"The sword may win the field, but only the mind wins the war." — Archmage Saelen Veridian, 432 A.R.
The strategy game of the first Archmages, played on the Anuryan Field. Capture the enemy Crown, or hold the Aether Ring — the center tile — for three of your turns while your own Crown survives.
Common tabletop rules. Shrine boons and the Sanctum Focus rites are played in the ritual variant — coming to this board in time.
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The Pieces, 18 to a side
Piece
#
Moves
Way
Crown
1
1 tile, any direction
Cannot step into a threatened tile. Its capture is defeat.
Paladin
2
1 tile, any direction
Intercede: if beside the Crown when it would fall, dies in its place (once each).
Knight
2
L-step or 2 diagonal
Leaps over pieces. Shock troops.
Archer
1
1 tile (never onto a piece)
Strike: kills at 2–3 tiles down a clear line. Never adjacent.
Assassin
2
Up to 3 tiles straight, no leap
Kills on landing. The flanker's blade.
Druid
2
1 tile, any direction
Root: stand two turns, survive the first blow. Grove: adjacent allies immune to ranged death.
Mage
3
1 tile forward or back
Blast: kills at exactly 2 tiles down a clear line. Artillery.
Sorcerer
1
1 tile, any direction
Glamour (once): move as any allied piece until you take a life.
Smallfolk
4
1 forward; kills diagonally forward
Reach the far rank and rise as Knight or Assassin.
The three doctrines: Crown-War spends Smallfolk for openings. Shelter-War keeps them alive and wins by attrition. Shrine-War waits, builds, and crushes.
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