Rules for Advanced Players

On this page, you can read some new and more complex rules primarily regarding the wizard. These rules will make the game totally different from chess and will demand more strategic thinking from the players. All rules from standard KaleidoChess are still valid and the goal is the same – these are only additional rules.

If you find these rules strange, difficult or untraditional, then it is no problem to continue playing with only the basic rules that are quite enough to make the game both intriguing and fun.

Moves

There are now some new types of possible moves in addition to moving a piece just like before; to cast or cancel a magic formula (see "magic") or to let the dragon blow fire (see "dragon fire").

Magic

Each player has got 12 formula tiles in the same colours as the pieces. Each of these tiles may only be used once per game. On the formula tiles, you will find figures illustrating the magic formulas. Place your tiles in front of you or along the board.

You can only use magic as long as your wizard is on the board. If your wizard gets knocked out, then all your active formulas must immediately be removed from the board and you may not cast any formula for the rest of the current game.

It is allowed to move any piece (both your own and the opponent's) by using magic. However, no piece may ever be affected by magic while standing in a castle. Your own pieces may in some extent be affected by magic while standing in cities, but your opponent's pieces may never be affected at all in cities.

If a formula has got a lasting effect then the formula tile is placed on the affected piece and is afterwards moved together with the piece no matter where it is moved.

You can at any time cancel any of your own active formulas – but this count as a move and it is not possible to use the cancelled formula again. Used and cancelled formulas are removed from the board. You cannot simply cancel your opponent's formulas – they must be cancelled with magic or possibly dragon fire.

Magic formulas

		Teleport: With this formula, you can move any of your own or the opponent's pieces to a position of your choice. No piece can be moved to or from a castle. It is not allowed to move your opponent's pieces from a town (but you may move your own pieces). It is allowed to send any piece to knock out any piece (e.g. you can let one of your opponent's pieces knock out another enemy or let one of your own pieces attack another of your pieces), but pieces in cities and castles cannot be attacked. Imprisoned pieces cannot be moved. Other formula tiles on a piece, if any, will be moved together with the piece.
		Shift positions: Any two pieces change positions. No piece can be moved to or from a castle. It is not allowed to move one of your opponent's pieces from a town, but you may move your own pieces from a town and any piece to a town. Imprisoned pieces cannot be moved. Other formula tiles on a piece, if any, will be moved together with the piece.
		Revive: Get back any piece that has been knocked out. The piece must be placed on a free space at the distance of one flying step from your wizard. The piece will be free from any formulas cast on it before it was knocked out.
		Ghost: Your wizard stands still and sends an invisible force to a square at the distance of one or two flying steps from himself regardless of circular lines. Any attacked piece will be knocked out. The ghost doesn't influence and isn't influenced by any other formula. The wizard may not attack himself with the ghost. Pieces in cities and castles cannot be attacked.
		Flash: Your wizard stands still and sends a flash to a square at the distance of one to three flying steps from himself (regardless of circular lines). Any attacked piece will be knocked out. Cities and castles cannot be attacked. The flash will cancel the effect of one of the formulas Imprison, Barrier and Strengthen. The flash will not knock out a strengthened or imprisoned piece, such a piece will instead only bee freed from one of the formulas. If a piece or square has got more that one formula tile that may be cancelled by the flash on it then the flash will only cancel one of these – the attacking player always decides which! The wizard can actually shoot himself! The flash may pass squares with pieces or tiles on them and it may also pass over Barriers and Blocks.
		Suicide attack: The wizard stands still on any square and is blown up. The wizard and all pieces and tiles within two flying steps from the wizard will be taken out from the game. Pieces and tiles entirely inside castles and cities are protected.
		Cure: Cancels the effect of the formula Imprison, Block or Weaken. Formula tiles in castles cannot be affected. If there is more than one formula tile on one piece or square, then only one of these can be cancelled – you choose which!
		Imprison: Prevents a piece from moving until the formula is cancelled. An imprisoned dragon may blow fire and an imprisoned wizard may use his magic formulas. No pieces in cities or castles can be affected. The imprisoning can be cancelled by dragon fire or one of the formulas Flash and Cure – the piece will survive both fire and Flash. Put this tile on the piece!
		Block: A square with this formula on it can never be passed by any piece. Can only be put on one square of the board. May not be put on a square where there is a piece. May not be put in cities or castles. The Block can be cancelled by the formula Cure.
		Barrier: Put this formula tile on any of the lines on the board. The affected line cannot be passed too easily. Walking pieces cannot pass the barrier at all and flying pieces must pass it in the first step of a move. The barrier may be put on one of the circular lines around the entire board but not on a crossing of lines. The barrier always affects the entire line on which it is placed. At least a part of the barrier tile must be outside all cities and may not be put across the boarder of castles. The Barrier can be blown away by dragon fire or the formula Flash against one of the squares partially covered by the Barrier tile – in this case, none of the pieces on the squares will be affected neither by fire nor by the flash.
		Weaken: Makes it impossible for any piece (including the wizard) to pass circular lines. No piece in cities or castles can be affected. The weakening can be cancelled by the formula Cure. Put this tile on the piece!
		Strengthen: Makes it possible for any pieces (wizards excepted) to pass two circular lines in each move. The wizards will instead have the power to fly four steps and pass four circular lines in each move. No piece in cities or castles can be affected. The strengthening can be cancelled by dragon fire or the formula Flash– the piece will survive both fire and Flash. Put this tile on the piece!

Dragon fire

The dragon can blow fire in the same way as the wizard throws flashes (see "Flash") against a square at a distance of one flying step. Pieces and tiles in cities and castles are not protected against dragon fire since this fire isn't magical. Furthermore, the dragon can blow any number of times in each game and against all pieces except itself and the opponent's dragon (dragons are immune to this fire!).

The fire will cancel the effect of the formulas Imprison, Barrier and Strengthen. Strengthened and imprisoned pieces will survive the attack. Dragon fire directed to a square with more then one formula tile totally or partially on it will cancel all formulas on the square and on any piece standing on it (the fire cannot be directed more exactly than that). Unprotected piece will be knocked out.

Relations between formulas

To make the rules of magic even clearer you have this list explaining which formulas can affect which.

Totally independent formulas:

• Teleport
  
• Shift positions
  
• Revive
  
• Ghost
  
• Suicide attack

Formulas that can be cancelled by Cure:

• Imprison
  
• Block
  
• Weaken

Formulas that can be cancelled by Flash or dragon fire:

• Imprison
  
• Barrier
  
• Strengthen

Please note that Flash and dragon fire demand more or less direct contact whilst the formula Cure can be used from a distance.

Playing with dice

In the basic rules, you could read about how to change the game by letting chance play through a dice. This variation is of course allowed when you play with the advanced rules as well.

Additions to the rules: You may only use magic when the dice allows you to move the wizard. The dragon may only blow fire when the dice allow you to move the dragon.