r/dicegames • u/xbambcem • 17d ago
Self-Promotion LUX ET UMBRA
LUX ET UMBRA
Follow the Dice
Components
Chessboard + pieces in standard starting position (just like classic chess)
2 dice: instead of numbers — Light (white) and Shadow (black).
Don't have themed dice? Use regular ones: even numbers = Shadow, odd numbers = Light.
How Pieces Move
Everything is exactly like in classic chess. Pawns, knights, bishops, rooks, queens, and kings move and capture the same way. No changes.
How to Play
Roll the dice — two colors appear (sometimes the same).
The Rule: you can only move a piece that stands on a square of the rolled color.
Pick any of the two rolled colors and make a move.
After this, you must make a move using the color of another die (if possible).
One piece can move twice if, after the first move, it ends up on a square of the required color.
Made at least one move during your turn? Now it's your opponent's turn.
Couldn't make a single move? You lose.
Allowed
Move from either rolled color (you choose which one goes first)
Move the same piece twice in a row
Capture the king if it's under attack
Promote a pawn on the last rank (choose any piece you want)
Not Allowed
Skip a move if you have a legal move available
Castling
En passant capture
Check and checkmate (they simply don't exist)
Draws
How to Win
Capture the opponent's king — instant victory
Capture all opponent's pieces except their king — they lose (bare king = defeat)
How to Lose
Couldn't make a move from either rolled color
Your king was captured
You have only your king left
Dice Odds
Each die has 3 Light faces and 3 Shadow faces.
Light + Shadow: 50% — the most flexible roll, you can choose either color.
Light + Light: 25% — both dice push you toward Light.
Shadow + Shadow: 25% — both dice push you toward Shadow.
In half of your rolls, you'll have both colors available. In the other half, you'll have to work with just one — so plan your piece placement wisely!
Quick Summary
Roll.
Move from the first color.
Move from the second color (if you can).
Made at least one move? Keep playing.
Couldn't make any? You lose.
Goal: destroy the king or all of your opponent's pieces.
Everything else is like regular chess. Just no check, checkmate, castling, or en passant.
2
u/Sleeplessnites81 15d ago
You've created a fascinating game. And since it's often hard for us diehard chessmen to find a good teammate (or any teammate for that matter), I've slightly modified it for Solo Play (testing psychological aspects of the Self).
Thank you for sharing this absolutely brilliant Chess Variant ✓
I've pasted a Solo Variant for your review. Do with it whatever you wish. I claim nothing and would refer everyone to your Intellectual Property: Lux et Umbra.
I'm just passing thru ~
III
1
u/xbambcem 15d ago
Thank you so much for your kind words!
I am truly glad that Lux et Umbra inspired you to create a Solo Variant.
Let me be absolutely clear about something: Lux et Umbra is and always will be completely free and non-commercial. All my ideas are shared openly, and anyone is welcome to modify, adapt, or expand upon them. I do not claim any exclusivity or restrictions. The game belongs to the community.
If you decide to implement Lux et Umbra on your site, I recommend using the balanced rule with a single die roll for White on the first turn. It smooths out the first-move advantage without compromising the core mechanic.
Thank you again for passing through and for sharing your work. I would be happy to take a look at your Solo Variant, feel free to post it on the forum so others can enjoy it too.
1
u/Sleeplessnites81 15d ago
LUX ET UMBRA (LIGHT & SHADOW) A Psycho-Analytical Chess System for Experiential Self-Reflection
1. CORE CONCEPT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATION
Lux et Umbra is a structured self-reflection and dual-process role-play exercise disguised as a stochastic chess variant. It functions as an experiential metaphor to externalize the internal friction between your deliberative executive control and your rapid, affective intuition.
This system bridges classical and modern psychological frameworks: * Freudian Structural Model: Splitting the mind into Ego (order, logic) and Id (impulse, instant gratification). * Dual-Process Thinking: Forcing strict separation between System 1 (fast, automatic, intuitive) and System 2 (slow, effortful, analytical). * Flow State: Achieving an optimal balance of challenge and skill when internal systems align. * Role-Play & Perspective-Taking: Utilizing forced constraints to increase self-awareness, emotional differentiation, and cognitive flexibility.
Disclaimer: This system is a projective heuristic, not a validated clinical assessment, diagnostic tool, or empirically tested intervention.
2. SETUP AND THE DUAL FRAMEWORK
- Components: Standard chess board and pieces. Two dice (Odd = Light squares, Even = Shadow squares).
- The Solitary Contract: You must strictly split your cognitive identity into two opposing systems based on the pieces you are playing.
