ZoxSo Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Winning Conditions
• The Board
• The Pieces
• The Play
  • Phase 1 – Positioning the Forces
  • Phase 2 – The Race to the Throne
• How the Pieces Move and Capture
  • Pieces on the Pearls
    • Moves and captures with pieces on the Pearls
    • Chain movement and captures on the Pearls
  • Pieces on the Stones
    • Moving and capturing with pieces on the Stones
      • The Ma (color-image = Three-Headed Horse; figure F)
      • The Dao (color-image = Dagger; figure G)
      • The Xing (color-image = Dragon Crown; figure H)
• How the Pieces Flip and Move
  • Flipping and moving pieces from the Pearls
  • Flipping and moving pieces from the Stones
• Placement Strategy Tips

Contents

1 game board, 10 Dark pieces, 10 Light pieces, and these rules.

Winning Conditions

There are two possible ways to win the game:

I) Be the first player to move or flip your Xing onto the Throne in the center of the board, OR

II) Be the first player to capture your opponent's Xing before it can get to the Throne.

The Board

The Pearls, the Stones, the Wall, and the Throne are shown in Figure A of the printed rules.

The Pieces

ZoxSo is played with a set of 10 Dark pieces for the first player and a set of 10 Light pieces for the second player (see Figures B & C of the printed rules). Three piece-types make up each set, divided as follows: Four Ma, five Dao, and one Xing.

Each piece displays a front / silver-icon [the Zox-side], and a back / color-image [the So-side]. The color-images are Ma (Horse), Dao (Dagger), and Xing (Dragon Crown).

The Play

Place the board between both players. The first player takes the 10 Dark pieces, the second takes the 10 Light pieces. ZoxSo is played in two phases: 1 - Positioning the Forces, and 2 - The Race to the Throne.

Phase 1 – Positioning the Forces

Moves, Captures and Flips are NOT allowed in Phase 1.

The player of the Dark pieces begins by placing one of his pieces, silver-icon face-up, onto any empty Pearl outside the Wall. The player of the Light pieces does the same with one of his pieces, and the play continues in this manner until all 20 pieces are on the board. Whichever Pearls you place your pieces on is strictly up to you, except that those Pearls must be outside the Wall, and each of the pieces you place must display its silver-icon side face-up. As soon as all 20 pieces are on the board, Phase 2 begins.

Strategy tip: Place your Xing on the board last, for its safety.

Phase 2 – The Race to the Throne

Moves, Captures and Flips ARE allowed in Phase 2.

The players alternate turns, beginning with the player of the Dark pieces. Play continues until either player wins the game (as described above). In Phase 2, a complete TURN consists of either:

A) Moving or capturing with ONE of your pieces; OR

B) Flipping ONE of your pieces onto an adjacent, empty Stone or Pearl, and then moving or capturing with it if you choose.

How the Pieces Move and Capture

Whether you decide to move a piece that is on the Pearls or on the Stones, you may move ONLY ONE piece per turn. There are no exceptions to this!

Pieces on the Pearls

When on the Pearls, each piece must display its silver-icon face-up.

Moves and captures with pieces on the Pearls

All pieces on the Pearls move in exactly the same way, regardless of which silver-icon is displayed. The silver-icons are there only to reveal to the players which color-image is on the back of each piece. NO two pieces may occupy the same Pearl at the same time. Any ONE piece on a Pearl can move to an adjacent Pearl not already occupied by a piece of its own color (Dark or Light). If a piece moves to a Pearl occupied by an opposing piece, the opposing piece is captured and permanently removed from play.

IMPORTANT: Moves and captures between the Pearls on opposite sides of the Wall are PROHIBITED.

Chain movement and captures on the Pearls

On the Pearls, a group of at least two adjacent pieces of the same color (Dark or Light) form what is called a "Zox-chain."

On any given turn, one piece in a Zox-chain may make a legal move or capture for another piece in that chain, in its stead. Such "chain movement" is legal ONLY for pieces that occupy the Pearls.

IMPORTANT: Chain movement between the Pearls on opposite sides of the Wall is PROHIBITED.

Pieces on the Stones

When on the Stones, each piece must display its color-image face-up.

Moving and capturing with pieces on the Stones

NO two pieces may occupy the same Stone at the same time. On the Stones, the Wall DOES NOT block the movements of the pieces in any way. If a piece lands on a Stone already occupied by an opposing piece, the opposing piece is captured and permanently removed from play.

When on the Stones, the pieces move as follows:

The Ma (color-image = Three-Headed Horse; figure F)

When on the Stones, the Ma moves just like a Knight in the game of chess; in a 2-Stone-by-3-Stone "L-shaped" pattern, turned horizontally or vertically, starting and ending its move on a Stone. The Ma also has a special ability: It can move through any-and-all pieces in its way. The Ma may not end its turn on the Throne.

