good luck little pawn
Alpha v1.4.13
Beat the Tutorial Battle to unlock vs Battles.
for the Voidfather's Crown
You may just be a humble Pawnborn, but you're prepared to fight and die in the Gauntlet. You are not alone.
The Tutorial Battle can be accessed from the How to Play page at anytime (outside of Battle)
You cannot start the Tutorial while already in a Battle.
Do you want to quit your current Battle and Play the Tutorial?
Warning: It will count as a DEFEAT in the Gauntlet, and end a Hardcore run.
Would you like to continue the scripted guide to a quick victory, or make your own moves?
Your friend has arrived. GOLD moves second and holds the +1 AP token; RED moves first. Set the sides, or flip for it — then both armies draft in secret, at the same time.
RED player goes first.
Your Royal leads the army and cannot be changed once chosen. Choose with care — the oath is binding.
Both Players build their armies in complete secrecy. RED drafts first and moves first. GOLD — look away until the device is passed to you.
A guided sparring match against Dril, the Drillmaster — the same board and the same lesson for every player. Nine guided rounds, then the choice: ride the script to victory or finish the Battle your own way.
A Control Tile
A Reserve unit → an open deploy slot
Royal HP · AP · the one-time +1 token · Supply (SUP) · Field (FLD)
Resting (soft blue) · Active (gold) · Weary (dimmed)
The Currently-Selected Info Box: name · live stats · afflictions & states · its Research — with End Turn docked at its right
Tap any piece — yours or his — and the Info Box beneath the board reads out its name, live stats, afflictions, and Research. Enemy pieces wear a crimson edge.
Two Obsidian Crowns, one Board — slay theirs before yours falls
Two armies war upon a 7×7 board, each sworn to a Royal — yours, or theirs. Every Battle is a fight to the death: slay the enemy Royal before yours falls. There is no check and no checkmate — only the kill. One other road leads to victory. Complete a Control Post on the enemy's Home Rank, and the Hallowed Board unmakes their Royal on the spot.
The field, rows ranked 1–7 from your Gold Home Rank up to the enemy's Red Rank. Three purple Control Tiles land on rows 3, 4 and 5 — one per row, scattered at random, never a pattern
On your first turn, before anything else, place your King on any tile of your Rank, then two Depots beside him — all free of charge. Keep the Control Tiles' files open where you can: Pawns deploy there to Sprint. Units may march into the enemy's Home Rank, but Structures may never be raised there — with one ancient exception: a Control Post (see Structures).
The blue +1 badge is Gold's one-time token — it spends itself the first time you act at 0 AP, and it is the ONLY AP that survives an End Turn
The enemy always moves first. In the Gauntlet your foe opens every Battle; in Player vs AI and Player vs Player, Red opens. You — the Gold side — move second and hold a one-time +1 AP token in compensation — it shows as a blue +1 badge and spends itself automatically the first time you act at 0 AP. Your Royal grants 3 AP each turn, and every unit lives in one of three states: Resting (untouched — a soft blue underglow), Active (engaged — a gold glow), and Weary (spent — dimmed and gray). Selecting a Resting unit shows it Active, but nothing is charged until it does something. A unit's first Move-or-Act costs 1 AP, and that single point covers one Move plus one Act (a basic Attack or one active ability). A second Act on the same unit costs +1 AP — so a unit's biggest turn, Move + Attack + Ability, costs 2 AP. Move first: the moment a unit Acts it is rooted to its tile for the turn — though a Charge, a Shadowstep, a shove, a Royal Summons or a Gravity Bomb's pull will still carry bodies where they will. You may hop freely between Active units and return to them any time; a unit goes Weary when nothing remains it could do. Each Depot generates +1 Supply at the start of your turn — with your two starting Depots you begin Round 1 with 3 Supply. Three Control Tiles lie across the center rows, one per row. A completed Control Post on one grants +1 AP every turn. (In the Gauntlet their positions are sealed when the run begins; retrying a Battle replays the same field.) Deploying costs 1 AP + the unit's Supply cost, on your Home Rank; the unit arrives exhausted. At most 20 Supply of units and structures may stand afield. In the Gauntlet only, two War Chests wait on the field from the first turn, in the enemy's half just before their Home Rank — one holds exactly 10 Gold, the other a Tome of Insight, and this is the only way to earn that Battle's Tome. Only you may claim them, by moving any unit onto the chest; the enemy may stand on a chest but will never steal it. Spoils are paid out with the victory — fall, and the Board takes them back.
