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WHAT & WHY: PACRU, SHACRU & AZACRU
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Various info on this and that
Pacru® was invented in 2002 (or so the author claims) and first published together with Shacru in
August 2004 (the series 101 board). The rules for all 3 games have remained unchanged since initial publishing with the exception of the Pacru rules. In March 2011 the "meeting" rule in Pacru was changed, after consultation with Gold & Silver medalists from all years but the first. This change (see allrules page) was made with the following explanation:
Reasons for change.
1) The best players have found a way in the opening period of the game of threatening to create meetings, and there is a risk of knowledge of these openings and ways of preventing them becoming of distorted importance for success in the game, and restricting the number of successful opening strategies. Such meetings have taken place when there are as few as 2 markers on the board belonging to any player, and the impact of the power to change the board which the meeting grants is therefore very high.
2) The meeting rule was initially introduced as a way of allowing players to break up complete blocks of opponent's markers in corner borderlands - and indeed to allow the corner squares to change hands, which otherwise they would not do unless a player gave them up during a reorientation. Though such a reason is not conclusive, it does indicate that changing the rule would not be out of step with its original purpose.
Scope of change.
Initially the World Championships (generally held annually in August at the Mind Sports Olympiad in the UK) starting from 2011.
Software on the Pacru website.
All versions of rules on the Pacru website throughout 2011.
Future published versions of Pacru.
Mike Wellman 15th Jan 2011
It is available in that de-luxe 101 version AND ...
The first regular priced version (the series 302 board) is available
and you can order by phone or email here and now. Also a German edition of the game differing only in the language of the rules and on the box exists. However full translations of the rules in many languages exist on this website.
The game is available in a few UK games shops including mail-order. Also in USA, Italy & Australia from mail order suppliers along with Pacru LTd who will distribute to anywhere in the world.
You can play all 3 games in the Pacru family for free here right now if you are using a browser we currently support.
Pacru, Shacru and Azacru are games of strategy.
All are enjoyable for the new player, but
also appeal to those who enjoy complex strategic challenges.
The appearance of the Pacru playing kit -- board,
pieces and markers, and the way that appearance is transformed during the game
-- make then games of beautiful changes, dramatic abstract games.
Latest developments are in the New & Events section
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Best time to drop in for an on-line game with a stranger? Tuesday evenings GMT/UST.
You may have to wait for a while (but open up another window and play the machine while you wait)
but if haven't joined the pacru yahoo group and offered a game playing time directly, Tuesday is your best bet.
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Translations. Sincere apologies for the delay in
presenting other translations but we will be providing downloadable pdf translations of
the rules containing the same diagrams as the printed rules shortly.
Please note that though the 101 series and 302 series use different kit, and therefore require slightly different phrases to articulate the rules, the rules themselves are entirely the same and it should not be a problem using the rules for the 302 kit with a 101 board (which is closest to the current games software) or vice versa.
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Pacru published at last: where and how to buy and photos
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the Pacru rules with diagrams (English)
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Pacru Summary Rules
Azacru Summary Rules
Shacru Summary Rules
Shacru Rules With Diagrams
Rules In Many Languages The Pacru website has
translations of the rules into some other languages (Italian, Spanish, German).
If you are interested in contributing a translation of the rules into your
language, please email us. Here is the quick summary of the
rules in English and
here are the rules in various languages.
Playing Pacru using the software
You can play with someone else (sitting next to you), or as a beginner pit your
wits against the program (an excellent way to learn), and now you can play
across the Internet. (This version works with Internet Explorer 6 (and 5.5) on
Windows.)
Internet game available
You can now play Pacru over the Internet with people you know anywhere in the
world, or players already on-line at the site
The software is developing, so if you have any suggestions for improvements,
please send an email to infopacru.com.
We are working on providing a community facility for Pacru players to meet and
arrange to play. This will be available soon. Temporarily we are using
a Yahoo Pacru group as a way of letting players arrange games with
strangers (it works as a mailing list so that you will get email from anyone
who wants to play). For this you have to sign up to yahoo and join the pacru
group, both of which are fairly straightforward. We will probably use another
way of doing this shortly as we do not like the advertising on messages via Yahoo but we wanted to get a quick and established way of getting
across-the-net play going.
Photos of the 101 tileboard and 302 flatboard kit
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