The High Kings of Tara Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Aim
• Preparation
• General Rules
  • Knight's Move
  • Linking
  • Friendly
  • Adjacent
  • Hill
  • Mobile
  • Immobile
• First Phase - Manoeuvres
• Second Phase - Battle
• Capturing Kings
  • Besiege
  • Double Capture
• Capturing Ringforts
• Illegal Moves
• Passing
• End of the Game
• Scoring
• Variant: Singles - Level 2 - Kingdoms
  • Sacrificing Ringforts

Aim

A match comprises two games, each player taking turns to start. The player with most points after two games wins the match.

At the end of each game the player with the fewest kingdoms receives points.

In case of a tie, the player with most territory receives points.

Kingdom: A group of friendly ringforts; either one isolated ringfort or any number which are linked together.

[Diagram: five examples of kingdoms.]

Territory: The total number of ringforts used by each player.

Preparation

Sit opposite your opponent with the empty board set squarely between you.

Each of you takes the tiles of your chosen colour and the three kings.

Draw lots to determine who starts.

General Rules

The following rules apply throughout the entire game:

• A king is moved in the manner of a knight's move in chess.
• A complete turn comprises the movement of one king plus all actions required by that move:
  • Manoeuvres Actions: building ringforts and possibly capturing kings.
  • Battle Actions: building and linking ringforts and possibly capturing ringforts and / or capturing kings.
  • Note: a king may be captured throughout the game, but a ringfort may only be captured in Battle (as this would link ringforts).
• Friendly kings must never stand on adjacent ringforts (this is to prevent them working in tandem); enemy kings can.
• A king must always move to a vacant hill (whenever possible); never onto enemy territory, unless to capture a ringfort.
• Once you touch an accessible hill or a mobile king you are committed.

Knight's Move

A type of move used in this game, in the manner of a chess knight, i.e. one by two or two by one.

[Diagram: examples of knight's moves. Red has eight possible moves; Blue has three.]

Linking

Clipping on one bridge between the new ringfort and each adjacent friendly ringfort. If the new ringfort is adjacent to one other ringfort, one bridge is used; if it is adjacent to two ringforts, two bridges are used, etc. All links are made automatically in the same turn (except SD). Note: enemy ringforts must never be linked.

[Diagram: example of linking one new ringfort (lighter) to an existing ringfort.]

[Diagram: example of linking one new ringfort (lighter) to three existing ringforts.]

Friendly

Of the same colour; your own colour.

Adjacent

Next to, either horizontally or vertically - not diagonally.

[Diagram: the four outer ringforts are adjacent to the central ringfort.]

Hill

One of the 45 board cells centred on a single hole.

[Diagram: a hill.]

Mobile

(Of a king) able to move to a vacant hill in accordance with the rules pertaining at the time.

Immobile

(Of a king) unable to move to a vacant hill in accordance with the rules pertaining at the time.

First Phase - Manoeuvres

The first player builds a ringfort anywhere and then places a king in it. The second player does likewise, and so on until all six kings and their ringforts have been built. Note: your own ringforts must not be built adjacently; the closest they may be is diagonally apart, although they may be adjacent to enemy ringforts.

You then take turns, moving one of your kings and building a ringfort underneath it, fig. 1.

As play continues, movement will become more restricted until one of your kings is immobile, figs. 2 & 3. Play must continue with the other kings until they too are immobile.

When all your own kings are immobile, fig. 4, Battle starts. At the start of such a turn, whichever player does so first must announce "BATTLE" and advances.

The other player too advances on their next turn.

[Fig. 1: Red to move. Ticks are legal moves but crosses are not.]

[Fig. 2: Blue to move but D7 is immobile.]

[Fig. 3: Red to move but E2 is immobile.]

[Fig. 4: All Blue kings are immobile so Blue proceeds to Battle.]

