To prepare for a match, it will be necessary to gather a sufficient number of playing pieces to cover likely eventualities. Each of 2 opposing players will typically require:

1) At least 3 six- sided dice which can be distinguished from each other, to be rolled in combination; though as many dice of any type as can be obtained would be useful as markers/ Str counters for the player's Image and beings, as well as factor pool counters.

2) A Poker- type deck of playing cards.

3) About 30 dominoes for layout paths. Since 3 will be needed for each being or item summoned as many as 14 things smn'd *3 dominoes per being= 42 might be necessary.

4) About 10 pennies or small counters to use as damage tallies on being cards, or if more dice are available, dice faces can be used to track a being's damage or current Str.

5) A set of chessmen, distinguishable in design from the opponent's set, for which the pawns of both the black and white pieces have been tagged with the numbers 1..8; or an equivalent alternative for playing pieces (see Select Beings for Pool Deck below).

Set Up Playing Area:

Clear a tabletop space: enough area for a layout of dominoes, an array of cards, and room to roll dice. Lay a number of dominoes (typically 9) on edge end- to- end in the center of the table stretching directly across the desired width of the "board" and place markers for the opposing player Images (typically dice with a trey showing to track life points) at opposite ends of the line. These in- line (on edge) dominoes are simply placed as a spacing and alignment guide for laying out further domino paths, and are removable at any time, usually being taken away piecemeal as a player's layout grows.

Select Beings for Pool Deck:

The playing pieces of the game represent "beings" each of whose individual stats is described by a card assigned to it from the Poker deck. Chessmen are typically used for the pieces, lending the game a Lewis Carroll flavor, but if two chess sets of a suitable size aren't available, or if prefered, the players may use an alternative such as either of the following.

Coins may be used, with the value of the coins stacked in a square indicating the rank of the card the being represents, the bottom coin in a stack indicating the side of the being and the top coin by its facing indicating the color. One side uses a quarter for the bottom coin of every stack while the other side doesn't; or, for the affluent, the other side puts two quarters at the base of every stack. Ranks A(1)..4 are a stack of pennies, 5 is a nickel, 6..9 are pennies stacked on a nickel, 10 is a dime, and J..K (11..13) is a dime atop stacked pennies. The top coin of a stack is turned to Heads for a red card or Tails for a black card.

If the players both have a whole lot of polyhedral dice, two dice stacked together may represent a being, with its side and color indicated by the base die, and its level (see Level table below) and rank indicated by the top die. For instance, one side might use a 6- sided base die for its black cards and an 8- sided base die for its red cards, while the other side uses a 12- sided base die for its black cards and a 20- sided base die for its red cards. Cards A(1) & 4 could be represented by a 4- sided top die turned to the indicated face; cards 2, 5 & 6 could be similarly represented by a 6- sided top die; cards 3 & 7 by an 8- sided top die; and cards 8, 9 & 10 by a 12- sided top die; while court cards could be represented by a 20- sided top die turned to face 11..13 (J..K).

When using chessmen, the pawns of both colors, which are used to represent cards of rank A(1)..8, need to be marked so that two of the same color can be distinguished from one another according to assigned card rank. The pawns could be tagged with stick- on labels, numbered cable tag or pasted paper strips, or color coded rubber bands/ dots (electronics code of 1..8 as brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet & gray works well). Both sides use both black & white pieces, with the white pieces standing for red cards and the black pieces standing for black cards, and the sides are distinguished by the players using 2 different chess sets. In this regard, having a character- type chess set could be handy.

Players choose their forces by selecting the cards they wish to include on their sides. Only one deck of cards may be used by a player to select from: duplications of cards aren't allowed on one side. A being's stats are derived from a card as follows:

Str= card's column max count

Atk= card's column mul count

Def= card's column mid count

Rank:	A	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	J,Q,K
Str:	1	2	3	2	2	3	3	3	4	4	1
Atk:	1	1	1	2	3	2	3	3	3	3	2
Def:	1	2	3	0	1	0	1	2	1	2	0

The three card column counts are based on the generally- used arrangement of "spots" on any given card. These patterns are broken down into 3 column positions: left, right & middle - the left & right columns on a card being identical. By this usage, max= the maximum number of spots in any one column, mul= the number of column positions containing spots, and mid= the number of spots in the middle column.

