Knights & Corsairs

Overview

Knights & Corsairs is a head-to-head strategy game played on a 3×3 grid using a standard deck of cards. Each player controls one colour (red or black), and battles are resolved using quick-fire three-card contests. The goal is to either create a line of three cards of your colour and suit; or overwhelm a space through adjacency and control.

Contents

• 1 standard 52-card deck (no Jokers)
• 3×3 grid play area (imaginary)
• 2 players

Setup

1. Divide the deck by colour:
   • One player takes all red cards (hearts and diamonds).
   • The other takes all black cards (clubs and spades).
2. Each player shuffles their deck and draws 7 cards into their starting hand.
3. Randomly decide who goes first.
4. The game board is a 3×3 grid, initially empty.

Objective

A player wins the game by achieving either of the following:

1. Line Victory: End your turn with three cards of your colour and the same suit in a straight line (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal).
2. Influence Victory: Place a card into a space that is already adjacent to three of your own cards; no battle required.

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Gameplay

Each turn involves a card battle to control one grid space. The attacker attempts to place a card, and the defender tries to stop them. The battle is resolved through a best-of-three card contest.

Turn Structure

1. First Turn (Centre Space Only)

• The starting player plays:
  • 1 face-up card into the centre space.
  • 2 face-down cards from hand onto the table.
• The defending player responds with 3 face-up cards from their hand onto the table.
• The attacker reveals their 2 face-down cards.

…Proceed to Resolution.

2. All Subsequent Turns

• The loser of the previous round becomes the attacker.
• They choose any empty space on the grid and play:
  • 1 face-up card into that space.
  • 0–2 face-down cards, depending on adjacency rules (see below).
• The defending player responds with 0–3 face-up cards, also based on adjacency rules.

…Proceed to Resolution.

Adjacency Rules (Card Count Modifiers)

The number of cards each player plays in the battle depends on how many of their own cards are adjacent (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) to the contested grid space.

Attacker

• Starts with 2 face-down cards.
• Subtract 1 face-down card for each adjacent card of their own colour.
• Minimum: 0 face-down cards.

Defender

• Starts with 3 face-up cards.
• Subtract 1 face-up card for each adjacent card of their own colour.
• Minimum: 0 face-up cards.

Example:
If Red plays a card into a space adjacent to 2 red cards, they place no face-down cards.
If Black is defending and has 1 black card adjacent, they respond with 2 face-up cards.

Resolution

1. Each player has contributed three cards to the contest (from hand or via adjacency).
2. Compare all six cards together.
3. The player with the highest two or more cards wins the battle (see example).
4. In the case of tied values, the defending player wins those ties (see example).
5. The lowest of the winner’s three cards is placed face-up into the contested grid space.
6. All other cards are discarded.

Step 3 Example:
Attacker plays: 2♥, 6♦, 8♥
Defender plays: 3♣, 4♠, 10♠
Attacker has the two highest cards, and wins.

Step 4 Example 2 (With Ties)
Attacker: 5, 7, 9
Defender: 5, 8, 9
→ The Defenders 9 is considered higher than the Attacker’s 9.
The Defender also has the second highest card, and wins.

Winning the Game

1. Line Victory

You win immediately if you end your turn with three of your own colour and the same suit in a straight line (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal).

2. Influence Victory

If you play a card into a space that is already adjacent (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) to three cards of your own colour, you win instantly.

• In this case, no face-down cards are required.
• The card is placed without a battle, and the game ends immediately.

3. Tie Breaker

If no Line or Influence Victory, then whoever has the most cards of the their colour and the same suit on the board, wins. eg. you might have more black cards than the opponent, but if they have more of the same suit of their colour, they win. If still no winner, whoever won the final position wins.

Additional Notes

• Suits only matter for achieving a Line Victory.
• For an easier to play game, a Line Victory can be achieved by just matching your colour and not suits. This also works as a handicap between an experienced player (suits required) and a new player (only colours required).
• Once a card is placed on the grid, it remains there permanently.
• If a player runs out of cards in their draw pile, they reshuffle their discard pile to form a new deck.
• All unused or losing cards in each battle are discarded.