are as follows:
- Threads: A Threading player can play on any unclaimed Thread that runs in their direction. The Threads are the long rectangular pieces on the board.
- Patches: A Patching player can play on any unclaimed Patch that is adjacent to a Thread they control. The Patches are the squares between the Threads.
A sample section of the board is shown below.
Patch
+---+----
| | |
+-------+---| +
| | | Warp (Vert)
+-----------+ | Thread
Weft (Horz)| |
Thread +---+
Players start in the Threading state.
The first player to connect their two sides of the board with a continuous chain of Threads and Patches is the winner. Alternatively, the first player who has no valid play is the loser.
The second player may utilize the swap rule if they so desire.
Thread-Primary versus Patch-Primary
Warp and Weft, as describe above, is Thread-Primary. That is, the players start in the Threading state, and the location of played Threads is unrestricted (other than the matching-direction rule).Warp and Weft can also be played Patch-Primary. In Patch-Primary Warp and Weft, the players start in the Patching state. When Patching, players can play on any unclaimed Patch; when Threading, players can only play on unclaimed Threads that both run in their direction and lie adjacent to a Patch they control.
Patch-Primary Warp and Weft can be chosen at the start of the game with the -patches parameter. Alternatively, Thread-Primary Warp and Weft can be made explicit with the -threads parameter; it is also the default.
History
Warp and Weft appeared full-formed in Phil Bordelon's head one night in August 2004 as he tried to go to sleep after staring at the weave-like board shown above for a couple of hours. Mad typing ensued.Endnotes
Implementation by Cameron Browne, August 2004.Help file by Phil Bordelon, August 2004.
The Warp and Weft board is topologically (and therefore connectively) equivalent to the 4.8.8 octagons-and-squares tiling; the implied directionality of the "Threads" is (topologically) purely aesthetic.