I too would like to see luck play a lesser role and hope we will see some variation the community will rally behind.
Perry
1) One idea that I feel is worth trying is to change the rule so that doubles rolled from the bar are not doubled. ie..when you roll 44 from the roof you get to play only 2 fours rather the 4 fours. The ammount of equity that swings when playable doubles from the roof can counter attack is often huge.
2) Perhaps start from a somewhat more complicated position. Here's one not as extreme as NG and allowing for more blitzing and fewer opening rolls to grab and advanced anchor. Of course it would seem very obvious to split most no natural openings here, but later play should be somewhat more complicated than normal BG. This can be simmed (as can NG) by having a bot play against itself with a strong level vs a weaker one.
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eXtreme Gammon Version: 2.00.160.beta
3) More Swiss tourneys ..100% Swiss Elimination and without any playoff BS where unequal records get paired up.
4) Faster time controls would allow for more matches and would allow for a Swiss to be better completed over a normal weekend. It would also allow for longer matches in conventional events. Faster TC's would be better for many stronger players since you have to think quicker and rely more on your knowledge. Can't calculate the TP when leading -2-5? Oh well..remember it! By faster I mean something like 1-10 rather than 2-12.
Unfortunately 4) might drive some players away or drive some players from championship.