Second Phase - Battle

The restriction that prevented friendly ringforts from being built adjacently is now lifted. You may now build ringforts adjacent to your own (whenever possible), linking them all automatically in the same turn, fig. 5.

Note: kings are still moving using the knight's move and friendly kings must still never stand on adjacent ringforts.

Note: although the proximity restriction is now lifted, you may (for strategic or mandatory reasons) still build isolated (non-adjacent) ringforts.

Now, when all of your own kings are immobile, they are allowed to either backtrack into friendly ringforts, fig. 6, or capture enemy ringforts. This must stop as soon as one of your own kings becomes mobile again.

[Fig. 5: Blue starts Battle. Blue's only moves are either F5 or G2 to E3. Blue's D7 is immobile, but only until both Blue's other kings are immobile too.]

[Fig. 6: All (both) Blue's kings are immobile, so D7 backtracks to C5.]

Capturing Kings

An enemy king may only be captured by one of your attacking kings if it stands on a single ringfort that is about to be (or is) besieged. If one of your kings builds the last ringfort needed to besiege it, fig. 7, (or backtracks to one of the besieging ringforts, fig. 8) the capture is made. The captured king is removed from the game, unable to return.

Note: if you have a choice of moves, it is not obligatory to make the capturing move, but if you do make such a move, you must capture the king.

If a king moves to a besieged hill / ringfort that already has an enemy king adjacent to it, the king played is safe from that particular king, fig. 9, (that particular king would first have to move away before attacking and making the capture, however, another king may be able to make the capture instead). This is because a king may legally move to a besieged hill / ringfort to capture an enemy king, figs. 10 & 11.

If one player makes a double capture the game ends immediately and that player wins.

Besiege

Only a single hill / ringfort may be besieged. Being surrounded on all available adjacent sides by enemy ringforts. Note: two or more friendly ringforts built adjacently cannot be besieged.

[Diagram: a besieged hill.]

[Diagram: a besieged ringfort.]

Double Capture

A winning condition; the capture of two enemy kings either in one turn or two separate turns.

[Fig. 7: Capturing a Red king with a new ringfort.]

[Fig. 8: Red backtracks to capture a Blue king from an existing ringfort.]

[Fig. 9: The Red king is safe from the Blue king above, but it doesn't prevent another Blue king from making the capture.]

[Fig. 10: Capturing a Red king from a besieged hill / ringfort.]

[Fig. 11: Red captures Blue's king F7 from a besieged hill / ringfort. Note: if there had been a Red ringfort on C7, Blue's king D7 would have been captured also, making it a double capture in one move.]

Capturing Ringforts

Only single besieged ringforts may be captured.

Capturing ringforts is not automatic (as opposed to Sacred Hill) and it may only happen when all of your own kings are immobile.

Note: even single ringforts still count as one kingdom, so you might want to think twice and leave them alone, it really depends on the situation!

You capture a ringfort by moving a king onto the ringfort itself, replacing and linking it as usual all in the same turn, figs. 12 & 13.

Note: it is not obligatory to make a capturing move, but if you do make such a move, you must capture the ringfort.

You may not build another ringfort in that same turn. You may capture only one ringfort per turn.

[Fig. 12: Capturing a Red ringfort.]

[Fig. 13: Blue is immobile, so is able to capture Red's ringfort E7.]

Illegal Moves

If you make an illegal move and it's spotted before your opponent takes their next turn, your opponent may order you to retract that move, and then replay the move with one of their own choosing in accordance with the rules pertaining at the time.

Passing

You may only pass at the start of your turn if all the kings on the board (both Red and Blue) are immobile. If you choose to pass, you must remove all your own kings from the board.

Your opponent then just has one more turn before they too are forced to pass and the game ends.

Note: High Kings of Tara does not have to end with a completely filled board.

End of the Game

Once one player builds a ringfort on the last remaining vacant hill, the other player then just has one more turn before the game ends.

Otherwise, the game ends immediately when either one player has made a double capture or both players have passed.

