Kamisado is an abstract strategy game for two players. Each player controls eight octagonal ‘dragon towers’. The ‘colour’ of each tower is denoted by a Chinese (Kanji) symbol. This symbol is painted in the associated colour. The QuickStart Rules on this page provide everything you need to start playing the ‘Basic’ game immediately. For more detailed rules, and for ‘Matchplay’ instructions, refer to the main rules on pages 3 to 8.
Preparation
Decide who plays white and who plays black. Place the board so that the corners showing the white dragons are nearest to the player using white and the black dragons are nearest to the player using black. Now place all your towers (black or white) on your Home Row (i.e. the row nearest to you) so that each tower’s colour matches the square it is placed on (i.e. the brown tower on the brown square, the green tower on the green square, etc.).
Aim of the Game
To reach your opponent’s Home Row with one of your towers.
Gameplay
Black starts and selects any tower for his first move. After this opening move by black, the players take turns to move one of their towers, according to the following three rules:
1. Movement
A tower can be moved any number of spaces in a straight line, either directly forwards or diagonally forwards (never sideways or backwards). It can only be moved through empty squares, and cannot be placed on a square that already contains a tower. It cannot ‘jump over’ another tower. A tower may move diagonally between two towers that are on squares that touch corner-to-corner.
2. Active Tower
On every turn, you must move the tower that matches the colour of the square on which your opponent’s previous move ended. This is known as your ‘active’ tower for this move.
3. Blocking
You must move if you can. But if you can’t move your active tower at all because it is completely blocked in every forward direction, your opponent can move again immediately, using the tower that matches the colour of the square that your blocked tower is ‘trapped’ on. In theory, it is possible for a ‘deadlock’ situation to occur, where both player’s towers are placed in such a way that a complete ‘chain’ of immovable active towers is formed. In this situation, the player who last moved a tower (creating the deadlock) loses the game.
Victory
The player who is first to reach his opponent’s Home Row with one of his towers is the winner
Preparation
Decide who plays white and who plays black. Place the board so that the corners showing the white dragons are nearest to the player using white and the black dragons are nearest to the player using black. Now place all your towers (black or white) on your Home Row (i.e. the row nearest to you) so that each tower’s colour matches the square it is placed on (i.e. the brown tower on the brown square, the green tower on the green square, etc.).
Aim of the Game
To reach your opponent’s Home Row with one of your towers.
Gameplay
Black starts and selects any tower for his first move. After this opening move by black, the players take turns to move one of their towers, according to the following three rules:
1. Movement
A tower can be moved any number of spaces in a straight line, either directly forwards or diagonally forwards (never sideways or backwards). It can only be moved through empty squares, and cannot be placed on a square that already contains a tower. It cannot ‘jump over’ another tower. A tower may move diagonally between two towers that are on squares that touch corner-to-corner.
2. Active Tower
On every turn, you must move the tower that matches the colour of the square on which your opponent’s previous move ended. This is known as your ‘active’ tower for this move.
3. Blocking
You must move if you can. But if you can’t move your active tower at all because it is completely blocked in every forward direction, your opponent can move again immediately, using the tower that matches the colour of the square that your blocked tower is ‘trapped’ on. In theory, it is possible for a ‘deadlock’ situation to occur, where both player’s towers are placed in such a way that a complete ‘chain’ of immovable active towers is formed. In this situation, the player who last moved a tower (creating the deadlock) loses the game.
Victory
The player who is first to reach his opponent’s Home Row with one of his towers is the winner