rand()master
the concept
Chess, but the opening is a game of chance.
Sixty-four numbered tokens cover the board, and a random number generator decides where your pieces land — the opening isn't studied, it's survived. Once the kings are down, it resolves as regular chess from wherever randomness left you.
how it plays
Spot the number, claim the square.
Two to four players plus a gamemaster, who calls a number from 1 to 64 — the first player to spot its token places their next piece on that square, working up the hierarchy from pawn to king. Once every piece is down, a 0–3 roll rotates the board 90° that many times, and from there it's chess as usual: whoever captures the opposite king wins.
fabrication
From vinyl prototype to laser-cut acrylic.
The final board is layered laser-cut acrylic: recessed pink and green wells that hold engraved number tiles, so tokens snap into place instead of sliding around. Cut files were drawn as separate black, white, and grid layers for the laser.
playtesting
The playtesters made the rules better.
Playtests with Prisha, Sofia, Devan, and Justin reshaped the design: the board now rotates every two rounds during placement, because facing the numbers was an advantage; rolling the same number twice stacks your pieces on one square — as many as randomness allows; and rolling a square the opponent holds knocks their pieces out of the game. Best note of all: "fun game to watch" — it turned out to be a spectator sport.
hello world! i'm ranjani, a multidisciplinary designer building digital experiences rooted in play, participation and storytelling.
my work spans visual design, branding, 3D, interactivity & motion, using emerging tech and AI assisted code to create new possibilities.
i find being defined by a single box too confining-- instead, i see my work as a grid. an interconnected system of all that i'm curious about.
if you haven't already, click and play on the grid by dragging your cursor on it. and don't forget to sign my guestbook!remember to sign my guestbook before you go!
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