Skorm vs Dark Squares

Step onto the battlefield with Skorm, the next evolution of strategy board games. With a hexagonal grid and realistic combat strategies, it is the perfect balance of tactical depth and battlefield realism. Master ancient warfare, play against your friends, and dominate AI players. Skorm reimagines classic strategy board games like chess by using pieces and movements that mirror real world troops and combat. The game is based on the combat strategies of ancient armies, allowing players to control a troop of shieldmen, archers, and mounted soldiers. Players can employ real world tactics such as employing phalanx maneuvers, forming shield walls, volleying arrows over foot soldiers, and overwhelming opponents with strategic cavalry charges. The objective of the game is to achieve victory through strategic movement, clever positioning, and tactical decisions. Players can win by either eliminating the opponent's Warlord, or by capturing the central Gold Tile with their Warlord. Game Components: Each player starts with 15 pieces, including 5 Shieldmen, 5 Archers, 4 Horsemen, and 1 Warlord. Board: The hexagonal board features a top-down view, and players start with their Warlords at opposite corners. The colors of the tiles are not important to game play, except for the Gold Tile which is an important part of winning the game. Game Rules: Setup: • The starting player is randomly selected. • Each player takes turns placing their pieces on the board in a configuration of their choice within their designated starting area. Turn Structure: • After all the pieces have been set, players begin to take turns moving their pieces. • The first player to move will be the player that did not place the final piece on the board. • During a turn, a player can first perform unlimited rotations, and then must perform one of the following actions as detailed below: move, shoot, or capture. A player must move, shoot, or capture even if that results in them moving into danger. If a player is physically unable to perform one of these actions their turn ends after they have had a chance to perform any rotations.) Rotation: • At the beginning of each turn, any number of Shieldmen can be rotated for defiance, facing any of the six directions prior to moving a piece. • Once a shieldman has moved, he may rotate to face any direction prior to ending the player's turn. • The shieldmen are impervious to attack from the direction they are facing. This means Archers cannot shoot shieldmen facing their direction, and they cannot be captured from the direction they are facing (unless a horseman side-steps first). Shooting: • Archers can choose to either move or shoot but not both. • They can shoot any piece within a two-piece radius in a straight shot, and may shoot over the top of friendly or enemy pieces. • Archers cannot shoot Shieldmen facing in their direction but can shoot over their heads. Movement: • Players may move one piece per turn unless they have chosen to shoot instead. • Archers and Shieldmen can move one space in any direction. • Horsemen and Warlords can move one or two spaces in any direction. (Horsemen and Warlords may not “jump over” occupied tiles. They also may not move one tile and then return to their original tile in the same turn.) Capture: • Shieldmen, Horsemen, and Warlords may capture an opponent's piece by moving to their tile. The captured piece is removed from the game. • Shieldmen are impervious to capture in the direction they are facing. Players can win by: • Eliminating the opponent's Warlord, even if they move their Warlord into danger to do so. • Having their Warlord capture the central Gold Tile and surviving the opponent's immediate next move. • Capturing the Gold Tile with their Warlord when the opponent has only their Warlord and three other pieces left. This is an automatic win and the opponent does not get a next move in this scenario.

This is not the chess you know. Dark Squares is chess, unhinged: every piece can wield a weapon. All the strategy of chess, none of its mercy. FREEZE the knight charging at you. TELEPORT your queen across the board. BLIGHT the enemy ranks and watch them wither. ASCEND a humble pawn into royalty. And when the path is open — take the king. HOW IT PLAYS • Real chess at the core: every classic move works, every classic plan matters. • Weapons change everything: arm a loadout of spells before each battle and cast them at the perfect moment. • Win by capture: no checkmate formalities — the game ends when a king falls. MODES • Play a Friend: challenge friends directly to friendly duels — and earn XP while you're at it. • Play vs Computer: three difficulty levels, and yes — the computer casts weapons too. • Open arena: bring your full loadout against anyone online. • Normalized arena: a fair, ranked duel — both players draft from the same weapon pool, so skill alone decides it. PROGRESSION • Earn XP in every online game — win or lose. • Unlock new weapons and upgrade them to higher tiers as you climb the ladder. • Build your Armory and craft the loadout that fits your style. DARK SQUARES PRO • An optional subscription ($4.99/month, auto-renews) that instantly adds four more weapon families — Aegis, Silence, Blight and Oracle. • Pro is variety, never raw power — free weapons stay fully competitive. Dark Squares is young and evolving — your feedback shapes what comes next. Every piece, a weapon. Every move, a gambit. Welcome to Dark Squares. Privacy Policy: https://darksquares.web.app/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/