by BabyAngelSalutations Readers,
Arcade Chess, is a 2 player symmetric Mini War Game that is played on a 9×9 Battle Grid. It is one of our later installments of Star Arena Games and the most accessible to the occasional gaming public. According to future lore, Arcade Chess is played by Officer Cadets at the Star Academy to enhance strategic thinking and the most rudimentary approach to learn the different Clone Types and how they move on the Battle Fields. It is known to the aspiring Field Officers as; A Game Of Generals.
“A Must Play Game For Future Clone Commanders!”
1. AIM OF THE GAME:
The goal is for one player to ‘decommission’ (checkmate) the other player’s Marshal, winning the game.
2. THE GAME PIECES:
These compact 9×9 grid game boards are Battle Simulators to train and test future Clone Commanders in Close Quarter Combat. Within the StarArena MetaVerse the game pieces are Iconic Representations of Clone Types that can be deployed on Campaigns and/or Missions.
If all this is new to you? You can view and get to know the Army Game Pieces below. The pieces are listed from largest (most valued) to smallest (least valuable) in terms of points.
| GAME-PIECE | CLONE-TYPE | BATTLE-CLASS | VALUE | KANJI | SHOGI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | MARSHAL | MONARCH | 8★ | 王將 | 王 |
 | GENERAL | HIERARCH | 7★ | 金将 | 将 |
 | COLONEL | CLERGY | 6★ | 銀將 | 銀 |
 | GUARDIAN | MONASTERY | 5★ | 角行 | 角 |
 | BOMBER | ARMOURY | 4★ | 爆撃機 | 爆 |
 | CANNON* | ORDNANCE | 4★ | 大砲 | 砲 |
 | PALADIN | CAVALRY | 3★ | 桂馬 | 桂 |
 | GUNNER | ARTILLERY | 2★ | 砲手 | 飛 |
 | SENTINEL | LEGIONARY | 1★ | 衛兵 | 衛 |
 | SOLDIER | INFANTRY | 1★ | 歩兵 | 歩 |
3. INITIAL SET UP:
Two players face each other across a board composed of squares in a grid of 9 ranks (rows, 段) by 9 files (columns, 筋) yielding an 81 square board. The board is divided into 3 primary zones and both players take place behind their ‘Coin Line!’
The first step in the set up is:
To place the Marshal center file in the rank nearest to the player. Then follow the instructions below, namely; placing each game piece, adjacent to the previous, in order of value.
When the First Rank (known as the Upper Echelon) is filled outward, ending with Bombers on both corners, the Cannons are then placed in front of them, on the Second Rank (known as the Middle Echelon) and then filled inward, ending with three Sentinels in the center (known as the Royal Guard).
The Third Rank (known as the Lower Echelon) behind the Coin Line is filled with 9 Soldiers.
4. WHO STARTS THE GAME?
When the set up is complete, the Battle Simulation can commence! But who gets to make the first move? Like all StarArena game variants: This is decided by Jan Ken Pon! (Paper, Scissor, Stone!) In which the winner starts the game.
!! NEED TO KNOW: *COIN UPS!* ARE A CORE ‘STAR ARENA’ GAME MECHANIC !!
5. ‘COIN UPS’ ARE WHAT MAKES THIS GAME; CHESS ON STEROIDS!
When you play with official Game Miniatures on StarArena_Maps; This ‘mechanic’ becomes second nature and you better get used to it fast! It is the reason you play and aim to win, or steal and deal; Acquire Game Coins!! …Why? Easy; To enhance your Hero (or Outlaw) and become stronger in battle!
From the vantage point of Ye Olde Arcade; ‘Coin Ups’ is a play on words that #AtomicBabyClones are ‘Coin Operated Machines’. From the perspective of Classic Chess; It is about promoting your Game Pieces! In ‘Arcade Chess, we combine the idioms and a classic Power Up is achieved by a ‘Coin Up!!’
Have a look below, to see what Advantages are gained by your Mini with ‘Coin Ups!’
6: HOW THE GAME PIECES ‘MOVE’ ON MAPS
The Miniatures come with preset Signature Moves that you will have to memorize. But first you must familiarize yourself with the basic ‘Move Types’ that exist out on the Game Grid.
 | ROVER: Steps a limited number of squares along a straight line. |
    | GLIDER: Ranges along a straight line, crossing any number of empty squares |
  | HOOK: May turn 90° at this square. (once per move) |
 | JUMPER: Jumps to a non-adjacent square, bypassing any intervening piece |
  | RANGE: Igui (single or double capture without moving). |
All of the Game Pieces are predominantly one type. Once the game pieces start to ‘Coin Up!’ Their Battle Moves improve, and generally upgrade to larger ranges and/or combinations of move types.
