ENCHANTED CHECKERS
INTRODUCTION
Board game for 2 Players.
Checkers Variant.
Each pawn has a unique move or power.
RULES NOTES
It is assumed the players already know how to set-up and play checkers.
If you need a refresher click here
Pawns can only occupy the dark spaces.
All Pawns always move or jump going forward unless they have a
Power that lets them do otherwise.
GLOSSARY
The terms pieces, pawns, men, and units are interchangeable.
Pawns can be in 2 forms: Checkers or Miniatures.
Checkers are the little plastic red or black discs we all know.
Miniatures are small sculpted lead (or pewter or plastic) figures (figs).
MINIATURES
This game is meant to be played with miniatures.
Since each pawn has its own unique special ability (Power) this works as
Memory tool to help players remember which pawn has which power.
MAKING A SET
You will need 24 figs: 12 for each side.
Figs will need to be painted (red & black) to differentiate the sides or
The figs of one side must look different from the opposing side:
For example: Trolls vs Fairies or Dwarves vs Goblins
(Or Dragons vs Knights or Klingons vs Federation, etc.)
Each figure must be assigned one of the Powers on the Powers list.
Players will have to make a record to keep track of the Power distributions.
Power Assignments can be:
1. Random (Use dice or cards as randomizers)
2. Players take turns picking Powers and assigning them to their pawns.
3. Pre-picked by the player who owns the set(s).
SETUP
Use a board separating the board in half so
Players can set up their forces in secret.
Flip a coin to see who goes first.
VICTORY & DRAWS
Victory can be achieved by several methods:
1. Capture all opposing pawns.
2. Opponent on his turn is unable to make any move.
3. You have more pawns in play than opponent and no one has captured in 7 turns.
If both players are down to 1 pawn it is a draw.
If players have equal numbers of pawns and no one has
captured in 10 turns it is a draw.
FORCED CAPTURE RULE
Just like in regular checkers, if you can capture an opposing pawn you
must do it.
REACHING THE BACKROW
If one of your pawns reaches your opponents back row, immediately place that
Pawn on any open space on your side of the board.
Note that this is very different from regular checkers where a checker that
Reaches the back row becomes a king.
CHECKER BOARD MAP
Below is a numbered map of a checker board to be used with the
Rules Examples in the Powers List.
In the examples given your back row is 57-64.
01-02-03-04-05-06-07-08
09-10-11-12-13-14-15-16
17-18-19-20-21-22-23-24
25-26-27-28-29-30-31-32
33-34-35-36-37-38-39-40
41-42-43-44-45-46-47-48
49-50-51-52-53-54-55-56
57-58-59-60-61-62-63-64
MOVEMENT TERMINOLOGY
When a pawn makes a "Move" or "takes its Turn" this can be a jump, traverse, shift,
switch, push, a move that is not a traverse, or even stranger possibilities.
Traversing and Jumping are here defined as the normal (regular) moves in Checkers.
Traversing is moving a pawn into an unoccupied adjacent space.
Jumping is jumping over one or more enemy pawns to capture them.
Shifting is moving into an empty space on a specified row.
Switching is exchanging the locations of 2 pawns.
CAPTURE TERMINOLOGY
The following terms, phrases are all interchangeable:
Captured, killed, eliminated, removed from play, removed from the board.
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POWERS
Note that some powers are better than others. Such is life.
Note that not all powers are moves, some have affects on your opponents turn.
POWERS LIST
# Power:
1 Latent
2 Scout
3 Charge
4 Phase
5 Lateral
6 Teleport
7 Retreat
8 Seize Ground
9 Forwarding
10 Rearguard
11 Wizard
12 Mega Jump
13 Bomb
14 Deception
15 Hold
16 Push
17 General
18 Rook
19 Bishop
20 Orthogonal
21 Shooter
22 Slayer
23 Fellowship
24 Slider
25 Juxtapose
26 Reincarnate
27 Ethereal
28 Energize
29 Activation
30 Doppelganger
31 Siren
32 Poison
33 Nullifier
34 Phalanx
35 Conversion
36 Stopgap
37 Lurker
38 Bestower
39 Kingmaker
LATENT POWER
If this pawn ever reaches your oppononents back row, it
is upgraded to a King like in regular Checkers.
