Royal Conquest Rulebook
Game Overview
Game Title: Royal Conquest
Number of Players: 2-4
Objective: Be the last player with a surviving King on the board, or control 75% of the territories at the end of a round. Elimination occurs when a player's King is captured or all their pieces are removed from the board.
Theme: Players command fantasy armies inspired by floral queens (Violet, Rose, Daisy, Iris), waging war on a grid-based battlefield. Each army represents a "court" with royal leaders and specialized troops, blending chess-like piece movement and capture, Risk-style territory control for reinforcements, and card-based deployment/abilities for strategic depth.
Game Modes
- Standard: 8x8 board, 8 starting pieces, win at 48 territories, 20 turn limit.
- Quick Play: 6x6 board, 6 starting pieces, win at 27 territories, 10 turn limit, +1 move per turn, reduced river costs.
- Endless: 8x8 board, no turn limit, escalating difficulty (AI aggression increases, neutral spawns), high score tracking.
Gameboard Components
Board Layout: Variable grid based on mode. Each square is a "territory".
Starting Zones: For 4 players, each player starts in a corner quadrant. For 2 players, one controls the bottom half (Rose & Daisy), the other controls the top half (Violet & Iris).
- Rose (Hearts): Bottom-left quadrant.
- Daisy (Diamonds): Bottom-right quadrant.
- Violet (Clubs): Top-left quadrant.
- Iris (Spades): Top-right quadrant.
Neutral Territories: The center grid starts neutral.
Special Features:
- Border Rivers: Lines along the mid-board. Crossing costs 1 extra movement point (reduced in Quick Play).
- Fortress Squares: Corner squares of quadrants. +1 defense, respawn site.
- Resource Nodes: Provide +1 bonus RP if controlled (double in Endless after 20 turns).
Card Components and Army Composition
Each army has 14 cards: Ace-10, Jack, Queen, King, Princess (P).
Card Roles and Ranks:
All pieces capture by moving onto an enemy square and winning a battle.
- King (K): Strength 13. Moves 1 square any. Power: Command - Boost adjacent allies +1.
- Queen (Q): Strength 12. Moves any straight/diagonal. Power: Rally - Gain RP on capture.
- Prince (J): Strength 11. L-shape. Power: Ambush - +2 vs. numbered, ignores rivers.
- Princess (P): Strength 10. Mimic any. Power: Wildcard - Copy captured power.
- Prime (A): Strength 11. 1 square any. Power: Scout - Reveal adjacent; promote on fortress.
- Deuce (2): Strength 2. 2 horiz/vert. Power: Pair - +4 defense with another.
- Trinity (3): Strength 3. 3 diagonal. Power: Triangle - Block formation.
- Cardinal (4): Strength 4. 4 cardinal. Power: Crossroads - Control adjacent.
- Star (5): Strength 5. Extended L. Power: Burst - Attack multiple adjacent.
- Hex (6): Strength 6. Up to 6 straight. Power: Curse - -1 enemy on capture.
- Luck (7): Strength 7. Up to 7 zigzag. Power: Gamble - Reroll die.
- Octave (8): Strength 8. 1 square x3. Power: Echo - Copy adjacent friendly.
- Nova (9): Strength 9. Teleport within 3. Power: Detonate - Damage adjacent on capture.
- Olympus (10): Strength 10. Any horiz/vert. Power: Summit - +3 on dark; double nodes.
Setup
- Assign armies. Receive 14-card hand.
- Deploy starting pieces in quadrant. Remainder in reserves.
- Rose starts. Play clockwise.
Gameplay Rules - Turn Structure
Each turn has phases.
1. Reinforcement Phase
- Gain RP: 1 per 5 territories (min 3) + nodes.
- Spend: 1 RP deploy, 2 RP respawn low-rank, 5 RP royal (once).
2. Movement & Battle Phase
- Move up to 3 pieces (4 in Quick).
- Battle: Att 2d6 + str + bonus vs Def 1d6 + str + bonus.
- Tie: Retreat.
3. Strategy Phase
- Activate 1 power or trade 3 reserves for RP.
Winning the Game
Last King or 75% territories. Sudden death after max turns (none in Endless).