Rook & Ruin
A game beyond the usual 8 by 8 grid. A game in the dungeons…
It’s not always a good thing to be alone, especially when you’re the lone King chess piece trapped in a dungeon, with no allies by your side. If that’s not alarming enough, you’re surrounded by rogue enemy chess pieces in a labyrinth of crumbling halls…
Can you survive a battle that stretches far beyond the board? Or will you crumble under the pressure of a dungeon that thinks like a grandmaster?
Entry: Before playing the game.
First Impressions
I was ten when I first played chess, and it hooked me almost instantly. It was a birthday gift from my father to my elder sister, who wasn’t too keen on the game. My brother and I, though, were fascinated. We learned the moves from our father and played late into the night, long after we were supposed to be asleep. Fun times!
It’s been over twenty years since that day. I recently bought a new chess set to play with my father, but it seems he’s forgotten most of the rules. Now, I find myself teaching my nephew how to play. The turn of the tide, I suppose.
Being a fan of chess for over two decades, I was naturally excited when Florian approached me to give Rook & Ruin a shot.
Chess in a dungeon, and that too as a solo print-and-play? I wouldn’t miss it.
While exploring the game files, what immediately caught my attention, alongside the dungeon sheets, were the Grandmaster Cards. Playing as a grandmaster, now that’s something I’d never tried before. Really interesting!
A bit on the game
In this solo print-and-play, you step into a crumbling dungeon as the lone King chess piece, trying to survive a maze that thinks like a grandmaster. You draw your actions from an expanding arsenal of Echoes, a set of special abilities inspired by classic chess movements.
By capturing rogue pieces, you gain Material to unlock new Echoes, gradually shaping a deck of abilities that fits your style of play. But you don’t have forever to go about; you have only 30 rounds to either escape through the final exit or capture the enemy king.
With several grandmasters to try, a vintage chess puzzle aesthetic, and multiple ways to play, Rook & Ruin left a strong first impression. Time to prep the game!
All you need
What you need to play Rook & Ruin depends on whether you’re using the Echo Cards or the Flowing Arsenal System.
With Echo Cards
Print the Dungeon Sheets (there’s two!), five pages of Echo Cards (ten if you include the backs), one sheet of Grand Master Cards and you’re good to go! Grab a pen while you’re at it. You can opt to laminate the Dungeon Sheets to make them replayable.
With the Flowing Arsenal System
If you already have a sense of how the chess pieces move, give the Flowing Arsenal System a try. It makes the game super portable, since all you need to print are the Dungeon Sheets, the Grandmaster Cards, and the Flowing Arsenal Sheet. The only extra items required are five dice: D6, D8, D10, D12, and D20. If you don’t have these dice, there are plenty of online dice simulators you can use.
I was curious to try both approaches, so I printed all the components. I wondered if these two different ways of playing the game would lead to two unique experiences. Time to find out!
Entry: After playing the game
Findings
After a week of battling rogue chess pieces in the depths of dungeons, I finally emerge semi-victorious! Before my ego goes sky-high and I rename my online chess ID to Garry Kasparov, here are my findings:
I became a grandmaster!
Not my ego speaking, but I literally became a grandmaster, and you can too. In Rook & Ruin, you have five Grandmaster Cards to choose from, and they vary from each other in many ways. And whom they are inspired by is bound to impress you.
The grandmaster “Innovator” is inspired from Aron Nimzowitsch, an unorthodox thinker who always saw the bigger picture in the game, while the grandmaster “Queen” channels Vera Menchik, a master of building toward total control. These cards don’t just honor chess maestros, they let you play like them. Each grants unique starting pieces and special perks, letting you feel their philosophies guiding your moves. That alone makes each playthrough a completely unique experience. Anyone who’s a fan of chess is bound to love this.
You better plan ahead...
Like chess, it’s not a game you win by sheer luck. It’s a tough game to win, but not impossible.
+ On every round, you have three Echo Cards (chess pieces) at your disposal. Use them wisely to make the most out of each round. You only have 30 legal moves to make.
+ Know when to use your Universal Abilities, which are one-time powers that can give you that extra kick to give you a fighting chance.
+ Know when and how to use the Materials to acquire new chess pieces, more Materials, or even extra rounds (Tempo).
+ Upgrade your Rook and Bishop using the Cog Runes, before it’s too late! Similarly, don’t forget to stock up on the Shield Runes that help you move through Controlled Squares.
+ Make the MOST out of your Grandmaster Card, it’s there for a reason. Each of them has its special ability, and you have to make sure to utilize it as much as you can.
+ Above all, take your time to understand the dungeons. There’s no single formula for the best outcome, so analyze before you make each move. Watch out for the Rogue pieces, the inaccessible squares, or the Controlled Squares.
All these factors add to the depth of the game and make it highly replayable. With five Grandmaster Cards and two unique Dungeon Sheets, you already have the scope for a minimum of ten unique experiences. On top of that, the many ways to approach each dungeon add even more variety.
The Flowing Arsenal
While building the game, I was all set on using the Echo Cards. My first few runs were with them too. But then I tried the Flowing Arsenal System, and … well, let’s just say my allegiance quickly changed.
There was something satisfying about writing down every move and keeping track of the pieces available to me. I felt like a professional chess player, logging each move and thinking several steps ahead. Like I mentioned earlier, it also made the game quite portable, eliminating forty-five Echo Cards otherwise used in the game.
Beyond theme
Rook & Ruin is not just a game themed on chess. It is chess, reimagined. From the pieces and grandmasters to the checkered dungeon, the limited time, and the constant need to strategize, it preserves every essence of the game while tweaking certain elements to add layers and create a truly unique solo experience. And I really enjoyed every bit of it!
You’re on borrowed time, King!
Rook & Ruin’s campaign is already live on Gamefound, and it’s blazing all guns. You only have nine days to back it, and step in the shoes of the grandmasters in dungeons!
Recommended items
Game Overview
Publisher: Florian Fiedler
Designer: Florian Fiedler
Number of players: 1
Difficulty level: Medium
Rounds of gameplay needed to learn: 1 to 2 rounds
Game duration: 30-40 minutes
Available on: Gamefound
Theme: Roll-and-write OR Flip-and-write | Reimagined Chess in a dungeon
Number of pages and color: Max 14 pages (color print)
Assembling difficulty level: Super easy if you play with the Flowing Arsenal System.
Lamination: Recommended for replayability
Additional elements required: A pen and 5 dice (D6, D8, D10, D12 and D20)
Time to learn: Within 20 minutes
Travel-friendly: 10/10
Shelving friendly: 10/10
Rating from PnP Time: 9/10
Tasliman is a board game developer based in Bangladesh, with the dream of exploring the world of games and introducing it to anyone new to it. He is the founder of Kraftz, a brand that develops board games commercially, as well as with reputed entities like BRAC and The Gates Foundation.
