Setup
Players choose one color each; in a 2-player game each player takes two colors.
Each player selects a color and takes all components of that color (knights and shields). In a 2-player game only, each player controls two colors instead of one.
Setup
Each color has 21 knights across three token sizes representing 1, 2, and 5 knights.
Each color's 21 knights are represented by: 12 small tokens (1 knight each), 5 medium tokens (2 knights each), and 4 large tokens (5 knights each). Tokens of different sizes can be swapped for their equivalent count at any time during the game to avoid overcrowding.
Setup
Each color has 6 shield tokens with values 0, 0, 0, 1, 2, 3 that are kept hidden.
Each player has 6 shield tokens with values 0, 0, 0, 1, 2, and 3. At setup they are placed face-down (tower side up) and shuffled so their values are unknown. Shield values are hidden from all other players and only revealed during combat.
Turn structure
Each turn has two parts: (1) roll die and deploy a knight, (2) move knights up to 3 moves total.
On your turn you must: (1) roll the die and place one knight on the tartan banner whose heraldic crest count matches the result; (2) spend up to 3 moves total distributed among any of your knights on the board. Both parts are mandatory (you must roll and deploy; movement up to 3 is optional in quantity but the action is taken).
Turn structure
Roll the die and place one knight on the banner matching the die result.
At the start of your turn, roll the die. Place exactly one knight (small token = 1 knight) on the tartan banner whose number of heraldic crests equals the die result (1–6). You cannot deploy to a banner where you already have a knight present. Knights of different colors may coexist on the same banner without conflict.
Restriction
No combat occurs on banners; banners cannot be re-entered or crossed once a knight leaves.
Banners are entry-only zones. Multiple colors may occupy the same banner simultaneously without combat. Once a knight leaves a banner, it may never return to that banner and may not pass through any banner during movement.
Restriction
You cannot deploy a new knight to a banner where you already have a knight.
If one of your knight tokens is already present on a specific tartan banner, you cannot place another knight of your color there, even if the die result matches that banner. Other colors are unaffected by this restriction.
Movement
Knights spend up to 3 moves per turn following roads; moves can be split among multiple knights.
Each turn you have 3 moves to spend. A move is defined as the distance between two adjacent camps, between a banner and an adjacent camp, or between a castle and its directly adjacent camp (the drawbridge space). All movement must follow roads (dotted lines on the board). The 3 moves can be spent on a single knight or divided in any way among multiple knights.
