Arimaa Forum
        (http://arimaa.com/arimaa/forum/cgi/YaBB.cgi)
      

        Arimaa >> General Discussion >> Tournament Size Pieces
        
(Message started by: ocmiente on Jan 25th, 2011, 1:27pm)
Title: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Jan 25th, 2011, 1:27pm
This is very much under construction.  Pricing and availability will be announced soon (within the next couple of weeks).  

Please go to tournamentpieces.webstarts.com (http://tournamentpieces.webstarts.com/) and click on the VIDEO link there.  

I apologize ahead of time for the poor lighting and blurriness of the video.  I plan to re-shoot it soon.


The new page is here (http://www.etsy.com/shop/thomasfoy)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by megamau on Jan 25th, 2011, 1:41pm
Great...sign me in for a set at any 2-figures price.  ;D
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Fritzlein on Jan 25th, 2011, 10:22pm
Major cool.  I already have nine Zman sets (so I can give a simul), but I just might need one more...

Once you are ready to start selling, be sure to announce it on Board Game Geek as well.  Here on arimaa.com we have all the serious players and students of the game, but over on BGG they have collectors.  Some folks on BGG who have played less than a dozen games will nevertheless buy the set just for the animal theme.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by megajester on Jan 26th, 2011, 12:28am
Wow! Well done! Let me know how much you'll be charging...

By the way your web link starts "http:////". My Firefox was clever enough to work it out but IE7 was stumped.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Jan 26th, 2011, 12:32pm

on 01/26/11 at 00:28:16, megajester wrote:
By the way your web link starts "http:////". My Firefox was clever enough to work it out but IE7 was stumped.



Thanks!  I think it's fixed now.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by chessandgo on Jan 26th, 2011, 1:15pm
cool :)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by qswanger on Jan 26th, 2011, 8:25pm
Way cool! ... I want one!
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by omar on Jan 27th, 2011, 12:55pm
Thomas has been working on this for almost one year now. He has tried various approaches with making the molds and tried various materials for the pieces. I am really glad to see that he now has a finished product.

The pieces are very durable. I did some drop tests using some spare rabbits Thomas sent me. Even when I dropped them head first from about 4 feet high to a hard tile floor the ears did not break off nor did the pieces chip anywhere. So I was really impressed with the quality of the material used to make the pieces. Also the pieces have steel wights inside to give them a nice hefty feel.

It's quite an investment of time and energy that Thomas has put into this. Such sets just would not be possible for our small community had it not been for his efforts. I hope everyone will support him by getting a set.

These sets along with the iPhone Arimaa clock app provide the essential equipment we need to have face-to-face Arimaa tournaments. Now, it's just a matter of organizing them. I am seriously considering organizing one at the 2011 BGG convention.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by leo on Feb 6th, 2011, 3:47am
That's some serious stuff! Did you design the pieces of the Z-Man set too?
A face-to-face tournament in 2011? Wow!!!!
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Feb 6th, 2011, 9:27pm

on 02/06/11 at 03:47:16, leo wrote:
Did you design the pieces of the Z-Man set too?

Thanks for the comments.  

I did not design the pieces.  When I began working on this, I had planned to design my own pieces.  Omar helped speed things up a lot by letting me use the pieces he had designed.  The Z-Man pieces are based on the same 3D models.  The Z-Man models were modified to make it easy for the pieces to come out of a rigid two part mold, and I think some extra depth was added to some areas to add contrast.  I modified the models only to size the pieces, and I thickened the elephant's ears to give them a little extra strength.  So, there are some differences between the sets, but for the most part the way they look is very similar.

I'll have the pricing information later this week.  I feel the need to warn everyone that they will cost more than many people will be willing to pay.  I would certainly like everyone to have a set, but I hope everyone will keep in mind that each set takes me several hours to manufacture, after I get home from my day job.  This set is not a mass produced item.  More about that soon...
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by leo on Feb 7th, 2011, 1:28am
Oh, Omar himself designed the Z-Man pieces! I must have been in a cave because I missed the information.
I have another question: You explain in the video what the board is made of and how it is printed but my English ear is too untrained to understand those two bits. Could you or someone write it? Thanks!
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Fritzlein on Feb 7th, 2011, 9:03am

on 02/07/11 at 01:28:09, leo wrote:
Oh, Omar himself designed the Z-Man pieces!

