InvisibleGames

For the Crown — the rules, as this adaptation understands them

For the Crown (Jeremy Lennert, Victory Point Games; first edition 2011, second edition 2012) is Chess crossed with Dominion. You start with nothing on the board but your King. Your deck of cards is your kingdom: you buy better cards with gold, and you sacrifice cards to train the soldiers they show. The game is out of print.

This file is the reference the engine (js/engine/) was built from. It is written in my own words, not copied from the rulebook. The last sections list the designer’s clarifications that are built in, and the few places where this adaptation had to make a call.

Sources

• Second-edition rulebook (v1.0, 2012). The designer uploaded it to BoardGameGeek, and it ships with CPE Gaebler’s free fan app For The Crown ++, which reproduces the original material with permission.
• The card faces themselves (cost, both effects, the unit trained and its classes), read from that app’s card images.
• The designer’s answers on BGG’s rules forums (2011–2023), and his published component list and tournament setups.
• Reviews that describe play: iSlaytheDragon, The Gaming Gang, Dad’s Gaming Addiction, Mikko’s Gameblog and others.

Which edition? The rulebook linked for this project (boardgamegeek.com/filepage/222074) is the first edition. That PDF is behind a BGG login. The second edition contains everything from the first, plus the Cover of Night expansion and a few new cards (100 → 150 cards, 15 → 24 unit types), with the same core rules. So this adaptation follows the second edition. Playing with only first-edition cards is a matter of choosing them in the Supply.

Components

Board	8×8, files a–h, ranks 1–8. Each player’s first rank is the one nearest them.
Barracks	An off-board area per player for trained units waiting to be deployed.
Units	Counters, one colour per side (blue and gold).
Cards	12 Peon, 8 Guard, 2 Squire, 8 Clergy, 8 Tower, and 4 of every other card.
Stock	Unused counters. It isn’t really limited: the designer says use proxies.

Setup

1. Each player shuffles 6 Peons + 4 Guards into a deck and draws 5.
2. Build the Supply:
   • The four core piles, used in every game: Champion (4), Clergy (8), Tower (8) and Consort (4).
   • 10 variable piles (4 cards each), chosen freely or at random.

   The rulebook’s suggested first game uses Armor, Bureaucracy, Evangelism, Heir, Legend, Patronage, Quartermaster, Refiner, Stables and Versatility.

3. Each player puts a King on their marked home square: e1 and e8, as in Chess.

Winning

You win at the end of any turn in which your opponent has no Sovereign units on the board. Usually that means you captured them all.

• The King is a Sovereign, but so is the Anointed, and extra Kings can be trained (Heir).
• There is no check and no checkmate. You may leave a Sovereign attacked, or walk it into danger. It simply gets captured.
• Units in the Barracks don’t count; only Sovereigns on the board do.

The turn

A turn has four phases, always in this order.

1. Order Phase

You have 1 order, plus 1 for every “+1 Order” effect you play. Unused orders are lost. Each order is one of:

• March: move one of your units to an empty square, by its movement rules.
• Attack: move one of your units onto an enemy unit by its movement rules, capturing it. (Captured units leave play; see the Immortal.)
• Deploy: put a unit from your Barracks on an empty square of your first rank. Foot units may use the second rank too.
• Play a card’s Order effect and follow it.

Rules for orders:

• A unit can be given only one order per turn. It can’t march and attack, march twice, or deploy and then march.
• A card played for an Order counts as ordering every unit it tells you to deploy, march, attack with, move, swap, morph or choose.
• Orders are optional; unlike Chess, you never have to move.
• You never need a card to march, attack or deploy normally. Order cards let you do more: extra moves, unusual moves, unusual deploy squares.

2. Action Phase

You have 1 action, plus 1 for every “+1 Action”. Each action plays one card’s Action or Training Action effect.

A Training Action trashes the card permanently and puts the unit it shows into your Barracks. A card marked “x2” trains two. Because deploying is an order and orders come first, a unit trained this turn can only be deployed on a later turn. Every soldier takes at least three turns to reach the board (buy it, train it, deploy it), so you always see it coming.

Actions are not orders. A unit moved by an action can have had its order already, or still take one, and even units that “cannot take orders” can be moved by actions.

3. Buy Phase

Play any number of Treasure effects. Your gold is everything generated this turn, including gold from earlier phases.