Here is a helpful tip about the Ma on the Stones: The Ma is very effective when operating at mid-range distances on the Stones, but it does not perform well at long distances nor in extremely close quarters when moving on the Stones.

The Dao (color-image = Dagger; figure G)

When on the Stones, the Dao moves and captures horizontally or vertically (in one direction only) any number of Stones or until it captures an opposing piece or until it is blocked by a same-colored piece. The Dao may not end its turn on the Throne.

Here is a helpful tip about the Dao on the Stones: The Dao is a powerful piece when operating along straight lines on the Stones; from far distances, at mid-ranges, and very close in. However, the Dao is extremely awkward at controlling territory on the Stones that is not directly in front of, or to the side of it.

The Xing (color-image = Dragon Crown; figure H)

When on the Stones, the Xing moves and captures just one Stone at a time, horizontally or vertically.

IMPORTANT: ONLY the Xing may end its turn on the Throne, and in doing so it wins the game.

Remember these important facts about the Xing: Although it is legal to leave one's own Xing under attack, if the opponent notices it and captures it, the game is over! So, the Xing really needs to be protected, but it can be strong as well. Since, as soon as either Xing lands on the Throne it wins the game, a player can sacrifice all of his other pieces merely to clear a safe and winning path to the Throne for his Xing!

How the Pieces Flip and Move

Remember that the rule about flipping is: "Flip, then Move." In other words, you may flip a piece first, then move it if you choose. You may never flip a piece after already moving it on that turn.

Flipping and moving pieces from the Pearls

Figure I of the printed rules.

Before moving a piece that is on a Pearl, you may instead "flip" the piece over to display its color-image face-up, then put it on any adjacent empty Stone. You can make a move or capture with the newly displayed piece if you choose, and that ends your turn (See "Moving and capturing with pieces on the Stones"). Again, please remember that only ONE piece may be moved each turn. If you choose to flip a piece, NO other piece may move that turn. Also, please note that you may NEVER flip twice per turn, and you may NEVER move any piece first and then flip it afterwards.

Flipping and moving pieces from the Stones

Figure I of the printed rules.

Before moving a piece that is on a Stone, you may instead "flip" the piece over to display its silver-icon face-up, then put it on any adjacent empty Pearl. You can make a move or capture with the newly displayed piece if you choose, and that ends your turn (See "Moving and capturing with pieces on the Pearls"). Only ONE piece may be moved each turn. If you choose to flip a piece, NO other piece may move that turn. You may NEVER flip twice per turn, NOR move a piece first and then flip it afterwards.

The rule is: "Flip, then Move." NEVER flip a piece once you've already moved it on your turn.

Placement Strategy Tips

In ZoxSo, mastering the placement phase is key. ZoxSo players must be creative, resourceful, and intuitive about where to place their pieces at the start of the game. A player must be aware of how his pieces will influence the board once the placement phase finished, how best to protect their Xing, and how to best pursue the opponent's Xing. Following are some strategy tips to help you place your pieces as effectively as possible.

1. Try to place your Xing on the board last, to be better able to locate a safe yet active haven that it can operate from during play. Placing your Xing on the board too early can lead to quick defeat once movement begins.

2. During the placement phase it's a good idea to set up a centralized chain of at least 4 or 5 of your pieces on the Pearls, where your Xing can enjoy shelter and enhanced mobility at the same time.

3. During the placement phase you should try to figure out where your opponent might try to locate his/her Xing. With that in mind you can respond accordingly and place one or more of your pieces on the Pearls in such a way as to harass those areas of the board and set difficult problems for the opposing Xing.

4. Place your pieces actively -- which often means near the center and close to the Wall where they can exert great influence on the game -- so that they are able to move and flip/move quickly to anywhere they are needed. One caveat to this idea of central placement involves neutralizing the opposing Xing's mobility, and it is this: At two and three Pearls in from each of the four outer-corners of the Wall are prime positions for Dao placement. From those Pearls the Dao are very effective at stopping the opposing Xing from flipping and moving towards the Throne, since two entire rows of Stones in each direction can be controlled from those Pearls. But each player has just 5 Dao, and there are only 16 such prime Pearls on the entire board. Your opponent will want them too!

5. Try to plan for an actively centralized, yet secure location for your Xing so that when the time is right, it will be able to flip into action and head for the Throne without putting itself in jeopardy.

6. The Dao are long-range pieces on the Stones, and quite good at controlling multiple lines of territory from the Pearls at long distance, but only along straight lines. The Dao are also excellent attackers and defenders on the Stones at close-range along the horizontal and vertical paths. But they are awkward at controlling areas of the board not directly in front or to the side of them. So when you place your Dao on the Pearls, pay attention to which rows of Stones you may want the Dao to control during play. Remember, where you place your pieces on the Pearls should be greatly influenced by where your opponent places his/her own pieces.

Keep your eyes on the Throne… and thank you for playing ZoxSo.