...with the help of a professional artist...
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Feb 7th, 2011, 12:09pm

on 02/07/11 at 01:28:09, leo wrote:
I have another question: You explain in the video what the board is made of and how it is printed but my English ear is too untrained to understand those two bits. Could you or someone write it? Thanks!


Sorry about that...  I should probably get some video editing software so I can fix that up... in the meantime, it's an automotive vinyl, and the graphics are silk-screened on using a black solvent ink (i.e. it's a special type of ink that binds to the vinyl better than other inks).

The vinyl is a premium, soft leather-like vinyl.   I plan to put up a page describing the board in detail soon.  Until then, here is more information than you probably want to know:
  • 27oz. Weight Per Linear Yard.
  • Soft Hi-Loft Backing.
  • Mildew resistant.
  • UV Stabilized Pigments.
  • Light Fastness: 1,000 Hours.
  • Passes: BIFMA Class A, UFAC-Class 1, Cal. Tech Bul. 117 Section E.,MVSS 302.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by leo on Feb 7th, 2011, 12:30pm
Thank you Ocmiente!
That's more information than I wanted indeed :) but it's interesting to know anyway. It looks stuff that lasts centuries.

The problem is not with the video sound but with my own ear: English is not my native language and I'm not used to use it spokenly. It took me a while to understand that "fay links" are actually a phalanx in the game commentaries ;D

@Fritzlein: Thank you for the information!
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by omar on Feb 8th, 2011, 5:37pm

on 02/07/11 at 09:03:28, Fritzlein wrote:
...with the help of a professional artist...


Yes, I actually went through 2 professional artists before finding an artist who could create the models as I had imagined them. It took months just to design the pieces.

The pieces in this tournament set are exactly as they were modeled. It's amazing how Thomas was able to create them without much join lines and even get them to come out of the mold.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Feb 8th, 2011, 10:49pm
OK, so here's the link to buy a set if you would like.  WARNING: Sticker shock is possible.  

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThomasFoy


I had some last minute issues with some of the elephant's trunks (I'm just not happy with a a rough mold line), so I'm recasting those pieces in a new mold.  As explained on the item description, shipment will be delayed from the order date by a few days to a few weeks depending on how soon you place your order, and how quickly I can recast these pieces.  

I expect that after a few months I will have enough inventory to fill orders immediately.  Please bear with me while I work out the final kinks in the process.

Also, I'm working on better shipping prices.  If you would like a set and live outside of the United States, please let me know before ordering and I'll try to update the shipping information to be more specific to the country you live in.  For now, it's just set to a generic value that should cover shipping to anywhere.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Fritzlein on Feb 8th, 2011, 11:54pm
:o sticker shock :o

...but I'm ordering one anyway.  Honestly I'd rather have one of these than the New Forest Earth set.  As awesome as the wooden animals would be to look at, this set will be awesome to play with.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by qswanger on Feb 9th, 2011, 9:34pm
So if my math is correct, after applying the coupon, that would make the total cost (w/ domestic shipping) $159 ... Still a little too rich for my blood, unfortunately.   :(

I'm wondering though, if you get a large enough interest in this product (i.e., actual order commitments), might not the price come down a bit? If the price were in the 2-figure range (as one poster I think not-so-jokingly mentioned) I would buy immediately.   :D

I feel a bit skeezy saying this, like I'm dealing with a Tijuana fruit vendor or something ("for YOU, special friend ..."), rather than someone performing a huge service for the Arimaa community, but that's honestly where I stand.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Feb 10th, 2011, 12:05pm

on 02/09/11 at 21:34:05, qswanger wrote:
I'm wondering though, if you get a large enough interest in this product (i.e., actual order commitments), might not the price come down a bit?


I would like to say yes, but I can't right now.  There are far too many variables involved, like what is my long term maintenance cost on the equipment, will the raw materials' prices go up or down, can I train my children to do the work I do at less than minimum wage :P, etc.

My expectation right now is that the full retail price will not change much over the next few years.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by omar on Feb 10th, 2011, 10:56pm

on 02/08/11 at 23:54:18, Fritzlein wrote:
:o sticker shock :o

...but I'm ordering one anyway.  Honestly I'd rather have one of these than the New Forest Earth set.  As awesome as the wooden animals would be to look at, this set will be awesome to play with.