You get 1 buy, plus 1 per “+1 Buy”. Each buy takes one card from the Supply costing no more than your remaining gold, and puts it in your discard pile.

Unused gold and buys are lost. An empty pile can no longer be bought from. (This version plays all Treasures before buying, as the rulebook describes.)

4. Housekeeping

Discard your hand and every card played this turn (trashed cards stay trashed), then draw 5.

Whenever you must draw from an empty deck, shuffle your discard pile to make a new one.

Card basics

• Every card has two effects; each time you play it, pick one.
  • A Peon trains a Pawn or gives 1 gold.
  • A Tower trains a Rook or gives 3 gold.
  • A Consort trains a Queen or moves a unit next to one of your Regal units.
• +1 Order / Action / Buy add to your pool for this turn, like Dominion’s “+1 Action”. They don’t mean “do it now”.
• Do everything a card says if you can. Only “may” is optional. If an instruction is impossible, skip just that part.
• Gain means take a card from the Supply into your discard pile. Trash means remove it from the game.
• You may look through discard piles, but only count decks and your opponent’s hand.

Promotion, morphing and statuses

• Promotion. A Foot unit that marches or attacks onto its owner’s last rank may become any unit type trainable by the Supply cards chosen at setup. That includes a King if Heir is in the Supply.
  • The owner decides, even when the opponent moved it there with False Orders.
  • Being placed on the last rank by a card doesn’t promote.
• Morph changes a unit’s type, but it stays “the same unit”. It keeps whatever orders it has had this turn.
• Cannot be captured (Armor, Wish) lasts until the start of the owner’s next turn. It blocks every kind of capture.
• Cannot take orders (False Orders, Mourning) lasts for the affected player’s next turn. Actions can still move the unit.
• Threatened square: a square where an enemy unit could capture your unit with a normal attack. Heir and Aviary check this after the move, as if the unit were already there.

The units

The six orthodox Chess pieces, plus 18 fairy pieces. Riding means sliding any distance in a line until blocked. Leaping means jumping straight to the square, ignoring anything in between.

Unit	Classes	Movement	Trained by
Pawn	Foot	March 1 forward (2 from your first or second rank if the first square is empty); attack 1 diagonally forward; no en passant	Peon, Guard, Squire
Knight	Mounted	Leap (1,2)	Champion
Bishop	Pious	Ride diagonally	Clergy
Rook	Heavy	Ride straight	Tower
Queen	Regal	Ride straight or diagonally	Consort
King	Sovereign	1 square any direction	Heir
Spy	Heavy	March by swapping places with any other friendly unit on the board (only the Spy counts as ordered); attack 1 square any direction	Academy
Warlord	Heavy	1 or 2 King steps in any combination; can’t step through a unit; stops on capture. It can step out and back to “march in place”	Armor
Oracle	Pious	March 1 diagonally; attacks without moving a unit exactly 2 away, straight or diagonal, with the square between empty	Astrology
Gryphon	Heavy, Regal	Step 1 diagonally, then optionally ride straight outward (away from the start). A capture on the step ends the move	Aviary
Chancellor	Regal	Rook + Knight	Bureaucracy
Anointed	Pious, Sovereign	1–2 squares diagonally (not leaping)	Destiny
Acolyte	Pious	Leap 1 or 2 diagonally, or exactly 2 sideways	Evangelism (x2)
Phantom	Mounted, Regal	Leap (1,2) to an empty square, then always leap (1,2) again. Only the first landing can block it	Fog
Hero	Mounted	Leap (1,3) or (2,3)	Legend
Banshee	Regal	Ride diagonally, or ride as a Nightrider	Mourning
Charger	Heavy	1–3 squares straight. May keep going after capturing, taking every enemy in its path; can’t pass a friendly unit	Onslaught
Dragoon	Mounted, Regal	King + Knight	Patronage
Immortal	Foot	1 square any direction. When captured it returns to its owner’s Barracks	Sacrifice
Monk	Foot, Pious	1 diagonally, or exactly 2 straight (the middle square must be empty)	Scribes
Nightrider	Mounted	Ride by repeated (1,2) leaps in one direction while the landing squares are empty	Vigilance
Sniper	Heavy	Rides straight or diagonally; marches at most 2, attacks at least 2 away (and moves onto the captured square)	Subterfuge
Sphinx	Pious, Regal	Step 1 straight, then optionally ride diagonally outward. A capture on the step ends the move	Temple
Striker	Foot	March or attack 1 forward (straight or diagonal); may also march straight backward any distance	Versatility (x2)

Classes: Foot, Heavy, Mounted, Pious, Regal, Sovereign. Cards use them to pick units (“march a Mounted unit”). Only Foot units deploy to the second rank and promote; only Sovereigns keep you in the game.

