VALGARÐ : The Walls of the Slain : Open Source Board Game

VALGARÐ: OSBOG

USE GAME BOARD 2 : Print 12 Game Pieces for Each Player (Contrasting Colors) 

Rulebook

Players: 2 | Playtime: 15–20 Minutes

OBJECTIVE

Dominate the field by eliminating the enemy army or trapping them so they cannot move.

You win if:

1. Annihilation: The opponent has no pieces left on the board and their "Home Row" is blocked (preventing deployment).

2. Stalemate: The opponent is trapped by walls and has no legal moves on their turn.

COMPONENTS

• 1 Game Board (Octagonal Grid with Square "Rune" sockets)

• 24 Warriors (12 per player, in contrasting colors)

SETUP

1. The Reserve: Neither player starts with pieces on the board. Hold all 12 pieces in your hand (your Reserve).

2. The Muster: To begin, players take turns placing one piece at a time onto their Home Row (the row of octagons closest to them) until each player has 3 Warriors on the board.

3. First Turn: The player with the lighter-colored pieces goes first.

TURN ACTIONS

On your turn, you must perform ONE of the following four actions:

1. DEPLOY (Reinforce)

Take one piece from your Reserve and place it on any empty octagon in your Home Row.

• Note: If all spaces in your Home Row are occupied or blocked by Runes, you cannot Deploy.

2. MARCH (Move)

Move one of your Warriors or Valkyries (Stack) into an adjacent, empty octagon.

• Movement: Up, Down, Left, Right. (No diagonals).

• The Charge: If you have a straight, clear path of empty spaces, you may move a piece 2 spaces in a straight line.

3. RALLY (Stack)

Move a Warrior onto an adjacent friendly Warrior to form a Valkyrie.

• Limit: A stack cannot exceed 2 pieces.

• Power: Valkyries are immune to capture by single Warriors. They move and attack just like normal Warriors but are stronger.

4. CAST A RUNE (The Sacrifice)

The ultimate strategic move. Change the shape of the battlefield.

1. Sacrifice: Choose one of your Warriors currently on the board.

2. Placement: Remove the warrior and place it upside-down into any empty square socket that was adjacent to where the warrior was standing.

3. The Effect: The wide base of the upside-down piece now physically covers the corners of the 4 surrounding octagons.

   • These 4 spaces are "Dead Land." No piece may enter or pass through them.

   • Restriction: You cannot Cast a Rune if any of the 4 surrounding octagons are currently occupied by a piece (friend or foe).

COMBAT (The Clash)

To capture, move your piece onto a space occupied by an enemy. The enemy piece is removed from the board and returned to their Reserve (or captured permanently, if you prefer "Hardcore Mode").

END GAME SCENARIOS

As the game progresses, "Runes" will fill the board, creating walls and choke points.

• The Squeeze: If a player’s Home Row is completely blocked by Runes, they can no longer Deploy new troops. They must fight to the death with what they have left.

• Victory: The game ends immediately when a player cannot take a turn. The other player is the Jarl of Valgarð.

*Feel free to suggest changes and  or design more elaborate game pieces. Please link and associate your designs to this page. Cheers.