Yes, this set is definitely very nice for playing. The large weighted pieces give it an awesome feel. Although my daughters are really looking forward to playing with the wooden set because of the trap doors :-)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by omar on Feb 11th, 2011, 12:17am

on 02/09/11 at 21:34:05, qswanger wrote:
I'm wondering though, if you get a large enough interest in this product (i.e., actual order commitments), might not the price come down a bit? If the price were in the 2-figure range (as one poster I think not-so-jokingly mentioned) I would buy immediately.   :D


Shortly before Zman Games contacted me about making the Arimaa sets, we had looked into trying to make it ourself. To keep the unit cost low we had to place orders of 5 to 10 thousand sets. Still the manufacturing cost of each set was about $10. So it was a huge investment.

We are really luck to have ZMan Games mass produce the sets. And now we are even more luck that Thomas is making tournament size sets. Unless the chess community suddenly starts playing with animal themed pieces, I don't think there will be enough orders to make a dent in the price of the sets :-)

You really can't compare the price of Thomas's set with the price of factory made chess sets; it will definitely look too expensive. The way to put the price in perspective is to divide the price of the set by your hourly wages and come up with the number of hours it would take you to make the set. Could you really make it in this much time? If not then you are better off commissioning Thomas to make the set for you. Whether one can afford to is a different issue dependent on ones personal situation.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by megamau on Feb 14th, 2011, 9:26am
Actually my "two figures" limit was in euro.
So after the rebate I might think about actually getting one.

Could you specify better the shipping to Italy ? Would it be less than 50$ ?

Also, if I order two sets will the shipping stay the same ?

Thanks.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Feb 14th, 2011, 2:50pm

on 02/14/11 at 09:26:44, megamau wrote:
Could you specify better the shipping to Italy ? Would it be less than 50$ ?

Also, if I order two sets will the shipping stay the same ?


Shipping prices can be found here (http://pe.usps.gov/text/imm/welcome.htm).  Click on the 'Individual Country Listings' on toward the bottom of the left hand menu.  The prices for Italy are here (http://pe.usps.gov/text/imm/il_008.htm).

Shipping one set to Italy will be $50.  The package weighs just over 3 pounds.  Add insurance and the price is in the low $40's.  I'm rounding the price up for the extra work I have to do filling out any forms, packing, standing in line at the post office (I'll eventually learn to ship them from my house, but I'm not there yet :), etc.  

If you want to order two sets, I should be able to put them both in one box and save on the cost.  After a rough calculation, I think I can do that for $65.  Let me know if you want to do this by sending me a private message through the forum, or the message link on my arimaa player page (http://arimaa.com/arimaa/gameroom/playerpage.cgi?id=10075).



Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by UruramTururam on Feb 15th, 2011, 1:45am
Congratulations for a very well made set. It really looks appealing (and much better than the Z-Man one).
Yet 290 bucks is slightly too much for me. Oh, well.

Edit:
Humph. Actually with the 40% off promo code it would be $194. That is *checking* about 575zl...
Humph again. Still much, but I have something to think about now.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by DarkAngelCryo on Feb 16th, 2011, 9:02pm
1st. Thought: Cool
2nd. Thought: I wonder if a mousepad board will be available
3rd. Though: Gahhh! the price
out of my budget unfortunately
:(
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by omar on Feb 17th, 2011, 10:14am

on 02/15/11 at 01:45:48, UruramTururam wrote:
Congratulations for a very well made set. It really looks appealing (and much better than the Z-Man one).
Yet 290 bucks is slightly too much for me. Oh, well.


I thought it was $240 USD (assuming bucks=USD). Maybe you are seeing it in a different currency.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Fritzlein on Feb 17th, 2011, 10:28am

on 02/17/11 at 10:14:38, omar wrote:
I thought it was $240 USD (assuming bucks=USD). Maybe you are seeing it in a different currency.