The cards

Cost is in gold. “Train X” is the card’s Training Action.

Starting cards

Card	Cost	Effect 1	Effect 2
Peon	0	Train Pawn	Treasure: +1 gold
Guard	1	Train Pawn	Order: deploy a unit to an empty square next to one of your Sovereigns
Squire (alternative starter)	1	Train Pawn	Order: deploy a unit to an empty square in your second rank

Core Supply (every game)

Card	Cost	Effect 1	Effect 2
Champion	2	Train Knight	Action: draw 1, +1 Buy, +2 gold
Clergy	3	Train Bishop	Treasure: +2 gold
Tower	6	Train Rook	Treasure: +3 gold
Consort	9	Train Queen	Action: move one of your non-Sovereign units to an empty square next to a different Regal unit of yours

Variable Supply (choose 10)

Card	Cost	Effect 1	Effect 2
Academy	4	Train Spy	Order: +1 Order; deploy a Foot unit
Armor	7	Train Warlord	Order: march a Heavy unit; it can’t be captured until your next turn
Astrology	2	Train Oracle	Order: +1 Order, +1 Buy, +1 gold; look at your opponent’s hand
Aviary	9	Train Gryphon	Order: move a Regal unit to any empty square where it won’t be threatened
Bureaucracy	8	Train Chancellor	Order: +1 Order; march or attack with a Foot unit
Destiny	8	Train Anointed	Action: draw 1, +1 Action; trash a training card from your hand and morph one of your units (board or Barracks) into what it trains
Evangelism	6	Train 2 Acolytes	Action: deploy a Pious unit from your Barracks next to one of your Pious units on the board
Executive Action	5	Order: draw 2, +1 Action	Action: deploy a unit (normal rules)
False Orders	7	Order: march or attack with an enemy non-Sovereign unit, as its owner could (it may capture your units, not theirs); its owner can’t order it next turn	Action: your opponent reveals their top card; trash it or put it back
Fog	7	Train Phantom	Action: march a Mounted unit
Heir	8	Train King	Order: +1 Order; march a Sovereign to an unthreatened square
Legend	4	Train Hero	Treasure: +1 gold per Treasure effect played before it this turn
Mourning	8	Train Banshee	Order: attack with a Regal unit; units next to the captured unit can’t take orders next turn
Onslaught	5	Train Charger	Order: up to 4 Foot units, one at a time, each march (board) or deploy (Barracks); no attacks
Patronage	5	Train Dragoon	Action: draw 1, +1 Action, +1 gold
Quartermaster	5	Order: deploy two units to different empty squares of your first rank (needs two empty squares)	Treasure: +1 gold, +1 Buy; every card costs 1 less this turn (not below 0)
Refiner	4	Action: draw 1, +1 Action; trash a training card from hand and morph a Barracks unit into what it trains	Action: draw 1, +1 Action; trash a card from hand and gain one costing up to 2 more
Sacrifice	4	Train Immortal	Action: discard a card; if you do, gain a card costing up to 6
Sanctuary	4	Order: march a Heavy unit next to another of your units, then move that unit to an empty square next to the Heavy	Order: +1 Order, +1 gold; draw 2, then discard 2
Scribes	3	Train Monk	Action: draw 3, +1 Buy; you may put a card from your hand on top of your deck
Stables	3	Order: march a Mounted unit, then march it again (no attacks)	Action: draw 2, +1 Action, +1 Buy; put a card from your hand on top of your deck
Subterfuge	6	Train Sniper	Action: swap two of your units that share a class; one may be in your Barracks
Temple	7	Train Sphinx	Order: +1 Order; march a Pious unit
Versatility	2	Train 2 Strikers	Order: +1 Order; discard up to 4 cards, draw that many
Vigilance	5	Train Nightrider	Action: draw 1, +1 Action, +1 Buy, +2 gold; put a card from your hand on top of your deck
Wish	9	Order: +1 Order; name a card, reveal from your deck until you find it, take it and discard the rest	Order: +1 Order; any of your Sovereigns you choose can’t be captured until your next turn, and you can’t play Order cards next turn