Below is a Table of Content concerning all the Miniature Moves and Coin Ups! Which is something you might want to keep handy and close by while playing your first few hundreds games or so?
Seriously; Keep the below table nearby on phone or tablet during game play…
| GAME-PIECE | CLONE-TYPE | 0 | +1 | +2 | +3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MARSHAL |  |  |  |  |
| GENERAL |  |  |  |  |
| COLONEL |  |  |  |  |
| GUARDIAN |  |  |  |  |
| BOMBER |  |  |  |  |
| CANNON* |  |  |  |  |
| PALADIN |  |  |  |  |
| GUNNER |  |  |  |  |
| SENTINEL |  |  |  |  |
| SOLDIER |  |  |  |  |
| *For those of you who find the prospect of printing All 40 Mini Moves from above to memory; A Ridiculous And Daunting Task? We have good news for you; These Custom Made Available Chessboards Come With A Mnemonic Device That Doubles As A Coin Storage Tube When You Are Not Playing. While playing with an adversary; You Can Sneak A Peak At All The Miniature Moves Printed On The Four Sides Of The ‘War Baton’ During Battle, Absolutely Worth The Extra Investment! |
5. COIN LINES AND CAPTURE.
This section answers the question: When do you ‘Coin Up?’
There are 3 ways to ‘Coin Up’ in Arcade Chess:
- Crossing A Coin Line.
- Capture And Collect Coins From Opponents Game Piece.
- Assign Surplus Coins From Capture To A Game Piece Of Choice.
Crossing a ‘Coin Line’ is relatively the easiest way to Gain Coins… There are 2 Coin Lines on the Game Board. One near you and one near your opponent. When one of your game pieces crosses a Coin Line; It will ‘Coin Up’ on the other side! This can only be done once per coin line, so; …No back and forth to bank coins!
This means that each game piece can acquire 2 Coins without having to fight an opposing piece. For the 3rd Coin you will have to win a battle and ‘collect’ the spoils of war and add coin(s) from the enemy to your own game piece.
The Maximum Amount of ‘Coin Ups’ allowed per game piece is: + 3 Coins! In the event of you capturing more coins than you are allowed to carry; All Surplus Coins (Above + 3) Are Assigned To A Game Piece Of Your Choice. Coins can only be distributed within your own Army.
Since the majority of ‘Coin Ups’ is achieved via ‘Capture!’ Let us define the perimeters:
An opposing piece is captured by displacement: That is, if a piece moves to a square occupied by an opposing piece, the opposing piece is displaced and removed from the board. A piece cannot move to a square occupied by a friendly piece (meaning another piece controlled by the moving player).
Within Star Arena lore: “A Captured Game Piece is referred to as a Decommissioned Clone!“
6. CORRECT USE OF THE CANNON.
Most game pieces find their origin in Classic Chess; As it was the original source of inspiration for Arcade Chess. Other game pieces were added to strengthen the Story Engine that drives the StarArena MetaVerse. The one uncommon _brutal_ game piece for regular players is the: CANNON!
Below is a short show and tell; explaining the workings of this range weapon.
!! HARD RULE: ‘FRIENDLY FIRE’ BY CANNONS IS NOT PERMITTED !!
*A Cannon may not discharge until its path is free from friendly pieces on any of the squares in its line of fire towards an enemy piece, meaning you may not shoot or sacrifice members of your own Army!
7. END OF GAME.
The usual way for Arcade Chess games to end is for one side to checkmate the other side’s Army Marshal, after which the losing player will be given the opportunity to admit defeat.
Three basic Game End scenarios are maintained:
- Victory via Checkmate.
- Draw due to Impasse.
- Defeat via Resignation.
Victory is granted: If the Marshal is in check and there is no possible move which could protect the Marshal, the move is said to checkmate (tsumi 詰み) the Marshal. Checkmate effectively means that the opponent wins the game as the player would have no remaining legal moves.
8. YOU NOW KNOW WHAT TO DO: START THE BATTLE!!
We have written this tutorial as a Quick Guide to Game Play! Because the full Technical Rules are unavoidable lengthy and basically exist for uber nerds wanting to challenge authority in the hope of finding loopholes in the regulations to avoid being called; A Loser?
Our advice; “Don’t Overthink It, Dive In And Play To Win!”
If you have any Questions and/or Suggestions?
Please use the comment box below and let us know!
PJay & Gray Frith.
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Next: Cheat Sheet.