Scoring

The winner is the player with the fewest number of kingdoms, fig. 14. The winner scores 2 points, plus bonus points for the difference in the number of kingdoms. For example, if the outcome was 1 to 4 kingdoms, the winner would get 3 bonus points. The other player does not receive points for kingdoms. If either player captured one king they would each score an additional 1 point.

If both players have the same number of kingdoms, the winner is the player with most territory. The winner scores 2 points, plus bonus points for the difference in territory. For example, if the outcome was 23 to 22 ringforts, the winner would get 1 bonus point. The other player does not receive points for territory. If either player captured one king they would each score an additional 1 point.

However, if both players have the same number of kingdoms and the same territory (you both must have passed leaving an odd number of vacant hills) each player scores just 1 point.

However, if one player has captured two kings, the game is won by double capture (the loser still keeps 1 point if they captured a king too). Neither player scores any points for kingdoms or territory, even if the double capture was made on the last turn.

Note: it is possible to capture two or even three kings in one turn, but it is extremely rare. Remember, as soon as one player loses two kings the game ends immediately, so the only way to win with a 'triple capture' is to either capture them all in one turn or capture one in one turn, then two in a subsequent turn. You would score 3 points for the triple, if you were so lucky, or skillful.

[Fig. 14: Finished game: Red has 6 kingdoms and Blue has 7, so Red wins. Red scores 2 points (for the win) plus 1 bonus point (for the difference between 6 and 7) plus 1 point (for the captured king) which equals 4 points.]

Variant: Singles - Level 2 - Kingdoms

Now the full power of the ancient kings is revealed! But this only comes to those who are prepared to sacrifice a king and live close to destruction. The rewards are great; you're able to sacrifice your own territory for the greater good, but if your enemy captures one more king, you lose everything!

This variant is exactly the same as the Level 1 game, except for the rules below.

Sacrificing Ringforts

If one of your own kings has been captured, your two remaining kings have the additional power to sacrifice your own ringforts. This may only happen when all of your own kings are immobile and one of your kings backtracks to a friendly ringfort which is already besieged, fig. 1a. You may choose (on a case by case basis) whether to sacrifice it or not. If you do choose to sacrifice, you replace it with an enemy ringfort and link it with enemy bridges in the usual manner in the same turn.

Your king is now standing on enemy territory, fig. 1b, but it is temporarily immune from capture. Unless the game is ended by your opponent by double capture on their next turn, on your next turn you must:

• If the king is mobile: move to a vacant hill.
• If the king is immobile: either backtrack again (you may also sacrifice again) or capture an enemy ringfort.
• If the king has been trapped (escape route taken): the king is captured by default and you lose the game by double capture.

Note: it is possible to capture an enemy king and sacrifice a ringfort, all in the same turn.

Note: it is illegal to build a ringfort and then sacrifice it in the same turn.

[Fig. 1a: Blue C5 backtracks to B3 and decides to sacrifice it.]

[Fig. 1b: End of Blue's turn and Blue B3 is now on enemy territory and is temporarily immune from capture. Blue must backtrack B3 next turn to either C5, D4 or C1. If it's C1, that could be sacrificed also, then escape to E2.]

However, it's Red's turn now and Red has four options:

• Option A: Red passes, then Blue B3 escapes to C5 or D4. Red would have 6 kingdoms to Blue's 4, so Red loses with 1 point (for the king) to Blue's 4.
• Option B: Red passes, then Blue sacrifices C1. Blue would hand a double capture win (2 points) to Red - very unlikely.
• Option C: Red continues and allows Blue to sacrifice C1, then passes. Red would have 6 kingdoms to Blue's 3, so Red loses with 1 point to Blue's 5.
• Option D: Red continues and allows Blue to sacrifice C1 and fill G3 and F1. Red would have 6 kingdoms to Blue's 3, so Red loses with 1 point to Blue's 5.

So Red's best option is A.