Plus $50 shipping to Europe.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by omar on Feb 17th, 2011, 11:09am
Oh OK. Maybe if someone from US is visiting Europe, they can bring it over.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by UruramTururam on Feb 17th, 2011, 6:06pm
Heck it!
Ups, sorry... :-[

Too much thinking. One set for me, ocmiente!
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by megamau on Feb 18th, 2011, 9:21am
OK.
Ordered only one in the end....my budget for games has been reduced by the heavy beating I have been taking in 5 S$ games of singaporean checkers :-)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by UruramTururam on Feb 18th, 2011, 9:29am
So after our purchases ocmiente's set is out of stock.  ;)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Fritzlein on Feb 18th, 2011, 10:33am

on 02/18/11 at 09:29:57, UruramTururam wrote:
So after our purchases ocmiente's set is out of stock.  ;)

It's the social cachet of a high price and a hand-made object: not everyone is going to have one.  It's like camping out in line for three days to buy tickets to a small event; you get in the door because you have proven you are more insane than all the other fans!  :D
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Feb 18th, 2011, 11:38am

on 02/18/11 at 09:29:57, UruramTururam wrote:
So after our purchases ocmiente's set is out of stock.  ;)

Thank you all very much for the orders!

I will update the product page this evening to put more up for sale.  The ship date for this next batch of sets will be 2-4 weeks from the time of purchase.  At this time, I'm only able to produce a couple of sets a week.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Fritzlein on Feb 21st, 2011, 3:09pm
My set just arrived.  I love the look and feel of the pieces!  For my full-sized hands, these pieces are a good size to grab and drop on another square without feeling like I'm a bull in a china shop.  Also they fit perfectly into my Excalibur carrying case.  Sorry, old chess pieces; you're going to have to live in a box now.  I look forward to rolling out this set at the UTD chess club.  Omar, should we coordinate a time to go together?

One thing that wasn't clear to me until I held the pieces in my hands is how much easier they are to tell apart than the Z-man pieces.  Partly this is because ocmiente's pieces are all larger, but partly it is because the size differences have been exaggerated.  (I could have inferred this when the video said the elephant is twice as tall as the Z-man elephant and the rabbit is only 1.5 times as tall, but I failed to make the logical leap.) In particular, I learned to tell apart the Z-man camel and horses by the mane and ears, but in ocmeinte's set the camel is obviously larger than the horses.  Now size alone adequately demonstrates power without needing to recognize any animals.

I'm reluctant to bang around the pieces just to test whether they will break, but I intend to be rough with them in the normal course of use.  I never liked playing on a marble chess set, because my fear of chipping pieces distracted me from the game.  This set feels durable; time will tell how long it holds up to my abuse.  :)

Expensive, yes, but the product is a treat to own after having been used to tournament chess sets and having been forced to scale down to the Z-man Arimaa set.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by chessandgo on Feb 21st, 2011, 4:02pm
Hey, thanks for the update Karl. I can't wait to receive mine (so Thomas, forget what I answered earlier today, I want it and I want it now :) What an idea to have federal holidays anyway ^^)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by qswanger on Feb 21st, 2011, 7:19pm

on 02/21/11 at 15:09:26, Fritzlein wrote:
My set just arrived.  I love the look and feel of the pieces!  For my full-sized hands, these pieces are a good size to grab and drop on another square without feeling like I'm a bull in a china shop.  Also they fit perfectly into my Excalibur carrying case.  Sorry, old chess pieces; you're going to have to live in a box now.  I look forward to rolling out this set at the UTD chess club.  ...

Expensive, yes, but the product is a treat to own after having been used to tournament chess sets and having been forced to scale down to the Z-man Arimaa set.


Mega-Jealous!

Will you guys be total jerks and post/upload some more pics somewhere (various positions, camera angles, etc.) to rub our noses in it a little more?   :P
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Fritzlein on Feb 21st, 2011, 8:01pm

on 02/21/11 at 19:19:51, qswanger wrote:
Will you guys be total jerks and post/upload some more pics somewhere (various positions, camera angles, etc.) to rub our noses in it a little more?   :P

I was tempted to be a jerk even without coaxing, but given your explicit invitation...

A chess player has some expectation seeing this... (http://arimaa.com/arimaa/mwiki/index.php/Image:Excalibur_case_closed.JPG)

...but the pieces coming out are a surprise. (http://arimaa.com/arimaa/mwiki/index.php/Image:Excalibur_case_open.JPG)  (I owned the carrying case and game clock from my chess days; they would unfortunately jack up the set price even more.)

