THE SHATTERED MARCHES: TORCHFALL Extracted from the Grand Tome for standalone reference. II. THE SHATTERED MARCHES: TORCHFALL ==================================================================== 1. IDENTITY AND AIM Torchfall is the ultralite entry in the series. It is a frontier race game about roads, watchfires, and quick local mastery. It should feel fast, sharp, readable, and interactive. Torchfall is not a battle game. It is a route game. Players do not eliminate pieces. Players fight over movement, timing, and signal control. Players: 2 to 4 Time: 10 to 20 minutes Complexity goal: low 2. COMPONENTS Per player: - 1 Warden - 8 Torch markers - 3 Beacon markers - 1 score marker Shared: - 1 map of 7 watchposts - 1 score track to 5, or paper space for scoring Recommended player colors and symbols: - Red flame - Blue bell - Green thorn - Gold crown 3. THE TORCHFALL MAP Draw one central watchpost called Ashspire. Around it draw six outer watchposts in a loose ring: - Blackpine Watch - Frostgate Beacon - Dawnmere Tower - Redwall Post - Thorn Coast Signal - Greyfen Watch Connect roads as follows: - every outer watchpost connects to Ashspire - every outer watchpost connects to the two neighboring outer watchposts in the ring This creates 12 roads: 6 spokes to the center 6 roads around the outside The exact shape does not matter as long as those legal connections are clear. ASCII reference: Frostgate / | \ Blackpine - Ashspire - Dawnmere | | Greyfen Redwall \ / Thorn Coast This is only a visual cue. The real legal structure is: - ring neighbors are adjacent - every outer watchpost is adjacent to Ashspire 4. SETUP Each player chooses or is assigned a different outer watchpost. At your starting watchpost: - place your Warden - place one of your Beacon markers there, lit This is your Home Beacon. All other watchposts begin unlit. All Torches begin in player supply. Scores begin at 0. For 2 players, begin opposite one another on the ring. For 3 players, begin roughly evenly spaced. For 4 players, use any four different outer watchposts. 5. SEQUENCE OF PLAY On your turn, take exactly 2 actions. You may repeat the same action. After both actions, check scoring. Then play passes clockwise. 6. ACTIONS MARCH Move your Warden along exactly 1 road to an adjacent watchpost. Important clarifications: - movement is never blocked by enemy Torches - movement is never blocked by enemy Beacons - you may move through the center and back out on later turns, but not with one single March LAY TORCH Place 1 Torch on a road connected to your Warden's current watchpost. Rules: - a road may hold only 1 Torch total - if the road is empty, place your Torch there - if the road contains an enemy Torch, replace it only if your Warden stands at one end of that road - return the replaced Torch to its owner's supply Torch control is public and always visible. LIGHT BEACON If your Warden stands at an unlit watchpost, and that watchpost is connected by a continuous chain of your Torch roads to a Beacon you already control, you may light and claim that watchpost. Rules: - place your Beacon marker there - your Home Beacon counts as a controlled Beacon - controlled Beacons do not require a Warden to remain on them - in the base game, Beacons are permanent and cannot be removed or stolen once lit REKINDLE Take back 1 of your Torches from any road on the board and return it to your supply. Then immediately place that Torch on a legal road adjacent to your Warden. You may not take back an enemy Torch. You may take back a Torch from a road that is part of your current network, even if doing so breaks that network. 7. SCORING NEW BEACON Each time you Light Beacon, gain 1 Renown immediately. LARGEST CONNECTED TORCH NETWORK At the end of your turn, if you have the largest connected network of at least 4 road Torches, gain 1 Renown. If tied for largest, no one gains this bonus. ASHSPIRE At the end of your turn, if you control the Beacon at Ashspire, gain 1 Renown. You may score both a new Beacon and one or both end-of-turn bonuses on the same turn. 8. END OF GAME The first player to 5 Renown wins immediately. Timed variant: Play 8 full rounds. At the end, highest Renown wins. Ties: 1. most Beacons 2. largest connected network 3. shared victory 9. CLARIFICATIONS A road with your Torch on it is controlled by you even if your Warden is far away. A Beacon only counts as connected if the full path between it and one of your other Beacons is made of your Torch roads. You may not Light Beacon through an enemy Torch road. You may replace an enemy Torch only by taking Lay Torch while standing at one end of that road. You may Rekindle a Torch from anywhere on the board, then place it adjacent to your Warden. If Ashspire is unlit and you can trace a full Torch path from one of your Beacons to Ashspire, you may Light Beacon there. 10. OPTIONAL WATCHPOST POWERS For slightly richer play, assign one or two watchposts a printed public power. RUINED CHAPEL The first player to light this Beacon gains +1 Renown immediately. HIGH WATCH When checking largest connected network, count one additional road for your network if it includes this watchpost. ASH BRIDGE The first time each turn you March through this watchpost, you may immediately Rekindle for free. Use at most 2 site powers in Torchfall. 