(It can traverse and jump forwards and backwards)
SCOUT POWER
The pawn may traverse twice in a turn.
This does not include jumping at all.
Example Move: 51 --> 44 --> 35
CHARGE POWER
The pawn on its turn may traverse once and then jump.
PHASE POWER
The pawn may move like a Knight (in Chess) twice on its turn.
The pawn must land in an empty space and does not capture anything.
(It must move twice to re-emerge on a dark space)
Example Move: 51 --> 45 --> 35
Example Move: 51 --> 45 --> 30
Movements must be forward going.
LATERAL POWER
The pawn may move to any empty space on the same row it occupies.
Foe Example: Pawn on 51 can go to 49, 53, or 55.
The pawn then must immediately take a regular move (Traverse or jump).
TELEPORT POWER
The pawn may move forward (not the same row or rows behind it) to any
empty space on the board except for the opponents back row.
This is not considered a jump (no enemy pawns are captured)
RETREAT POWER
The pawn may move backwards (Move only not jump)
Example Move: 51 --> 58 or 60
It may only do this if it is adjacent to an enemy pawn.
SIEZE GROUND POWER
After the Pawn Jumps, it may move one space.
FORWARDING POWER
The pawn may move to any empty space on the row in front of it.
Foe Example: Pawn on 51 can go to 42, 22, 46, or 48.
REARGUARD POWER
This pawn may jump (not traverse) going backwards.
WIZARD POWER
This pawn may cause any one friendly pawn adjacent to it to be
Teleported as if it had the Teleport power.
MEGA JUMP POWER
This pawn may jump over 2 enemy pawns in a row.
Example Move: Enemy pawns on 44 and 37.
Pawn on 51 jumps to 30 and captures both!
This may be combined with regular jumps.
BOMB POWER
As its move the bomb may remove itself and 2 adjacent pawns from the board.
DECEPTION POWER
After traversing forward one space this
Pawn may switch places with any adjacent pawn.
HOLD POWER
No enemy pawn that starts its turn adjacent to this pawn may move on its turn.
PUSH POWER
This pawn may move 1 space against a line of enemy pawns, pushing the
Entire line back one space.
Note: There must be one empty space the line can be pushed back into.
Example Move: Enemy pawns on 44 and 37. Space 30 is empty
Pawn on 51 pushes against pawn on 44: Pawn on 37 pushed into 30,
Pawn on 44 pushed into 37, Pawn on 51 moves into 44.
GENERAL POWER
As its move, all friendly pawns adjacent to the General may move.
Note: At least two such pawns must move.
ROOK POWER
This pawn may move forward only like a Rook in Chess, however, he
must end his move on a dark square and he cannot capture by doing this.
Note: This pawn may not move through other pawns.
BISHOP POWER
This pawn may move forward only like a Bishop in Chess, however, he
must end his move on a dark square and he cannot capture by doing this.
Note: This pawn may not move through other pawns.
ORTHOGONAL POWER
This pawn may make orthogonal (horizontal and vertical) jumps.
(Note: Each of these jumps are 4 spaces long!)
Example move: space 19 is open. Enemy pawn on 35.
Pawn on 51 jumps over (and captures 35) and lands on 19.
Continuing the example: Pawn on 19 then jumps over
Enemy pawn on 21 and lands on space 23.
Orthogonal jumps backwards are allowed.
Notes: This cannot be combined with regular Jumps.
SHOOTER POWER
After making a jump or series of jumps this pawn is returned to
The square it started the turn on.
SLAYER POWER
This Pawn cannot Jump, however it can move diagonally forward into a space
Occupied by an opposing pawn and capture it.
(Like a Pawn in Chess)
FELLOWSHIP POWER
After traversing forward one space this
Pawn can switch places with any friendly pawn on the board.
SLIDER POWER
After traversing forward one space this
Pawn can switch places with any pawn on the same row.
JUXTAPOSE POWER
After traversing forward one space this
Pawn can cause any 2 adjacent
pawns to switch places with each other.
REINCARNATE POWER
After traversing forward one space
Switch this pawn with one of your captured pieces.
ENERGIZE POWER
After a Jump, this pawn may teleport to any empty space.
