Rules
How To Start
To start, place the pieces on their starting positions as indicated in the picture; put the white king on E1 (same as regular chess), and fill the rest of the first and second rank with white pawns. Then mirror that with black pieces on the other side of the board; The black king goes on E8, and black pawns on the rest of the 7th and 8th rank.
Then shuffle the squares and put them on a pile next to the board along with the xp counters and effect markers.
How To Play
The Turn
The players take turns with the white starting. Each player moves a piece, and then all the events that happen on a turn-by-turn basis are carried out (like moving NPC figures)
Squares
Each time a piece moves onto an unexplored square on the 3rd to 7th rank a square is taken from the pile and placed there; triggering the effect described on it.
How The Pieces Move
The pieces move the same as you might be used to from regular chess.
- The king can move 1 square in each direction including diagonally.
- The queen can move an unlimited distance in each direction including diagonally.
- The rook can move left, right, up, and down unlimited distance.
- The bishop can move an unlimited distance diagonally.
- The knight can move 2 squares forward and 1 to the side in any direction.
- The pawn can move 1 square forward, but it can't attack in that direction. If it's its first move it can move 2 squares forward. If there are any pieces diagonally in front of it, it can attack them.
Captures
Each time one piece moves to the same position as an enemy piece, the outcome is determined by rolling the D20 die, adding the value of the attacking piece along with the initiative bonus which is 5 by default and any attack bonuses from the current square and subtracting the value of the defending piece along with any defence bonuses from the current square. If the resulting value is greater than 10 then the capture was successfull, otherwise, the attacking piece returns back and the turn ends. If a player rolls 1 then it's a critical failure and the attacking piece is captured instead.
Promotions & XP
Experience is gained either by receiving it upon stepping on a square that gives you XP, by capturing pieces, and for pawns, by reaching the opposite end of the board.
Each time a piece captures another, it gains half of the value of the captured piece in XP.
When a piece's value + XP is greater or equal to the value of a higher piece, it can promote to that piece, loosing its XP. Promoting Doesn't count as a turn.
Each time a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board it gains 8 XP.
Piece Values
| Piece | Attack | Defence |
|---|---|---|
| Pawn | 1 | 1 |
| Knight | 3 | 3 |
| Bishop | 3 | 3 |
| Rook | 5 | 5 |
| Queen | 8 | 8 |
| King | 1 | 10 |
| Dragon | 11 | 11 |