Knights of the Pond Table Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• How to Play
• Movement Rules
  • Creature Specific Movement
• Scoring the Game
• Ending the Game
• Action Cards
• Reaction Cards
• Alternative Setup & Optional Variant Rules
  • 2-Player Game Setup
  • 3-Player Game Setup
  • 4-Player Game 2x2 Team Variant
• Variant: The Far Shore
• Variant: Pond Power Cards
• Quick Reference

Components

• 1 Game Board (The Pond Realm)
• 40 Player Pieces:
  • 5 Spiders per colour
  • 4 Frogs per colour
  • 1 Dragonfly per colour
• 16 'Pond Power' Cards
• 4 Spider Web Tokens
• 4 Turtle Shell Tokens
• Rulebook
• Reference cards

Setup

For alternative setups see the Alternative Setup & Optional Variant Rules section below.

1. Place the board in the centre of the table.
2. Each player chooses a colour and takes the matching 10 player pieces.
3. Place your pieces in one of the coloured home areas as shown in the diagram. Do not show opponents the secret score printed on the bottom of the pieces.
4. You may choose which point values go where as long as the correct creature is on a matching starting space. The space beside your home area is your dungeon, where you will place captured pieces.

Pond Power Variant: Shuffle and deal one card face-down to each player. Set the rest as a draw pile. You may always look at your own, but do not show the other players your unplayed cards.

How to Play

Choose a starting player, then take turns in clockwise order. On your turn:

• Choose one of your pieces on the board and move it according to its movement rules.
• If it lands on a space with an opponent's piece, capture it and place it in your dungeon.

Pond Power Variant: After a piece is captured, the captured player draws a card. Before you end your turn, check how many cards you have in your hand. You may not end your turn with more than 3 cards. Play or discard until you have 3 or fewer cards.

Movement Rules

• All pieces must move in a straight line unless a card says otherwise.
• All pieces may move in any direction: forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally.
• Only the destination space matters; pieces between spaces do not block movement.
• You may not move into a space occupied by one of your own pieces.
• You may move into and capture pieces in any player's home area.
• You may not move directly from one home area to another.

Creature Specific Movement

• Spiders move 1 space in any one direction.
• Frogs hop exactly 2 spaces in a straight line in any one direction.
• Dragonflies may fly 1, 2, or 3 spaces in a straight line in any one direction.

Note: "Any direction" means forward, backward, sideways, or diagonally.

Note: "Beside" means any of the spaces touching yours in any direction.

Scoring the Game

Score the printed value for each of your pieces on one of the five Pond Table spaces. Then, score your dungeon. Each captured piece has a total score printed on the bottom:

• Dragonfly = 3 points
• Frogs = 3 / 1 / 1 / -1 (poisonous)
• Spiders = 2 / 1 / 1 / 1 / 0

In the case of a tie, the player with the most pieces on the Pond Table wins.

If still tied, the player with the most remaining pieces on the board wins.

Example: White scores 4 points for the Pond Table and 2 points for their captured pieces. A total of 6 points.

Ending the Game

If any of the following conditions are met, the game ends immediately:

• 3 of the 5 central squares (the Pond Table) are occupied by pieces of a single player at the start of their turn,
• All dragonflies have been captured or
• All pieces of one colour have been eliminated.

Action Cards

• Spider Web: Play on any of your pieces. Place a web token on that piece until your next turn. This piece and all pieces beside it in any direction cannot be moved until the token is removed.
• Agile: Play this before moving your piece. For this turn, the piece is not limited to movement in a straight line.
• Frog Legs: Play this before you move a piece. That piece's movement distance is increased by one space for this turn.
• Frog Tongue: Play on one of your pieces. Pull an opponent from beside the piece onto its space. Capture the opponent's piece.

Reaction Cards

• Poisonous Snake: Play this when your piece is captured. Remove both the attacking piece and your own piece from the game.
• Turtle Shell: Play this when your piece would be captured. Instead, place a turtle shell token on the piece until your next turn and move the attacking piece back to its original spot. Its movement is spent for this turn.

Alternative Setup & Optional Variant Rules

2-Player Game Setup

Play two opposite colours. The home areas of unused colours are considered out of bounds.

OR

2-Player Game Multi-colour Variant: Each player controls two colours. Points from both colours are added to become the player's total. You may capture your own pieces of another colour but they are not worth any points to you. Colours may be played side-by-side or on opposite sides of the board.

3-Player Game Setup

One colour is not used. The player seated between the others begins by removing one spider or frog from each opponent from the game entirely. These pieces are not placed in the dungeon. These choices happen after the player has already set up their pieces, and the scores on the bottom of the pieces may not be looked at once removed.

4-Player Game 2x2 Team Variant

Each player controls one colour. Points from both players are added to become the team's total. You may capture your teammate's pieces but they are not worth any points to you.

Variant: The Far Shore

As soon as one of your spiders moves into the home area opposite your home area:

• Move it back to one of the spider-starting positions in your home area.
• Then, free one captured piece of your house colour from any dungeon and return it to its starting position in your home area.

The 'freeing' effect takes place even if a poisonous snake card is played this turn (i.e. when your spider captured a piece while moving to the last row).

Variant: Pond Power Cards

• These special ability cards can be played before or after moving any of your pieces.
• Any card can be played on any of your pieces.
• You may combine and play multiple cards in one turn.
• Reaction cards must be played outside of your turn after a certain trigger, usually when your piece would be captured.
• Each player begins the game with one card and may draw one each time their piece is captured.
• There is a hand limit of three cards. If you end your turn with more than three cards in your hand, discard or play cards until you only have three or fewer.
• If the draw pile is ever empty, reshuffle the discard pile facedown and use this as the draw pile.

Quick Reference

• Spiders: Move 1 in any one direction. Far Shore Variant: Special effect when reaching far side.

• Frogs: Move 2 spaces in any one direction.

• Dragonflies: Move 1 to 3 spaces in any one direction.

• You may never move into a space occupied by your own piece.

• Land on an opponent's piece to capture it and send it to your dungeon.

• Pond Power Variant: Draw a card when one of your pieces is captured (hand limit: 3 at end of turn).

• Each captured piece has a secret total point value on the bottom.

• Pieces on the 5 Pond Table spaces at the end of the game are worth points equal to their secret point value.