11. TWO PLAYER RECOMMENDATIONS For two players, the game can become very swingy if both rush the center instantly. That is fine, but for a slightly richer duel use one of these variants: Quiet Opening Players may not Light Ashspire until the second full round. Longer Duel Win at 6 Renown instead of 5. Open Frontier Begin with one neutral lit Beacon at Dawnmere Tower. No one controls it. A player who connects and stands there may claim it as a normal Light Beacon action. 12. EXAMPLE TURN Blue controls Frostgate Beacon and Blackpine Watch. Blue's Warden is standing at Ashspire. Blue has Torches on the roads Ashspire to Frostgate, Frostgate to Blackpine, and Ashspire to Dawnmere. Blue takes action 1: Lay Torch on the road Ashspire to Redwall. Blue takes action 2: March from Ashspire to Dawnmere Tower. Because Dawnmere is unlit and is now connected by Blue's Torch roads to Blue's Beacon at Frostgate, Blue could not light it this turn because March and Lay Torch were the two actions taken. The light must wait. At end of turn Blue checks scoring: Blue does not yet control Ashspire. Blue has a connected Torch network of 4 roads, and it is the largest. Blue gains 1 Renown. 13. STRATEGY NOTES Do not treat every road equally. Roads that touch the center are more important, but outer ring roads are often the safest way to extend a stable network. Rekindle is the strongest tempo action in the game. Use it when your previous network no longer matters. A player who owns many Beacons but has weak road structure can still lose to someone who chains end-of-turn network points. Ashspire is powerful, but not every winning plan must revolve around it. ==================================================================== VIII. TORCHFALL EXTENDED FOLIO ==================================================================== This folio preserves Torchfall as an elegant small game while making it more complete for repeated play. -------------------------------------------------------------------- VIII.A. CANON START MATRIX -------------------------------------------------------------------- Two players: Start opposite each other on the ring. Three players: Seat one empty outer watchpost between each player as evenly as possible. Four players: Use any four distinct outer watchposts, but for the cleanest first play avoid giving both Blackpine and Frostgate to opponents while leaving both Thorn Coast and Redwall occupied by opponents as well. That setup can make the center race too immediate for first-timers. -------------------------------------------------------------------- VIII.B. TORCHFALL FAQ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Q. Can two Wardens occupy the same watchpost? Yes. Wardens do not block one another in the base game. Q. Does a Beacon control adjacent roads? No. Only Torches control roads. Q. Can I light a Beacon if my route touches an enemy Warden? Yes. Wardens do not interfere with routes. Q. Can I use Rekindle to move two Torches? No. One action, one Torch removed, one Torch placed. Q. If I already have the largest connected network, do I still score it again next turn? Yes, if you still uniquely have it and it is size 4 or more. Q. Can Ashspire be lit from any connected route? Yes. It is a normal watchpost for purposes of Light Beacon. Q. If my network is broken during my turn, do I still score for its previous size? No. Check the board only at end of turn. -------------------------------------------------------------------- VIII.C. TORCHFALL MAP VARIANT, THE BROKEN RING -------------------------------------------------------------------- For a slightly more tactical Torchfall, remove one outer-ring connection between two neighboring watchposts. The map now has one break in the ring, making the center more important. Recommended removed road: Greyfen Watch to Blackpine Watch This variant is useful if your group finds the base ring too forgiving. -------------------------------------------------------------------- VIII.D. TORCHFALL MAP VARIANT, THE LONG SIGNAL ROADS -------------------------------------------------------------------- Add one extra long road: Frostgate Beacon to Redwall Post Or: Blackpine Watch to Thorn Coast Signal This increases surprise tempo and makes Rekindle even stronger. Use only one extra long road. -------------------------------------------------------------------- VIII.E. TEACHING SCRIPT FOR TORCHFALL -------------------------------------------------------------------- If teaching Torchfall to new players, say it this way: "You have a Warden, Torches for roads, and Beacons for claimed watchposts. You take two actions each turn. You move, place Torches, light new Beacons, and occasionally shift an old Torch with Rekindle. You score for lighting Beacons, for owning Ashspire, and for having the biggest connected Torch road network. Nothing is hidden. The game is about timing and route shape." That script is enough for most first plays. -------------------------------------------------------------------- VIII.F. SCENARIO SEEDS FOR TORCHFALL -------------------------------------------------------------------- Storm Night Ashspire scores only every other round because visibility is bad. Compensation: the first player to Light Beacon on two consecutive turns gains +1 Renown. The Bell is Broken Ashspire begins lit but neutral. It does not score Renown. Instead, the first player to connect three other lit Beacons wins +1 Renown immediately. Smoke on the Coast Thorn Coast Signal and Greyfen Watch count as if connected for movement only, representing a temporary smoke line. This makes the western edge much sharper. ====================================================================