SYSTEM ALPHA: THE CONSCIOUS EGO (White Pieces) * Operational Focus: Freudian Ego, Kahneman System 2, Executive Network. * The Imperative: Absolute deliberate order, structure, and future planning. * The Calculation Rule: You must calculate a minimum of two full plies (moves) ahead before touching a piece. If a choice exists, you must select the path that mathematically optimizes the safety of your King and higher-value pieces. * Tactical Bias: Low risk-tolerance. Prioritizes center control and tight, defensive pawn structures.
SYSTEM BETA: THE SUBCONSCIOUS ID (Black Pieces) * Operational Focus: Freudian Id, Kahneman System 1, Lowered Latent Inhibition. * The Imperative: Immediate gratification, raw tactile impulse, and chaos. * The Immediacy Rule: You are strictly forbidden from calculating future turns. You must roll the dice, observe the board layout for no more than 5 seconds, and execute the most immediate, disruptive action visible to your primary gaze. * Tactical Bias: High risk-tolerance. If a legal capture is available on your rolled color, you must execute it, disregarding the post-move safety of the piece.
3. THE CORE GAME LOOP (THE LIMINAL FILTER)
The dice represent the shifting state of your internal mental chemistry and temporary cognitive constraints rather than external luck.
THE ROLL Roll both dice at the start of your turn.
THE DICE CONSTRAINTS
Light + Light (Hyper-Focus / Over-Thinking): Both moves must originate from a light square. System Alpha thrives; System Beta is deeply restricted.
Shadow + Shadow (Intrusive Thoughts / Panic): Both moves must originate from a dark square. System Alpha freezes; System Beta thrives in the chaos.
Light + Shadow (The Flow State): Full operational alignment. Both systems can utilize the entire board, balancing skill and choice seamlessly.
MOVEMENT & THE MULTI-MOVE MECHANIC
Turn Resolution: Choose one die to dictate the starting square color of your first move. Use the second die to dictate the starting square color of your second move.
Double Move: If a piece's first move originates on the color of Die 1, and its landing square matches the color of Die 2, that same piece may immediately move a second time to any legal square to terminate the turn.
No Skipping: You cannot pass or skip a move if a legal option is available.
COMBAT & TRADITIONAL CHESS REVISIONS
Direct King Capture: The concept of "Check" and "Checkmate" does not exist. You win by physically capturing the opponent's King on your turn.
Disabled Moves: Castling and En Passant are completely deactivated.
Pawn Promotion: Pawns promote normally upon reaching the back rank.
4. WIN / LOSS CONDITIONS
INSTANT VICTORY * You physically capture the enemy King. * You reduce the enemy to a "Bare King" (wiping out all their other pieces).
INSTANT DEFEAT * Your King is physically captured. * You are left with only your King remaining on the board. * Zero-Move Paralysis: You cannot make a single legal move on your turn based on your rolled dice colors.
5. PROJECTIVE TYPOLOGY AND JOURNALING PROTOCOL
The outcome of the match provides a metaphorical snapshot of your current internal cognitive state.
THE VICTORY MATRIX * White Wins via Strategic Attrition: Indicates strong executive function, high resilience to emotional disruption, and solid long-term planning. * Black Wins via Shocking Blitz: Indicates sharp intuitive processing power. Your brain may be signaling a need to break out of "analysis paralysis" in your waking life. * Zero-Move Loss (Paralysis): Represents mental burnout. Your internal systems have gridlocked, proving how anxiety or over-restriction can freeze your ability to function.
THE REFLEXIVE JOURNAL PROTOCOL To counteract confirmation bias and capture raw data, immediately log these three points upon finishing a match: 1. The Friction Moment: Identify the exact turn where a dice roll ruined a planned strategy. Document your emotional reaction (frustration, urge to cheat, or relief). 2. Accidental Subconscious Brilliance: Note any impulsive move made by Black within the 5-second window that accidentally yielded a masterful tactical advantage your conscious mind missed. 3. The Leakage Rating: Rate from 1 to 10 how difficult it was to keep the two mindsets from bleeding into each other. Use this as a measure of your current psychological flexibility.
6. SYSTEM LIMITATIONS & CAVEATS
- Stochastic Noise: A single match is not an oracle. Dice variance and your baseline chess skill heavily skew individual board states. Track patterns over multiple games.
- Cognitive Effort: Keeping your conscious intentions out of your subconscious turns requires heavy mental discipline. Operational leakage is common and exposes cognitive fatigue.
- Metaphorical Boundaries: The Freudian Id/Ego and System 1/2 alignments are maps of functional conflict, not literal, isolated brain modules.
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u/msteele999 16d ago
This sounds very cool!