Out Of The Box Publishing: Bosworth

BOSWORTH®


•	Stock #4444
•	Suggested Retail Price $24.99
OUT OF PRINT

OFFICIAL RULES (Second Edition)

Download a pdf version of Second Edition Rules:
• Outside pages
• Inside Pages
• Note: Pages can be printed back-to-back and
trimmed on dotted lines to fit in Bosworth box.

First Edition Rules:
• Web (html) version
• Download a pdf version

Updated 5/27/03

Note: The rules on this page reflect the most current version available, and may differ slightly from previously printed rules.

SETUP AND RULES OF PLAY

What's in the Box?

The Bosworth Game Pieces

The 64 Bosworth game pieces are divided by color into four 16-piece sets. Each player selects a color to represent his or her kingdom.

Each 16-piece set consists of the pieces shown at the right. Generally, each Bosworth piece moves and captures just like the chess piece silouhetted behind the character.

The Game Board

The game board represents Bosworth Field where all the action takes place. Each player starts from one of the four-space field camps located along the sides of the board. The four corner spaces are not used in the game.

The Object of Bosworth

Each player must protect his or her king from capture, while attempting to capture and eliminate all opposing kings.

Setting Up the Game

Unfold the game board.

Separate the pieces by color into four 16-piece sets. Each player selects a color to represent his or her kingdom.

Each player selects one of the four field camps along the sides of the board. The choice of available field camps depends upon the number of players. In two and three player games, cover the unused field camp spaces with face down pieces from an unused color set. These spaces will not be used in the game. See two, three, and four-player set-up diagrams.

Players place one of their pawns, face up, in each of their four field camp spaces.

Players shuffle their 12 remaining pieces and stack them, face down, to form their own draw pile.

Each player draws four pieces for his or her hand. Players may look at the pieces in their hand.

Choose one player to go first. Play proceeds clockwise.

What You Must Do On Your Turn

Move and/or Capture

Move one of your pieces currently on the board to an unoccupied space, or to a space occupied by an opponent. If you land on a space occupied by an opponent you capture that piece. Place all captured pieces in a discard pile. If you temporarily have no pieces on the board, or if all of your pieces are blocked and you are unable to move or capture, skip to the reinforcement phase of your turn.

Reinforce

Fill all unoccupied spaces in your field camp with pieces selected from your hand. You may only fill unoccupied field camp spaces during your turn, and only after you have completed the movement and/or capture phase. When you run out of pieces, cover any unoccupied spaces in your field camp with a face down piece from a discard pile–movement is no longer allowed in these spaces.

Recruit

Draw pieces from your draw pile to bring your hand up to four. When your draw pile is depleted you can no longer recruit.

Winning the Game

Control the last surviving king and you win the battle of Bosworth!

MOVEMENT AND CAPTURE

Generally, each Bosworth piece moves and captures just like the chess piece silhouetted behind the character.

Movement and capture rules that vary from chess are in italics.

Definitions of Movement

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Forward or Backward: movement directly away from, or toward, a player's field camp.

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Sideways: movement within, or movement parallel to, a player's field camp.

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Diagonal: movement at a 45-degree angle away from, or toward, a player's field camp.

Jumping

Except for the knight, a piece may not pass through or jump over an occupied space.

Capture

An opponent's piece is captured by landing on its space. The captor now occupies that space, and the captured piece is placed in a discard pile.

Field Camps

Movement and capture is allowed in, and between, field camps. However, pawns may not move sideways or capture within their own field camp.

Corners and Covered Spaces

Movement is not allowed in the four corner spaces of the board, or in any space covered by a face down piece.

En Passant Capture, Castling, and Pawn Promotion

These chess rules do not apply in Bosworth.

PAWN

Movement

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Pawns may move forward one or two spaces on their first move.

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After their first move, pawns move one space forward, or one space sideways in either direction.

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Pawns may not move directly backwards, toward their own field camp.

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Pawns may not move sideways within their own field camp.

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Once a pawn leaves its field camp, it may never return

Movement When Capturing

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Pawns capture by moving one diagonal space in any direction.

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Pawns may not capture pieces within their own field camp.

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With 4 players, pawns may capture an opponent's piece on their first move.

ROOK

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Rooks move forward, backward, or sideways, any number of spaces.

KNIGHT

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Knights move in the shape of an "L", two spaces forward, backward, or sideways, followed by one space at a 90-degree angle in either direction.

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Knights are the only pieces allowed to "jump" over other pieces to reach their destination.

BISHOP

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Bishops move diagonally, any number of spaces.

QUEEN

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Queens move forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally any number of spaces.

KING

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Kings move one space in any direction.

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Kings in Bosworth are allowed to capture pieces from their own kingdom.

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A player remains in the game, until his or her king is captured, even if he or she temporarily has no pieces on the board.

Kings in Check

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If, at the beginning of a player's turn, his or her king is on a space where it can be captured by an opposing piece, it is considered to be in "check". In this case, the player must immediately do one of the following:

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Move the king to a space where it cannot be captured.

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Block the threatening piece by moving a different piece.

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Capture the piece that threatens the king.

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Escape check by using the king to capture one of its own pieces.

If the king is unable to avoid being in check, it must "freeze"–that is, it must remain stationary, and hope that another player will make a move to eliminate the threat. If a player's king is frozen, the player must move another piece, if possible.

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A player may not move his or her king into check.

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If it is their only option, players must reinforce their field camp with a king, even if it means that their king enters the game in check.

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Players are not required to announce that they have placed an opponent's king in check.

Capturing Kings

Kings are captured in the same manner as all the other pieces on the board–that is, by landing on their space. The capture of a player's king results in the elimination of that player from the game.

In a 2-player game this results in victory for the captor.

The defeated player's pieces are immediately removed from the board.

Unoccupied spaces in the defeated player's field camp are covered with face down pieces from a discard pile. These spaces will not be used for the remainder of the game. As soon as openings occur in the defeated player's field camp, they must be covered immediately with face down pieces.

As a reward, the captor is granted the queen from the defeated player's kingdom (even if the queen had previously been captured by another player). The queen is placed into the hand of the captor, and will re-enter the game during the reinforcement phase of his or her turn. If the captor's field camp spaces are all filled with face down pieces, he or she may remove one of the pieces to make an opening for the captured queen to re-enter the game.