This one is a board game - completely new, you've never seen it (or anything like it).
Thrones is chess-like basic strategy game. It is played on a nine-by-nine square grid board, much like the eight-by-eight board from chess. The objective of thrones is to capture the opponents Crown.
*Throughout this manual the terms front, back, forward, or behind refer to the direction in reference to enemy’s final row. Forward is the direction toward the enemy, the way a pawn moves.*
Game Play
The ArmiesArmies in Thrones are custom built for each game, from units that the player chooses. There are three tiers of units.
Tier 3
1st tier units are the weakest and most numerous. They include the Footman and the Pikeman. Each player chooses a total of 8 tier 3 units.
Footmen move in any diagonal direction one space (like a Bishop in chess but only one space at a time). They capture by moving onto an enemy's space.
Pikemen can move one space either forward, left, or right but not backwards. They capture by moving onto enemy spaces. Pikemen can’t be captured by a piece attacking from directly in front of them. Pieces attacking from diagonally in front of the pikeman can capture him.
Tier 2
2nd tier units are far stronger than 3rd tier units, but you’ll only get half as many. They include the Man-at-Arms, Cavalry, and the Archer. Each player chooses a total of 4 tier 2 units.
Men-at-Arms move diagonally up to three spaces (once again like a Bishop, but only 3 spaces). After moving two spaces, the Man-at-Arms may choose to move in a new diagonal direction. (another way to think of this is that they may move 2 spaces diagonally. From that space they may then move 1 more space on any new diagonal).
Cavalry move up to three spaces either horizontally or vertically (like a Rook) and don’t have to stop when they capture. Cavalry can instead finish all three moves, unless it runs into another enemy or a friendly piece. (Note: this means that Cavalry can capture only ONE enemy per turn)
Archers move two spaces in any direction, but cannot capture by moving on to enemies. Instead they can shoot enemies from a distance, up to two spaces diagonally forward, as well as the square directly in front of the archer. The term “shoot” means that the target is captured but the Archer does not move. He can shoot over both friendly and enemy pieces. Again, it takes the player's turn to capture at range with the archer, and the archer cannot move and shoot on the same turn.
Tier 1
Third Tier units are immensely powerful and can control entire sections of the board, they are the Tower, Elephant, and Ballista.
The Tower moves one spaces in any direction (exactly like a King in chess). Towers cannot be captured from directly in front or from either forward diagonal. This means they can only be captured from directly behind, backwards diagonals, and the sides.
The Elephant moves up to four spaces in any direction. Like the Cavalry, the Elephant may continue moving after capturing a piece.
The Ballista can move one space in any direction, but like the archer, cannot kill by moving. The Ballista shoots enemies up three spaces away straight forward or on forward diagonals.
The last piece is the Crown. It moves one space in any direction (just like a king) and cannot kill anything. If this piece is captured, you lose, so keep it safe.
Setup
Now that you know how each unit moves it’s time to learn how to set up your army and prepare for battle. First of all, in Thrones you decide which units to put in your army. You may choose eight 3rd Tier units, four 2nd Tier units, just one 1st Tier unit, and one Crown, for a total of 14 units.
You may place your pieces anywhere within the first three rows. There is one exception: your crown may not start in a corner of the board. While you set up your pieces you should make sure you can’t see your opponent’s pieces and they can’t see yours! Once you’ve both set up all your pieces, remove the barrier between you and your opponent and decide who goes first…either by a coin toss, rock-paper-scissors, or whatever else you like. From here, the game proceeds much like chess. You each take turns, moving one piece at a time until one of you has lost his crown or gives up. Have fun and good luck.
Further notes, Rule Clarifications, and Comments on Strategy
Some simple rule clarifications must be made:
1st- Archers don’t move when they shoot, but it does take a turn to shoot.They can’t shoot twice in one turn nor can two archers fire in the same turn. Archers also cannot move and shoot within the same turn.
2nd- Only Men-at-Arms can turn mid-move. Calvary must move in straight lines up to 3 spaces.
3rd- Elephants and Towers have to move onto the enemy in order to capture them. In fact, only Archers and Ballistae can capture without moving.
4th- While you can choose your army, you must take a Crown . It is your opponent’s goal and they couldn’t win without you having one.
5th- If any of you have the desire to set up without hiding your pieces from each other, don’t. It allows players to try and design their forces to match weak points and vice versa, this inevitably leads to a long waiting game as neither player wants to set up first.
Lastly, these are some notes and comments on Strategy
-- All the pieces have movement values less than 5, the board is nine spaces long so a piece on one side can’t guard the opposite side
-- The nine space board means there will always be three rows between your third row and your opponents. This means that almost all pieces will be unable to capture on turn 1, except the Elephant. Take that as you will.
-- Since Pikemen can’t be attacked head on they can be used to form walls, this is a great way to guard flanks or protect your Crown.
-- Archers and Ballistae are great, but neither can attack behind themselves.
