I love Discworld. What delights me is not just how carefully thought out it is, in all its magical improbability, but how well that improbability explains our ordinary, everyday lives.
I’m particularly pleased that Видавництво Старого Лева — The Old Lion Publishing House — is publishing Sir Terry Pratchett’s books in Ukrainian. I want to be able to immerse myself in Discworld in my own language, too. As far as I know at the time of writing, they have not yet reached Thud!. And I’m very curious how the title will be translated: a short impact sound, the name of a game, and the title of a novel, all in one word. No easy task for a translator.
In the meantime, I decided to bring one small part of Discworld into the browser. The result is Thudd.
Thirty-two against eight
Thud is a game played by dwarfs and trolls, about dwarfs and trolls, reenacting their ancient battle in Koom Valley. The armies are unequal: 32 dwarfs and 8 trolls. Each side is unequal in a different way.
Dwarfs move quickly and need to work together: a line can hurl its front dwarf onto a troll. Trolls usually move only one square, but can capture several neighboring dwarfs after moving. They have a team move of their own, too: the shove.
It feels a little like checkers, but playing with different pieces means thinking differently, too. I also like that a full match has two rounds: first you play one side, then you swap armies. To win, you have to put yourself in your opponent’s place as well.
A real screenshot of the browser game: dark theme with the Miner & Slate set. Dwarfs always move first.
One extra letter
I added one more d to the name: Thud → Thudd. I do not want to claim the original name. For me, it is a small fan-made nod to Sir Terry: a familiar sound with a different spelling.
Credit also belongs to the people who already brought this idea to a physical table. The original Thud board game was designed by Trevor Truran in 2002, with pieces sculpted by Bernard Pearson. Pratchett supplied its name; the novel followed in 2005. There is a pleasing movement in both directions between the imagined world and ours.
Thudd is an independent fan adaptation, not an official game or a replacement for the licensed set.
What you can try
This version has one opponent: the computer. There is no need to register, sign in, or find a second player. You can get straight to the game.
There are five difficulty levels: Beginner, Easy, Balanced, Hard, and Expert. You can choose dwarfs or trolls for the first round. If a move proves less persuasive than you hoped, you can undo it; if a plan has yet to appear, you can ask for a hint.
Choose your race and difficulty before a new match. The sides swap in round two.
The ◐ Appearance button lets you choose a light or near-black dark theme and one of two piece sets: Guard & Boulder or Miner & Slate. You can change the look during a match without changing the position. Your browser remembers the choice.
The same rules, two sets of pieces, and a theme to suit your mood.
The game has eight languages: Ukrainian, English, German, Polish, Czech, French, Spanish, and Dutch. You can switch language during a match. The match saves in the same browser, so you can return to your battle later.
The board uses Classic Thud rules. The separate Koom Valley variant is described in the archive, rather than implemented here. I have kept the rules and source links in the game, too: you do not need to know the novel to give it a try.
Tell me how it plays
I would be happy to hear more than bug reports. Tell me whether the rules are clear, how the computer behaves, which army you prefer, or whether something sounds awkward in your language.
Feedback is very welcome at mail@zinchuk.online.