The designer’s tournament Supplies are good starting points for variety:

• Sanctuary, Sacrifice, Academy, Vigilance, Onslaught, Subterfuge, Fog, Temple, Mourning, Aviary
• Versatility, Scribes, Legend, Executive Action, Onslaught, Quartermaster, Temple, False Orders, Bureaucracy, Wish
• Astrology, Scribes, Academy, Sacrifice, Executive Action, Subterfuge, Armor, Destiny, Aviary
• Astrology, Stables, Refiner, Sanctuary, Patronage, Vigilance, Fog, False Orders, Mourning, Wish

The designer’s clarifications (built in)

These are rulings Jeremy Lennert gave on the BoardGameGeek forums.

• Marching, attacking and deploying never need a card. The Order on Guard exists only to deploy somewhere unusual, and it can deploy any unit type.
• “+1 Order” raises the number of orders you can use this turn. It isn’t an order to use immediately.
• There is no check or checkmate at all. As far as movement goes, a King is just another unit.
• Stables only marches, so it can’t capture, not even a King.
• “Adjacent” includes diagonals.
• The Spy’s swap orders only the Spy. It may swap with any class, Sovereigns included.
• A morphed or promoted unit is the same unit, so it can’t take another order that turn. A dual-class unit promoted partway through Stables may still finish the card.
• The Oracle is the only unit that doesn’t move when attacking. The Sniper moves onto what it captures.
• “Threatened” / “unthreatened” is judged after the move.
• Guard may deploy next to a Sovereign that already acted this turn.
• A Foot unit pushed onto its owner’s last rank by False Orders is promoted by its owner. Promoting to a Sovereign is allowed.
• Destiny is forced. You can even morph your only Sovereign away, since victory is only checked at the end of the turn.
• Refiner morphs only one unit, even with an x2 card.
• Legend never counts cards played for their other effect. Quartermaster’s treasure gives 1 gold and the discount.
• A gained card goes to your discard pile. If your deck reshuffles mid-turn, cards gained earlier that turn are shuffled in, but cards still in play are not.
• Mourning’s “can’t take orders” follows the affected units, not the squares.
• A card’s “may not be Attacked” doesn’t protect against non-attack captures, but “cannot be Captured” (Armor, Wish) protects against all captures.
• False Orders gives the moving player no side-benefits, and the one-order-per-unit limit still applies.
• The Stock isn’t meant to limit play; use substitute pieces.
• Traditionally the lighter colour goes first. Nothing in the rules gives either player an advantage for going first.

Optional rules and variants

Rule	In this version?
Alternative starter (a Squire replaces one Guard)	Yes, as a setup option
Alternative starting Sovereign (an Anointed instead of the King)	Yes, as a setup option (both sides)
Enlarged Supply (more than 10 variable piles)	Yes: choose any number of cards
Handicaps (extra opening turns, or extra starting units)	Not yet
The Last Stand (a scored survival variant)	Not yet
Point-Buy Chess (no cards; buy an army with points)	Not yet
All the King’s Men (2v2 / 4 players)	Not yet
Expansions: Shock & Awe, The World is Round, Between Heaven and Earth, Vanguard	Not included

Where this adaptation makes a call

• Promotion is optional. “Keep as Pawn” is offered, following the rule’s “may”.
• The turn ends early once the opponent has no Sovereign on the board. The result is fixed at that point, since no card can bring an opponent’s Sovereign back.
• The Warlord’s march in place is offered only through Armor, the one card where standing still matters.
• Barracks units of the same type are interchangeable. The game offers one of each type when you deploy.
• A card is only offered when it can do something. The table game lets you play a card whose instructions all fail; here such cards stay in hand.
• Treasures, then buys. Once you buy a card, you can’t play more Treasures that turn. This follows the rulebook’s order.
• Wish can name any card in the game (both starters and every Supply pile), even one you don’t own.
• Player colours: the first player is blue and moves up the board from rank 1.