Can anyone solve the puzzle: Silver to move and goal in three? (http://arimaa.com/arimaa/mwiki/index.php/Image:Silver_to_win_in_three.JPG)

Quick, guess who the bully is in this fight. (http://arimaa.com/arimaa/mwiki/index.php/Image:Camel_vs_horse.JPG)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by qswanger on Feb 21st, 2011, 9:05pm
Nice. But that carrying case doesn't look like it was constructed to hold a digital Chronos clock -- the standard-bearer for years in game timing accuracy, durability, and time control flexibility/customization. You oughtta get yourself one of those to totally pimp-out your set (unless they have been surpassed by something else that I'm not aware of).
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Fritzlein on Feb 21st, 2011, 9:30pm
Heh, yeah, I would get a fancier clock if I were buying today.  I actually bought a digital clock twenty years ago, which was a mistake, because it was inferior to analog clocks of the time.  Naturally I overcompensated when buying my second clock, even though by then digital clocks had inched ahead.  And since then I simply haven't used my analog clock enough to wear it out; I suspect I won't buy a third game clock in my lifetime.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by qswanger on Feb 21st, 2011, 10:24pm

on 02/21/11 at 21:30:35, Fritzlein wrote:
I suspect I won't buy a third game clock in my lifetime.


Oh, I bet you will. Analog clocks simply can't handle anything more complicated than SD time controls. PLUS you can't ever set the two sides to be exactly the same since it requires a trusting yet fallible human eyeball to set the hands. Imagine a day where real, well-attended, face-to-face Arimaa tournaments are held that would/should require a Canadian or Japanese byo-yomi, or other such non-SD control, and you'll be there with a clock that can handle it.

Seriously, check out http://www.chronosdealer.com/ for general info and http://www.wholesalechess.com/downloads/documents/ChronosManual.pdf for the manual to see the insane number of time controls available.

EDIT: By the way, I prefer the older, square manual press buttons to the newer, round, "easy touch" buttons. It just feels more natural and trustworthy to me.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Fritzlein on Feb 22nd, 2011, 12:13am
Well, you are quite right that I don't like being stuck with only sudden death time controls.  Now I'm jealous of you.  :P  Turnabout is fair play, but I still bet you buy a better Arimaa set before I buy a better clock, particularly if your hypothetical world of well-attended face-to-face Arimaa tournaments comes true.  ;)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by chessandgo on Feb 22nd, 2011, 2:39am

on 02/21/11 at 20:01:46, Fritzlein wrote:
Can anyone solve the puzzle: Silver to move and goal in three? (http://arimaa.com/arimaa/mwiki/index.php/Image:Silver_to_win_in_three.JPG)


I absolutely cannot. What's the solution? :)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by qswanger on Feb 22nd, 2011, 6:35am
Looks to me like it is Gold who has a substantial goal threat with his d-file rabbit.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by UruramTururam on Feb 22nd, 2011, 6:51am

on 02/21/11 at 20:01:46, Fritzlein wrote:
Can anyone solve the puzzle: Silver to move and goal in three? (http://arimaa.com/arimaa/mwiki/index.php/Image:Silver_to_win_in_three.JPG)


I don't see the solution, but I'll try something around:
Cd2n dc2e dd2s rc3s
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by chessandgo on Feb 22nd, 2011, 9:37am

on 02/22/11 at 06:51:51, UruramTururam wrote:
I don't see the solution, but I'll try something around:
Cd2n dc2e dd2s rc3s


Yeah, that's what one of the few moves that seem worth investigating, but after Gold's Hb4 pushes the rabbit to b2, I don't see a goal in 2.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Fritzlein on Feb 22nd, 2011, 10:14am

on 02/22/11 at 02:39:32, chessandgo wrote:
I absolutely cannot. What's the solution? :)

Oops, I set up the position wrong.  The silver cat on d4 was actually on e4.  Nevertheless, that change would only help Silver if anything.  The winning move is 33s hb3w rc3w rb3s ed3w.  The rabbit on b2 threatens to goal on a1.  There aren't enough gold defenders to plug all the goal squares, for example 34g Rb1w Rc1w Cd2s Cd1w is met by 34s dc2n rb2e rc2e rd2s.  Only using the gold horse to pull back the b2-rabbit delays goal for another move.