Select a unit and the board answers: blue dots are moves, red rings are attacks
Activating a unit costs 1 AP: move up to its Speed, then one attack — or one Active ability in place of the attack. Ability-only is still just 1 AP. Damage = Attack − Armor (minimum 1). Units and structures block ranged lines and movement alike. The Battle Log of the current Battle sits behind the 📜 scroll button beside the Menu (the full scroll is in the Menu too).
King · Pawn · Knight · Rogue · Bishop · Mage · Rook · Queen
♚ King — 20 HP · 2 Atk · 1 Armor · 1 Speed · free. Touch attacks. Fortify (active): +2 Armor until your next turn. Inspire (active, touch): cure an ally of all afflictions and grant +1 Speed & +1 Attack this turn. Research: Banner of War (King and adjacent allies +1 Attack) or Royal Summons (active — recall any allied unit to a tile beside the King).
♟ Pawn — 2 HP · 1 Atk · 0 Armor · 1 Speed · 1 Supply. Touch attacks — striking a foe on your two forward diagonals is the old game's Take: +1 damage. From its Rank, its first stride runs Speed+1 tiles straight ahead on a clear path. Build: the Pawn becomes the structure. Repair (touch): +2 HP to a structure. Research: Detonate (active — the Pawn explodes: 2 damage ignoring Armor to every unit in Touch range, friend or foe; the Pawn dies) or Battle Fury (active — pay 1 HP for +1 Attack & +1 Speed this turn, without replacing the attack).
♞ Knight — 4 HP · 2 Atk · 1 Armor · 1 Speed · 2 Supply. Touch attacks. Charge (active): leap in a chess-knight L, clean over anything — units, structures, the lot; nothing on the way can block it. It may land on an open tile, or on an enemy unit: that unit is struck and battered one tile aside, so the landing needs a kill or an open adjacent tile to shove them onto. It can never land on a structure or a levitating Sentry. Research: Extra Attack (each attack strikes twice — second blow may pick a new target) or Flame Blade (attacks also Burn).
☾ Rogue — 3 HP · 2 Atk · 0 Armor · 1 Speed · 2 Supply. A pure blade: Touch attacks only. Hide (active — every Rogue's birthright): become Hidden until you strike or are detected. Striking from stealth is an Ambush: +3 damage, but the attack fully reveals you. Research: Poison Blade (passive — basic attacks also Poison their target) or Shadowstep (active — teleport a Knight's leap away, over anything, then cut one adjacent foe for your full Attack, ignoring Armor).
♝ Bishop — 3 HP · 1 Atk · 0 Armor · 1 Speed · 3 Supply. Ranged: clear diagonals up to 3. Heal (active, touch): +2 HP to an ally. Cure (active, touch): cleanse all afflictions. Research: Blessed Reach (Heal works along diagonals up to 4) or Panacea (Cure mends two adjacent allies at once).
✶ Mage — 3 HP · 3 Atk · 0 Armor · 1 Speed · 3 Supply. Ranged: clear diagonals up to 3. Standing adjacent to a hidden foe reveals it. Zap (active, attack range): Shock a unit senseless. Research: Empower (active — ally gains +2 Damage, +2 Armor, or +2 Range until end of your next turn) or Hex (active — foe suffers −2 of the same until end of your next turn).
♜ Rook — 5 HP · 2 Atk · 2 Armor · 1 Speed · 4 Supply. Ranged: clear orthogonal lanes up to 4 (yes, the tile beside it counts — the shot is still a shot, never a punch). Cannon (active): shell any tile 2–7 down its orthogonal lanes, ignoring line of sight — a flat 3 damage to EVERY unit in the 3×3, friend and foe alike, and the blast respects Armor (armor-ignoring blasts are the Pawn's Detonate signature). Basic shot and Cannon in the same turn costs 2 AP. Research: Smart Shells (allies in the blast take only 1) or Gravity Bomb (units exactly two tiles from the blast center — straight or diagonal — are dragged one tile toward it; the eight Knight's-leap tiles are safe).
