Current Rules for play on SDG

(See Previous Posts for Details re Sightings of the Owlman etc)

RULES, EQUIPMENT, AND  SETUP
The game can be played using pieces from a chess and checkers set. The dark squares on the board represent the trees of Mawnan wood; pieces move between the trees on the light squares. The setup for play is shown in Fig.1. Doc is represented by the white chess king, and  his helpers are the 12 white checkers. A black knight represents Owlman (although this can be replaced by a suitably sized ornamental owl with a felt base if one is available). 
At the start of play, Doc surveys the woods from h1 (the church tower). Owlman is about to advance through the woods from a8 (his secret lair). Owlman's main objectiveis to frighten all of Doc's helpers out of the woods. Doc aims to reach the Owlman's lair, along with one of his helpers, who will help him set up his "cryptozoological"  camera. (See  "End of Game" for details of other winning objectives.) 
PLAYWhite moves first. Thereafter moves alternate with no passing. All pieces (both White and Black) may make a 'step' move to any adjoining white square- the move of a King in Checkers.  Owlman (unlike Doc or his helpers) may instead make a 'swoop' move from corner to opposite corner of a 4x2 rectangle- a kind of elongated knight move. (The 'Fairy Chess' piece with this move is usually called a Camel.) Owlman may jump over other pieces while making a swoop. 
The squares marked with an 'X' in Figure 2 are those to which Owlman can move by swoop. Owlman can also make a 'super swoop'. This is dealt with under 'captures'  below. 
There is no white square to which a piece may not move- with the exception of h1. Owlman may play onto this square, but, after the square has been vacated by Doc, it may not be played onto by White again.


CAPTURES
Only Owlman can make captures. The one case where Owlman may capture Doc is if  Doc still occupies h1 when Owlman moves onto that square, either by normal move or by swoop move. Otherwise, Owlman can only capture helpers, and can only do so with a step move, not a swoop move.  Whenever Owlman advances by making a step move towards a helper, he instills such terror that the poor helper immediately runs out of the woods and plays no further part in the game. Figure 2 clarifies these captures. Here Owlman can advance to d5 and capture f3, or to d7 and capture e8. The helper on b5, however, cannot be captured. 
One other method of capture is possible for Owlman, and that is by super swoop. A super swoop may only be made when Owlman is placed on h1 (the church tower). From here he may super swoop to any square occupied by a helper. The helper is then captured and removed from the board. From h1 Owlman must make a super swoop move; other move types from the church tower are not permitted. 
 
END OF GAME
The game ends as a win for White if Doc reaches a8 and has also moved a helper to b7. Doc also wins (though this happens but rarely) if a trapped Owlman is unable to move on his turn of play. Owlman wins if he either captures Doc or all of Doc's helpers. IF DOC HAS NOT ACHIEVED HIS OBJECTIVE  BY NIGHTFALL (IE AFTER HIS 49TH MOVE) THEN OWLMAN IS THE WINNER.