Jean, I don't know if you were just trying to make me feel better about not converting my won position against Hippo, but if so you certainly succeeded.  Pretending not to find the forced goal is medicine for my wounded ego.  You are very kind to a disappointed man.  :)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Hippo on Feb 22nd, 2011, 12:11pm
And Adanac created even more frustrated puzzle ... on 35s you were winning ... cg7 was the winning step.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Fritzlein on Feb 22nd, 2011, 12:25pm

on 02/22/11 at 12:11:55, Hippo wrote:
And Adanac created even more frustrated puzzle ... on 35s you were winning ... cg7 was the winning step.

Actually I saw cg7 on move 35s even while we were playing.  I realized I only needed one step to delay your goal.  What I didn't see was the correct three steps to use on offense.  :)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by chessandgo on Feb 22nd, 2011, 12:26pm

on 02/22/11 at 10:14:42, Fritzlein wrote:
Oops, I set up the position wrong.  The silver cat on d4 was actually on e4.  Nevertheless, that change would only help Silver if anything.  The winning move is 33s hb3w rc3w rb3s ed3w.  The rabbit on b2 threatens to goal on a1.  There aren't enough gold defenders to plug all the goal squares, for example 34g Rb1w Rc1w Cd2s Cd1w is met by 34s dc2n rb2e rc2e rd2s.  Only using the gold horse to pull back the b2-rabbit delays goal for another move.


Oh, nice. And Hb4we ra5s Hb4s suffers the same fate after silver captures the Horse. Cool :) When I saw the position, I had a feeling of deja-vu, and now that I've seen the solution I think it might be the position after 31g in the game http://arimaa.com/arimaa/gameroom/comments.cgi?gid=108738 that will be in my book. The solution is kind of similar, although your problem is harder and nicer. No help apparently though :)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Hippo on Feb 22nd, 2011, 2:43pm

on 02/22/11 at 12:25:22, Fritzlein wrote:
Actually I saw cg7 on move 35s even while we were playing.  I realized I only needed one step to delay your goal.  What I didn't see was the correct three steps to use on offense.  :)


Hmmm, I have not seen the defense step, but I could find several ways to force goal in one threat by 3 steps by silver ... wow, but I would make wrong threat ... may be there was just one solution.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Fritzlein on Feb 22nd, 2011, 8:05pm

on 02/22/11 at 14:43:15, Hippo wrote:
but I could find several ways to force goal in one threat by 3 steps by silver ... wow, but I would make wrong threat ...

I almost played 35s cg6n hb3s hb2n Rb1n, to threaten goal in one, but then I saw that the gold dog could push my c2 rabbit back into c3 and I despaired.  (Hmmm, I guess this has drifted off-topic unless I post pictures of ocmiente's set illustrating what I am talking about. :-X)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by megamau on Feb 23rd, 2011, 12:57pm

on 02/21/11 at 21:05:23, qswanger wrote:
Nice. But that carrying case doesn't look like it was constructed to hold a digital Chronos clock -- the standard-bearer for years in game timing accuracy, durability, and time control flexibility/customization. You oughtta get yourself one of those to totally pimp-out your set (unless they have been surpassed by something else that I'm not aware of).


I actually use either DGT 2010 or DGT XL (from my checkers club) and it seems quite nicer than the Chronos clock in the pictures.

http://digitalgametechnology.com/site/index.php/Clocks/
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by chessandgo on Mar 2nd, 2011, 4:44am
I received Thomas' set today, it's unbelievable. The pieces are not that heavy at the first contact, but man they're BIG! The elephant had to duck his head to pass through my door. I was wondering what a menagerie was doing in my building this morning, but actually it was a harassed delivery guy herding the pieces to my apartment.

Toying with the pieces their weight is perfect actually. I love that you can tell apart the pieces just by their size, with the Z-man set I was confusing cats and rabbits, and also camel and horses. With Thomas' set, I think I'll end up just looking at their ears to know which is which with a single glance, that's another striking difference between pieces :)

I think I'm going to play against myself just for the sheer pleasure of handling the pieces. Wicked :)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by qswanger on Mar 2nd, 2011, 6:54am
Again ... JEALOUS! Thanks for the description. Enjoy your set, but don't go blind from all that self-play.   :o
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by UruramTururam on Mar 2nd, 2011, 7:05am

on 03/02/11 at 04:44:31, chessandgo wrote:
I think I'm going to play against myself just for the sheer pleasure of handling the pieces. Wicked :)


I sometimes do that using the chess set of my great-grandfather. There is something ultimately appealing in them.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Mar 2nd, 2011, 11:34am

on 03/02/11 at 04:44:31, chessandgo wrote:
I received Thomas' set today, it's unbelievable. The pieces are not that heavy at the first contact, but man they're BIG! The elephant had to duck his head to pass through my door. I was wondering what a menagerie was doing in my building this morning, but actually it was a harassed delivery guy herding the pieces to my apartment.