♛ Queen — 7 HP · 3 Atk · 0 Armor · 2 Speed · 5 Supply. The Affliction Sovereign. Firebolt (basic): any of the eight compass lines, up to 3, open line of sight — the first body is her only target, and it Burns. Freeze (active, touch): 3 damage and Frozen. Storm (active): a 3×3 anywhere on her lines — Shocks every unit in it, friend or foe; no damage, so place with care. Research: Scorching Aura (passive — every enemy that ends its turn in her Touch Range is Burned; allies never) or Invisibility (active — vanish until you strike or are detected; striking from the shadows is an Ambush: +3 damage).
A crowned Royal — the Obsidian Crown marks the piece whose fall ends the Battle
In the Gauntlet, each enemy army is led by a Royal — an elite, crown-marked champion of their signature unit with 20+ HP, both of that unit's Researches, and a signature trick of their own. Slay their Royal, or Control their Home Rank, to win the Battle — and their soldiers may rally to your flag. Each army's first row is its Rank — the Gold Rank at your end of the Board, the Red Rank at the enemy's — and every Royal on the stone wears one of the Board's two Obsidian Crowns, which no craft can carry past the Hallowed ground. Royal blood is not required. By the oldest law of the Hallowed Board, the first soul to set foot on a Home Rank is crowned a Royal. It is how a Pawnborn commoner stands in this arena at all — and why a claim completed on the enemy's Home Rank unmakes their crown.
Depot · Control Post (on its Tile) · Watchtower · Bunker
Pawns Build (the Pawn becomes the structure) and Repair (+2 HP, touch). Scrapping your own structure costs 1 AP and frees the tile. Structures cannot be shoved by a Knight's Charge.
▤ Depot (5 HP, free, max 4) — +1 Supply per turn. Armory: Emergency Rations (scrap for +3 Supply). Research: Quick Deploy (deploy to the open tile directly below the Depot).
⚑ Control Post (8 HP, free, on a Control Tile — or on any tile of the enemy's Home Rank) — +1 AP per turn. Takes 2 turns to build: the construction site stands at 2 HP, does nothing, and must survive the enemy's turn; other Pawns may Repair it (+2 each, to 8); at the start of your next turn it completes at full 8 HP. Every other structure finishes instantly. A Control Post completed on the enemy's Home Rank wins the Battle outright — the Hallowed Board unmakes their Royal. Armory: Enchanted Stone (self-repairs +1/turn). Research: Medical Center (+1 HP to allied units in Touch range at turn start).
⛫ Watchtower (5 HP, free, max 2) — for 1 AP shoots a foe within 2 tiles for 1 damage; +2 Range to adjacent ranged allies; reveals hidden foes within 2 (select it to see its blue detection field). Armory: Flaming Bolts (shots Burn). Research: Skyborn Sentry — the tower levitates; only ranged attacks and ranged abilities can touch it, while melee blows, Touch-range tricks, Charges, Poison, Freeze and Detonate all pass beneath.
▣ Bunker (8 HP, free, max 2) — for 1 AP strikes an adjacent foe for 1 damage; adjacent allies gain +1 Armor. Armory: Garrison (adjacent allies also +1 Attack). Research: Magnetic Field — enemies cannot target your units standing in Touch range of the Bunker with attacks or direct-target abilities; splash and area damage still land, and the Bunker itself may still be struck (a Knight's Charge targets the tile, so it too still lands).
The badges above a piece tell its suffering: Shocked · Frozen · Burned · Poisoned
⚡️ Shocked — cannot move or attack next turn; abilities still work.
❄️ Frozen — cannot move, attack, or use abilities next turn.
🔥 Burned — 2 damage at the start of your next 2 turns; re-burning adds +2 to the next tick.