ETHEREAL POWER
This pawn may jump over friendly as well as opposing pawns.
The friendly pawns are not captured.
(Like Chinese checkers)
ACTIVATION POWER
After traversing forward one space any adjacent friendly pawn may
Immediately make a regular traverse or jump.
DOPPELGANGER POWER
This pawn may duplicate the last special power used by your opponent.
SIREN POWER
As its move this pawn may move an opponents pawn one space towards it.
The target pawn must be no more than 3 spaces away and its path
May not be blocked (It may move but not jump)
POISON POWER
When this pawn is captured the enemy pawn that captured it is
Removed from play.
NULLIFIER POWER
No Adjacent enemy pawn may use its special power
PHALANX POWER
As this pawn is making a traverse, all friendly adjacent pawns may also
Make a traverse in the same direction. (They move as a Formation)
Note: This allows the friendly adjacent pawn in front of it that would
Otherwise be blocking its path to move as well.
CONVERSION POWER
Any pawn captured by this piece remains on the board under your
Control as a Convert Pawn.
Convert Pawns reverse their direction.
Convert Pawns lose their Special Powers.
STOPGAP POWER
If a friendly pawn is captured you may immediately move this pawn
To the space where it was captured.
LURKER POWER
After this pawn jumps, move again immediately with one of
your other pawns.
BESTOWER POWER
If this pawn is captured you may immediately teleport any of your
other pawns to any other empty space on the board.
KINGMAKER POWER
Every time this pawn reaches your opponents back row, choose one of your
other pawns to gain the movement abilities of a King (as in regular Checkers).
There can only be one such King at time.
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GAME VARIANTS
What does a game variant need most? More variants of course!
LEADER VARIANT
Make one or more pawns on each side a Leader.
If you capture (eliminate) all the opposing Leaders you win.
This variant creates an additional victory condition.
SUPER UNIT VARIANT
Give some pawns 2 or more Powers!
BIGGER BOARD VARIANT
Play with a bigger board, so you can have more pawns and bigger battles.
NEW POWERS VARIANT
Make up your own powers or lists of powers.
OVERSIZE COUNTERS
If you don't have any minatures an alternative could be
oversize counters (they still fit in the square) that would
include the following info on their face:
Unit name, Artwork, Power, Color (red/black)
ARMY LISTS
Army Lists and specially matched pairs of opposing Army Lists would be welcome.
Two samples are given below:
SAMPLE ARMY: GOOD FAIRIES
# Unit Name: Power:
1 Oberon (Leader) General
2 Fairy Retreat
3 Brownie Fellowship
4 Sylph Ethereal
5 Elf Archer Shooter
6 Gnome Trickster Juxtapose
7 Dwarf Push
8 Pixie Deception
9 Sylvan Mage Wizard
10 Sprite Scout
11 Dryad Teleport
12 Nymph Siren
SAMPLE ARMY: BAD FAIRIES
# Unit Name: Power:
1 Troll King (Leader) Charge
2 Goblin Nullifier
3 Kobold Stopgap
4 Changeling Doppelganger
5 Red Cap Lurker
6 Boggart Poison
7 Duergar Bishop
8 Imp Phase
9 Quaist Activation
10 Hag Conversion
11 Mephit Slayer
12 Spiderbear Mega Jump
GAME DESIGNERS NOTES
I have a short list of powers that were too strong to make the list.
If you need to know what they are send me a line.
One of the keypoints of Checkers is that the pieces must keep
moving forward so you can force your opponent to make mistakes.
In the early/mid-game if the pieces are not moving forward, the
Game grinds quickly to an impasse (draw).
FAQ
Hmm. Interesting. But there are questions:
Q - When and how to use a powers? Do I move pawn and use its power, or
if I use a power, the pawn does not move?
A - Most of the powers are in place (substitution) of a regular move.
So for instance the Scout could do a regular move (traverse or Jump) or
use its special power to traverse forwards twice.
Some powers are not movement variants and just go off
when a certain condition is met, for example the
Poison pawn who kills his capturer.
Q - How do pawns move, as in regular checkers only forward?
A - A few powers allow lateral or backwards moves but this is
usually pretty limited, For the most part, for checkers to
work as a game the pawns have to be moving forwards.