Toying with the pieces their weight is perfect actually. I love that you can tell apart the pieces just by their size, with the Z-man set I was confusing cats and rabbits, and also camel and horses. With Thomas' set, I think I'll end up just looking at their ears to know which is which with a single glance, that's another striking difference between pieces :)

I think I'm going to play against myself just for the sheer pleasure of handling the pieces. Wicked :)


Very glad you like them.  

Extremely glad that you apparently got them in the mail with no trouble.  Besides this being the first time to manufacture anything like this, it's also my first time to ship stuff internationally.  I'm getting to know the workers at the post office much better :)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by megamau on Mar 11th, 2011, 9:03pm
Do you know how much sooner C&G pieces shipped respect to mine ? I am quite close, in Italy, but I still did not receive them
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Mar 12th, 2011, 12:05am
It took 5 or 6 business days to reach France.  So, I expect your set should be there any day now.  USPS says 6-10 business days to Italy.  So, hopefully you'll see it next week.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by UruramTururam on Mar 16th, 2011, 8:44am
I've received my set today. Great look and feel indeed.

Two photos:

http://boardgamegeek.com/image/945991/arimaa

http://boardgamegeek.com/image/946033/arimaa
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by megamau on Mar 16th, 2011, 5:25pm
I also received my set today......ouch 45 euro of value added tax to pay at custom.

But the set is really nice....now I have only to find an appropriate box for storage.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by megajester on Mar 17th, 2011, 3:19am

on 03/16/11 at 17:25:20, megamau wrote:
I also received my set today......ouch 45 euro of value added tax to pay at custom.


:o and I thought Turkey was bad!

Here you have a 150 euro import limit. Anything above that gets stuck, and then you have to pay the cargo firm 80 euros to give you a silly little bit of paperwork to go to customs to pay tax and stamp duty to then come back and pay for storage and finally pick it up. It can happen even when it's below the limit if the customs official arbitrarily decides he doesn't think it's for personal use. (If he's in bed with the cargo firm, he makes this decision based on the likelihood of you jumping through the hoops.) I had just such an "adventure" with DHL Express last month...

Word of the wise: If you can afford to wait for normal post to come through, don't take the risk of sending it by express cargo! There's nothing wrong with it, it's just slower... and therefore cheaper.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by UruramTururam on Mar 17th, 2011, 7:32am
I had to go to the customs office and explain certain things but all ended up at a small approval fee (around $2). So it was much more troublesome than expensive for me.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Mar 17th, 2011, 11:14pm

on 02/21/11 at 15:09:26, Fritzlein wrote:
I'm reluctant to bang around the pieces just to test whether they will break, but I intend to be rough with them in the normal course of use.  I never liked playing on a marble chess set, because my fear of chipping pieces distracted me from the game.  This set feels durable; time will tell how long it holds up to my abuse.  :)


I had a problem with my set recently, and I have to warn everyone not to put the pieces loose in a bag or box when transporting them.  The plastic is durable, but if it is struck hard and fast enough it will fracture.  

I had my pieces loose in a box, and drove to another location and back.  When I looked at the set at home, one of the rabbit's ears was broken.  It was a clean break in one spot clean through the ear.  I can repair this easily enough, but I strongly recommend treating the pieces as if they were made of glass so that none of your rabbits meet the same fate.  

I will be emailing everyone who has purchased the set so far about this incident, and will post similar information on the sales page.

I had a similar incident with a camel earlier, but that was with a rotary tool spinning at several thousand RPM and the hit was very hard and very fast.  At that speed, the plastic chipped similar to the way glass might chip.  