💧 Poisoned — 1, then 2, then 3 damage over your next 3 turns; re-poisoning adds +2 to the next tick.
Affliction damage ignores Armor. The Bishop's Cure and the King's Inspire cleanse all four.
A Hidden piece as YOU see your own (the foe sees nothing) — and a Watchtower's blue detection field, which strips the shadows within 2 tiles
A Rogue with Hide or a Queen using Invisibility cannot be seen or targeted. Moving never reveals them — but attacking or using any Active ability does, as do a Watchtower's gaze and a Mage standing adjacent. Hidden pieces still block ground: if you move, Charge, or Shadowstep into one you'll be told something unseen blocks the path — at no AP cost — but the board itself will never hint at where they lurk.
Outside the Gauntlet, both sides assemble armies in a secret Draft: your King plus 5 of the 7 unit types, 100 Gold of Armory upgrades (structure perks 30 each), and 8 Tomes of Research (one per unit; structures 2 Tomes, at most 2 structures). Red drafts first and moves first; Gold drafts second, receives a scout report on one Red unit, and holds the +1 AP token. In Player vs Player, pass the device between drafts and look away while the other side builds — secrecy is the whole game.
The Gauntlet. One dead King's throne. And you — a Pawnborn, the commoner the oldest clause lets into the arena. After the Pawnlord, you choose your next foe among the Royals. Each wields a unit you lack; slay them, and their army marches under your banner forever. Facing the Steel Prince pledges you Bunkers. Facing the Shadow Princess pledges Watchtowers. Either gift is yours from that Battle on, win or lose. Every foe's treasury is a fixed sum, and the deeper foes out-spend even a perfect run. Their upgrades, Research, and war Style are sealed when your Gauntlet begins — the scout report never lies, and retrying a Battle changes nothing about the foe. Gold buys Armory upgrades (you begin with 10). Tomes of Insight buy Research: units choose one of two paths forever (1 Tome); structures cost 2 Tomes each, and at most 2 structures may ever be Researched. In Respawn, the Respawn Rite holds: a Pawnborn slain in the Obsidian Crown is replaced by the next, who dons the crown still warm — same treasury, same foe. In Hardcore, one fallen Royal ends the run. Complete the Gauntlet and the Crown is yours. Then, if you dare, comes Endless Mode: ever-crueler echoes, where one loss ends the run. After every Battle, listen for the whispers… the Gauntlet is far older than the Realm it crowns.
Your Royal is the leader you place first and must protect — every army has exactly one, and its fall (or a Control Post on your Home Rank) ends the Battle. An Elite is any unit granted both of its Research arts plus +2 HP and +1 Attack; Royals may be Elites, Elites need not be Royals, and only the Void Crown can mint new ones mid-battle. All Royals share a base of 20 HP and 2 Attack — their power is their arts.
⚔ Warrior — default: Cleave (sweep every adjacent foe) and Berserk (+1 Attack at half HP). Research: Bloodlust (+1 Speed while Berserk) or Shieldbreaker (attacks ignore Armor).
☠ Necromancer — default: Raise Husk (a fallen soldier stands again) and Drain (leech life at 2 range, ignoring Armor). Research: Soul Siphon (Drain heals you) or Grave Legion (Husks rise with +2 HP, +1 Attack).
♔ Phantom — default: Phase (teleport a Knight's leap), Ambush (+3 from stealth), and its unique passive: it re-cloaks free at the start of your turn (acting reveals it until then). Research: Wraithform (+1 Armor, immune to Burn/Poison) or Spectral Blades (attacks ignore Armor).
♚ Voidborn — default: Crown (turn one of your seven common pieces into an Elite) and Hunger of the Void (attacks heal it). Research: Void Carapace (+1 Armor, afflictions fade fast) or its second dark art.
Play a drafted Battle against a friend over the internet. One of you creates a lobby and reads the 4-letter code aloud; the other joins with it. The joiner is RED and drafts & moves first; the host is GOLD, scouts one Red unit, and holds the +1 AP token.
Testing tools for the Gauntlet. They bend your King only — every other piece plays by the law.