Fenix
Fenix Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Content
56 pieces, 1 gameboard
Aim of the game
If you strike the opponent's King and ensure that no new King can follow in his footsteps, then you win the game.
Game set up
Choose one side of the game board. White grid: 9 x 9 spaces; black grid: 7 x 8 spaces. Place the game board in the centre of the table, so that the tip of your camp points in your direction. Each player chooses a colour and takes the game pieces of the corresponding colour. In the 9 x 9 game, each player has 28 game pieces, and in the 7 x 8 game, each player has 21 game pieces. Place your game pieces on your side of the game board, as illustrated.
Playing the game
The red player begins. Subsequently, both players take it in turns to make a move with one of their own game pieces. If you touch a game piece on your move, you must make the move with this game piece (touch it, move it).
1. Preparing for battle
At the beginning of the game, each player has 28 soldiers (21 soldiers in the 7 x 8 game) standing on the game board. Before the actual battle begins, both players must designate 1 King and 3 Generals.
- Soldiers consist of one single game piece.
- Generals consist of 2 game pieces, stacked one on top of the other.
- The King consists of three game pieces, stacked one on top of the other.
When it's your turn, take any one of your game pieces and place it on top of any other one of your game pieces. By doing so, you have designated a General. On your next turn, you can set another game piece on top of this stack of 2 and then have a stack of 3 - the King.
In this way and in the first 5 moves, both players each designate 1 King (1x stack of 3), 3 Generals (3x stacks of 2) in random order and on 4 spaces of their own choice, within their own starting formation. At the end of the phase "Preparing for battle", both players have also positioned 19 Soldiers (9 x 9 game) or 12 Soldiers (7 x 8 game), on their half of the game board.
Formation example at the end of the phase "Preparing for battle" in the 9 x 9 game. After each player has made 5 moves, both players each possess 1 King, 3 Generals and 19 Soldiers.
2. Battle between the two armies
The actual battle begins after the preparation phase. When it's your turn, you may make a move with one of your game pieces. Thus, you either move one Soldier OR one General OR the King.
Movement range of the figures
The following movement ranges show the basic moves of the tokens/game pieces. Game pieces may not land on an already occupied space at any time during their move.
- Soldier's move: Soldiers each move orthogonally one space on to an adjacent space.
- The General's move: Generals move like the rook in chess, orthogonally along a line.
- The King's move: The King can move one space in any direction, thus moving like the King in chess.
It is compulsory to strike
If you can strike one or more of your opponent's figures on your move, then you must do so!
Soldiers or the King strike by jumping over the opponent's game piece (Soldier, General or King), which is standing on an adjacent space, and by landing on the adjacent space behind it. This space must be vacant. Thus, no game piece of your own or of your opponent may be standing on that space. You must never jump over more than one game piece at a time (thereby striking it), before the striking game piece lands on a vacant space again. Soldiers may only strike orthogonally, Kings also strike diagonally.
Example 1: Black Soldier strikes red.
Generals also strike by jumping over the game piece they intend to strike. Generals may also jump over vacant spaces in front of and behind the piece to be struck. Thus, a player striking with their General may choose when to land on a vacant space again after jumping over their opponent's game piece. They may advance as far as they wish with their General; but only in a straight line (see example 2). The same rule applies here: No more than one game piece may be jumped over (and struck) at any one time, before the striking game piece lands on a vacant space again.
Example 2: Red General strikes two black Soldiers.
If a game piece, which has just landed on a vacant space after striking an opponent's game piece, is able to strike another piece of their opponent, then they must do so (example 2 + example 3). It is compulsory to strike. A player must continue to strike their opponent's game pieces using their own figure (Soldier, General or King), until no further options to strike an opponent's game piece exist.
Example 3: Red King strikes black, lands on a vacant space and can then directly strike again. Thus, red must strike. Again, after the second strike, a new opportunity arises to strike another black game piece. Thus, red must strike again.
When striking, it must be noted that the opponent's figure may only be jumped over once. If the striking game piece encounters this figure again on their move, they may not jump over/strike it again. Instead, the figure already struck now becomes an obstacle and the turn ends.
At the end of the turn on which a player has struck one or more figures, these are removed from the game board. The opponent now takes their turn.
If, on your turn, you have more than one option to strike one or more of your opponent's figures, then you must choose the option allowing you to strike the highest number of your opponent's single game pieces. A King consists of three single game pieces, a General consists of two single game pieces and a Soldier of one single piece. If on both move options the same number of pieces can be struck in each option, then you are free to choose which option you prefer.
Creating a new General
If your opponent strikes one or more of your Generals on their turn, you may use your next turn to create a General out of two Soldiers. To do this, move one of your own single game pieces onto a neighbouring single piece of your own. You may only create one new General per turn. Creating a new General forms one complete turn and you may not move any additional figures on that turn. If you do not create a new General on your turn but instead choose to move one of your other game pieces, you forfeit your option to create a General.
Resurrecting the King
If your opponent strikes your King on their turn, you must use your next turn to attempt to recreate and resurrect the King. To do this, move a Soldier (1 single game piece) onto a neighbouring General (stack of 2), thus creating a new King (stack of 3). This action counts as one complete turn. Subsequently, you may not move any additional figures of your own and may not create a new General.
If your King is struck and you are not able to create a new King immediately after, you lose the game.
If, at the end of the game, none of the players succeeds in making the final strike to the opponent's King, the game ends in a draw.