I suspect that with the rabbit's ear break, the box I had the pieces in was jolted at some point (actually, I know it was jolted many times) and that some hard contact between pieces caused the break. I'm planning on rolling all of the pieces up in a towel, or bubble wrap, or something similar, prior to transporting them, in the future.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by UruramTururam on Mar 18th, 2011, 4:21am
Yes, rabbit ears are fragile. One of mine rabbits pierced the foam with its ear and left it there. Foryunately it was easy to repair with a small drop of speedy-glue and there is in fact no sign of the accident now. Yet rabbits are "handle with care" items.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Mar 18th, 2011, 11:54am
If anyone has a set and has a piece with a broken ear (or anything worse) and needs a replacement piece, please email a picture of the broken piece to tournament.pieces@gmail.com, or contact me through the etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/thomasfoy) site.

I can't afford to ship it to you for free, but I can send you a replacement for the cost of postage through the end of April.  Sending one piece should be a lot cheaper than sending the entire set.  

After the end of April, I'll charge a fair per-piece replacement price.  by that time everyone who has a set should be well aware that they should be handled with care.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by JTiberius on Mar 18th, 2011, 2:24pm
I just got my set yesterday and I think it is amazing.  No trouble telling the horses from the camels now, like in the smaller set.  The big board really opens up the game and I played 3 games with my daughter as soon as we opened it up.  Thanks for all of the hard work to make this available!
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by UruramTururam on Mar 18th, 2011, 5:46pm

on 02/21/11 at 20:01:46, Fritzlein wrote:
Can anyone solve the puzzle: Silver to move and goal in three? (http://arimaa.com/arimaa/mwiki/index.php/Image:Silver_to_win_in_three.JPG)


Upload this one to the BGG Arimaa gallery!  :)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Fritzlein on Mar 18th, 2011, 10:19pm

on 03/18/11 at 17:46:11, UruramTururam wrote:
Upload this one to the BGG Arimaa gallery!  :)

Nah; it's not even the right position. :-/
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by UruramTururam on Mar 22nd, 2011, 10:05am
OK, so just one more photo...  ;D

http://boardgamegeek.com/image/950528/arimaa?size=large
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Slartibartfast on Aug 31st, 2011, 3:25am
Hello.
Just wondering if these sets are likely to become available again.  I'm keen to get one but the Etsy links keep coming back '404'.

Also, could I get you to repeat the listing price here as Etsy doesn't seem to show the price of 'Sold' items (or at least i can't find it).

Thanks.
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Aug 31st, 2011, 12:05pm
Yes, I'll get a set up there by the end of next week, since you asked - thanks  :).

Making these sets takes a lot of time, and can be frustrating when the pieces come out flawed.  Frankly, I got a little burned out on making them.  The urge to manufacture has been coming back though, and this will get me started.  
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Slartibartfast on Sep 1st, 2011, 3:59am
Great to hear (: (:

And a price? Or are you still working that out?
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Sep 12th, 2011, 10:24pm
Another set (http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThomasFoy)  has been listed on the Etsy site.  
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Slartibartfast on Sep 13th, 2011, 12:28am
Great to see (:
But, oow, $240 ;D
That's a bit more that I was expecting.
(in fact about $100 more than I was expecting)

I'm certainly not meaning to be rude but I saw 'megamau' posted earlier saying:

on 02/14/11 at 09:26:44, megamau wrote:
Actually my "two figures" limit was in euro.
So after the rebate I might think about actually getting one.
I took this to mean the sets were $100 - $150 plus shipping.  Is it just that the price as risen or did I miss understand something?

To be clear, I appreciate the amount of work required to produce these sets and understand the 'supply and demand' semantics so don't think I'm quibbling over the price I just wasn't expecting as much.

Hmm, $290 delivered...
Can I stretch $290 - lord knows I want to ;)
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by ocmiente on Sep 13th, 2011, 2:36pm
Yes, everything you wrote is correct.  The retail price hasn't changed since the set was initially offered.  The reason the price was lower earlier this year is that there was an introductory coupon available for the first people to buy the set.  I have no plans to offer any more coupons at this time, and even if I do, I don't expect the discount to be as significant as the introductory coupon was.  

I sympathize with the sticker shock.  It would be nice if I could offer the set at a lower price, but the price is an honest reflection of what it costs to make the set.  
Title: Re: Tournament Size Pieces
Post by Slartibartfast on Sep 13th, 2011, 7:32pm
Okay.
Yeah, that does make sense.

Thanks Ocmiente.


Arimaa Forum » Powered by YaBB 1 Gold - SP 1.3.1!
YaBB © 2000-2003. All Rights Reserved.