Years ago my family gave me one of those beautiful Star Trek 3D chess sets from the Franklin Mint. It was smaller than the tabletop set-piece seen in the series but nevertheless transcribed the details of the Technical Manual admirably. It occupied valuable real estate amid the clutter of my desk though for the longest time did little but get randomly admired and repeatedly scatter its pieces after the tiniest jolt to its platform. What games I played against people were more experimentation than entertainment, but even then I could tell I was hooked.

The rules provided with the set were scanty and confusing but I knew, from an article in the Star Trek Giant Poster Book, that others had taken a serious interest into improving the game. I bought the "for sale" rules from the author of that article (who offered the 3D chess world order). That ruleset had changed substantially from the Poster Book edition and presented few sample games for clarity. I searched for software to play the game to understand the rules but was sadly disappointed, so with a few days off for holiday it seemed easier just to write one myself.

It doesn't feel like five years have passed since finishing that first, early version of Parmen; how far it's come in the meantime! Several important upgrades have improved its playing ability and ease of use. I maintain a list of desirable features and hope to break many of them in with the Version 3.0 release. Constant play with friends around the world keeps my buglist long but in the long run helps produce a superior program. (By the way, by chasing a moving target it took me four years to finally beat the program! I like to think I'm just a better programmer than player.)

Though I figured after a few more bugs the project would fly away free from my oversight, I'm glad it hasn't. It even helps handle this column from time to time (more about the game and this program here and here). I hope I never lose interest in the game. It's a shame the entire fan community can't rally around the game and not the dollar but in time I believe (to paraphrase an episode featuring Kor) in the future all players will become fast friends and will work together to advance the ideals of both Star Trek and 3D chess. Amity between all differing outlooks would place the game back where it belongs - in the realm of fun.