Khet (game)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Khet is a Chess-like abstract strategy board game using lasers that was formerly known as Deflexion. Players alternate turns moving Egyptian-themed pieces around the playing field, firing their low powered laser diode after each move. Most of the pieces are mirrored on one or more sides, allowing the players to alter the path of the laser through the playing field. When a piece is struck by a laser on a non-mirrored side, it is eliminated from the game. Gameplay is thus similar to Laser Chess.

Khet board with the Classic setup

Under its original name the game was a Mensa Select Award winner. Its name was changed on September 15, 2006. The new game retains the same rules of gameplay, but has a different design, including a new color scheme and a new box design. Under the new name, the game was one of five finalists for the 2007 Toy of the Year award [1], which is voted on by the North American gaming industry and which was presented by George Lucas on February 9th, 2007.

1 History
2 Gameplay
3 Expansions
4 External links

[edit] History

Professor Michael Larson, formerly at Tulane University and now at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and two students, Del Segura and Luke Hooper, originally designed the game as a class project.^{[citation needed]} It was introduced in the spring of 2004, and was first brought into prominence at the New York Toy Fair of that year. The games were first shipped in the summer of 2004. The first Deflexion World Championship was held December 10th, 2005 under the dome at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Registration was free, and the participants competed for cash and other prizes. The winner was an MIT student.

Under the new name of Khet, the first Regional Championship took place in April of 2006 at the famous Cafe Du Monde in the New Orleans French Quarter. Twenty-four participants competed for a number of great prizes. As a special bonus, the Eye of Horus beamsplitter was unveiled at the very end, and used by each player in the championship game. The second annual World Championship is scheduled to take place soon. Khet was also featured on a recent episode of the HGTV show "I Want That: Tech Toys." Footage from the New Orleans tournament was included in the broadcast.

[edit] Gameplay

Each player starts the game with 14 playing pieces (arranged in one of several predefined configurations) and a laser mounted in the far right-hand column on his side of the board. On each turn, a player either moves a piece one square in any direction, or rotates a piece 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise. After moving, the player must fire his laser, and any piece hit on a non-reflecting side is removed from play. The pieces in the game are:

Pharaoh: This is the most important piece for each side. If hit with a laser, it is destroyed and its owner loses the game. Similar to a king in chess, the Pharoah pieces are comparatively weak, and so are often not moved unless under duress.
Djed: These are large, dual sided mirrors, with each player possessing two. Due to this design they cannot be eliminated from the board, and are thus very useful for attacking and defending. However, because of their two mirrors, they can also be used against their owner. The Djed may switch places with an adjacent pyramid or obelisk of either color.
Pyramid: These are pyramids with a mirror on one side. Each player starts out with seven of these. If hit on a side without a mirror, they are eliminated from the board. Pyramids are good for deflecting lasers but also vulnerable.
Obelisk: Large pillars. These have no mirrored sides and thus are eliminated when hit by the laser. Obelisks are useful as a sacrifice in a tight situation. Each player starts the game with two stacks of two obelisks, which can be unstacked and restacked throughout the game at will. If hit when stacked, only the top obelisk is eliminated. In the original Deflexion, however, there were no stacked obelisks, and every player had two to begin with.

Three opening setups are most commonly used: Classic, which is the standard starting configuration, and is the best setup for one's first time playing, Imhotep, which is a variation on the Classic setup that introduces new defensive possibilities, and Dynasty, which has a fairly even mix of offense and defense, and which moves quickly. However, any configuration agreed upon by both players can be used. In Deflexion, half the pieces were gold, and half were silver. When the company changed the name to Khet, the gold pieces were changed to red. In Deflexion, gold always goes first, and in Khet, silver always goes first.

Most Khet players allow their opponents to "control" the game, and focus on attack or defense depending on the actions of their opponent. However, more experienced players often concentrate on quickly building up a strong defense, and then relentlessly attacking their opponent's pieces, aiming ultimately to reach the Pharoah. Some take this strategy even farther, and spend almost the entire game focusing on creating an impenetrable defense, simply waiting for their opponent to make a fatal mistake, or to leave themselves open to allow a quick strike at their Pharoah. The average game lasts approximately around 10 minutes, however, between experienced players, the game may take much longer.

[edit] Expansions

Two expansions have been released for the game. The Eye of Horus beam splitter adds two new pieces. These are similar to a Djed, but these split the beam: half bounces off at a right angle, as with the other mirrored pieces, while the other half continues on directly through the mirror, thus creating two beams out of one and adding a completely new strategy of attack to the game. Eye of Horus beam splitters are available in gold and silver, for those who own the old Deflexion game, and in red and silver, for those who own the newer Khet game. With the expansion pack, each player receives one beam splitter, which takes the place of one of their Djeds.

The most recently released[2] expansion, called "Tower of Kadesh" brings a 3D element into the game, essentially adding a second level game board.[3] The existing pieces that are played on the original game can be played on the tower level. The base of the tower has 4 mirrors that bring the laser up to the top of the tower.[4] This expansion was made available for purchase on 05.15.2008.