TARA - SACRED HILL

Doubles - Kingdoms

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Doubles may be played with the same rules as singles Level 1 or Level 2, except for the rules below.

4 Players

LAST REVISED - 12th February 2014


AIM

  • A match comprises four games, each player taking turns to start. The partnership with most points after four games wins the match.


PREPARATION

  • You now play in pairs. Each player sits opposite their partner with the empty board set squarely between them.


HOW TO PLAY

  • Each player is now limited to playing just in the first four rows of the board nearest themselves. Because there are seven rows, it means that the row furthest away from each player (the fourth and middle row) will become a shared row between each partnership, figs. 1a & b.
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fig. 1a: The Red territories meet in the middle shared row.

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fig. 1b: The Blue territories meet in the middle shared row.



FIRST PHASE - MANOEUVRES

  • The first player must build their initial ringfort anywhere on their partnership's shared row.
  • Play continues clockwise.
  • Likewise, the second player must build their initial ringfort anywhere on their partnership's shared row.
  • The third player (the first player's partner) must build a ringfort at a knight's move from the first player's ringfort - and importantly, within their own area.
  • The fourth player follows likewise.
  • Play continues like this, following the usual proximity rule in Manoeuvres.
  • Note: each player may use any of their own colour ringforts to "jump" from, even if they are within their partner's area, but each player's ringforts must be built within their own area, including the shared row, fig. 2.
  • When the first player to announce "BATTLE" advances, the other three players too advance on their next turns, regardless of whether there are available knight's moves or not. REVISED - 12th February 2014
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fig. 2: Red 1 built his first ringfort on E4 in Red’s shared row. Likewise, Blue 2 built on D4. Subsequently, Red 2 and Blue 2 built theirs a knight’s move from their partners’ first ringforts. Red 1 now contemplates his second move; ticks are legal and crosses are illegal moves.



SECOND PHASE - BATTLE

  • When you build on the shared row, you still link to your partner's ringforts in your partner's area.


CAPTURING RINGFORTS

  • Level 1 - If one partner besieges an enemy ringfort which is within their partner's area, the partner must complete the capture on their next turn, unless the partner has one to capture already, in which case they may choose which one to capture first.
  • Level 2 - If multiple ringforts are besieged between partners' areas, they just adopt the usual OP.


END OF THE GAME

  • The first player to not have a turn calls "OUT". The other three players then just have one more turn each before the game ends.
  • Note: it is possible for a doubles game to finish without completely filling the board, although extremely rare.


SCORING

  • The game is scored the same as singles; you win or lose as a team.
  • However, if both partnerships have the same number of kingdoms and the same territory (there must be an odd number of vacant hills left) the game is drawn and each partnership scores just 1 point.

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