Battle for Olympus
Battle for Olympus Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Material
Battle for Olympus includes:
- an 8x8 Battle for Olympus board
- 10 heroes
- 10 creatures
- 27 white counters and 27 black counters
- 1 red counter (for the frozen hero)
- 2 small white rods
Preparation
Agree the size of the battle (5x5, 6x6, 7x7 or 8x8). Lay out the board between the two players and place the two white rods on the corresponding intersection if needed to indicate the size.
Both players then choose one of the sides, either the heroes (white) or the creatures (black), and take their figures and tokens as shown in the following chart.
| Board Size | Figures | Tokens |
|---|---|---|
| 5x5 | 5 | 9 |
| 6x6 (standard small) | 6 | 14 |
| 7x7 | 7 | 20 |
| 8x8 (standard large) | 8 | 27 |
The heroes player uses the white pieces and the creatures player uses the black pieces.
Each player is given a random set of figures and these figures are randomly placed on the second row of the board (where their pawns would be placed if this were a chess board). All figures start with their picture side up. (The positioning of the individual figures is only relevant for the extended game play. In the basic game play, all figures are equal.) The tokens are placed to the side of the board.
Starting positions for an 8x8 game (heroes and creatures are not shown in the picture, but must be placed facing up).
Play
The hero player makes the first move. Play alternates between the players.
On your turn, move one of your figures horizontally or vertically over any number of spaces without moving onto or over a space with another figure. You must move at least one space.
After moving your figure, place one of your tokens onto the initial space of your figure and any space moved over. The final space of your figure remains without a token.
Any opponent tokens that may already be on these spaces are removed and returned to the side of the board. Tokens on the spaces do not restrict the movement of your figure. There may never be more than one token on a space. Spaces with a figure never contain tokens.
Victory
If a player succeeds in placing his or her last token on the board, the game ends and this player wins. If playing in a tournament, the victor scores as many points as the opponent has tokens left off the board.
Extended Game Play: Special Abilities
In the extended game play, each figure has a special ability which can be used once during the game. When you move one of your figures, you may use its special ability. If you use a special ability, that figure must be the one which is moved.
Each figure can only use its special ability one time during a game. Flip over the figure counter to indicate that the ability has been used.
Creature Abilities
- Cerberus: Howl. Instead of moving as normal, replace any three opponent tokens with your own.
- Cyclops: Shortcut. Instead of moving as normal, move diagonally over any number of spaces (following all other movement rules and placing tokens as normal).
- Griffin: Jump. When moving, Griffin may jump over one hero or creature and continue the movement; Griffin may not jump over more than one figure.
- Hydra: Assault. Instead of moving, empty all neighboring spaces (adjacent and diagonally) of tokens.
- Medusa: Freeze. Instead of moving, freeze any one hero that is directly vertical or horizontal from Medusa (with no interceding figures); the frozen hero cannot move or use his or her ability for the rest of the game; this hero still blocks the movement of other figures*.
- Minotaur: Outflank. When moving, the Minotaur may "wrap" one time from one edge of the board to the other (following all other movement rules and placing tokens as normal).
- Sirens: Entice. You may pull any hero that is directly vertical or horizontal from the Sirens (with no interceding figures) onto your space (without changing any tokens), then move the Sirens as normal.
- Sphinx: Mirror. On your turn after your opponent used a special ability, use the same ability with this creature.
*Place a red counter over the frozen hero.
Hero Abilities
- Paris: Curse. Instead of moving, either empty Paris' entire row or Paris' entire column of tokens (figures remain unaffected).
- Orpheus: Sing. Instead of moving, place tokens on all adjacent spaces (not diagonally) that do not contain figures.
- Orion: Hunt. Move as normal, but end your movement on a creature (you still cannot jump over figures while moving); remove both Orion and this creature from the game; do not leave a token on the destination space.
- Medea: Fly. Instead of moving as normal, jump to any space not occupied by a figure and leave a token in the space where Medea started the turn.
- Jason: Quest. Instead of moving as normal, move up to three steps over adjacent spaces (not diagonally and not over or into figures).
- Heracles: Push. When moving, you may push one creature or hero along in the space in front of Heracles; you cannot push a figure off the board and you cannot push more than one figure.
- Circe: Mirror. On your turn after your opponent used a special ability, use the same ability with this hero.
- Atalanta: Run. After moving as normal, move again returning Atlanta to the space where she started the turn [not the initial start space]. (The ability sheet prints the name "Atlanta" in this text; the figure is Atalanta.)