When using chessmen as playing pieces for beings, number cards A(1)..8 are assigned to Pawns, which have no special abilities. Number card 9 is assigned to the Bishop, and number card 10 is assigned to the Rook. Both B & R may make attacks on diagonally adjacent enemy beings (see Attacks below). The Rook is a trap/ barricade- type being (see Movement below) and is immobile once put in play, but has the ability when the owner pays a number of Force factors (see Roll dice below) of being removed from play and making an attack of its current Atk against all beings friendly and enemy, including Images, within a block of squares at a distance of the number of Force factors paid from its square.

Piece assignments for court/ face cards then are Jack to Knight, and Queen & King to those pieces. The abilities for court cards are summarized in the table below (refer to the Move & attack and Check defense sections for more info) with the variable cost for an ability shown as requiring either Force or Chance factors (see Roll dice below). The target of a court card's ability may be either itself or another being on a layout path (see Summon a being below) in an unobstructed unbroken orthogonal line of sight. That is, a continuous line of squares in an attack direction from the active piece not blocked by another being of either side.

All ability use is allowed at any point in a turn, may be used more than once per turn (with the exception of the Rook which is removed at activation) & doesn't interfere with ordinary movement and attack capabilities. Abilities produce effects lasting from the time used until the end of the turn. So modifying a being's Atk value or Move cost after it has attacked or moved won't have any effect, although a being's Def may be effectively modified at any point up to the time it checks defense (refer to the Move & attack and Check defense sections for more info).

Rank	Color	Piece	Ability
9	any	Bishop	atk dia adj emy
10	any	Rook	atk dia adj emy, (Fx?) rmv R & atk all in rng ?
Jack	black	Knight	(Fx?) tgt mov req +? M per sq til eot
"	red	"	(Cx?) tgt can mov +? sq per M til eot
Queen	black	Queen	(Fx?) tgt Def mod -? til eot
"	red	"	(Cx?) tgt Def mod +? til eot
King	black	King	(Fx?) tgt Atk mod -? til eot
"	red	"	(Cx?) tgt Atk mod +? til eot

The level of a being (see Choose dice from pool below) is determined as follows:

Level	Cards
1	A, 4, black Jack
2	2, 5, 6, red Jack, black Queen
3	3, 7, red Queen, black King
4	8, 9, 10, red King

A player's pool deck is composed of 15 being cards. Cards selected for the pool may not include 2 cards of the same rank and color: for example not the 7 of Hearts with the 7 of Diamonds. Once a player's pool deck being cards are selected, no alterations may be made during the match.

Turn Sequence:

A "turn" in this game means a player turn: applying to any one player, not both. Victory conditions to determine a winner are checked at end of each turn (see Check defense below).

1) Choose dice from pool.

A player may choose 1, 2 or 3 6- sided dice to roll. The player declares what levels of dice are to be rolled (see table at Roll dice below), specifying for each die. In doing so, the player designates a particular being of a die's level to be represented for each die rolled by placing a card from his pool deck face up in a location associated with one of the dice. Alternatively, if agreed by both players, the associated cards may be placed face down, each with a level marker on it (a die turned to face 1..4). A card rolled for on the previous turn may be returned to the pool deck to be replaced by a different one, or the same selections may be maintained on further rolls.

2) Roll dice.

If the roll of the dice results in 2 or 3 S(ummon) faces of the same level, the player is permitted to summon 1 being represented by a card associated with one of those dice, to be put into play. Only 1 being per player turn may be summoned. A summoned being must be put into play on the turn it's summoned, it can't be withheld for play on a later turn. The probability of getting al least 2 S faces on a roll of 2 or 3 dice of a specified level is shown in the table below. An effect of this rule is that when only one card of a level is left in the pool deck, no being of that level can be summoned, though that being's level die may still be rolled to gain factors.

Factors (Chance Force Defend Attack Move) are attained according to the face results by level of die, listed in 1 2 3 4 5 6 order as follows:

	Die	Smn x3	Smn x2
Level 1)	S S S S A M	74.1%	44.4%
Level 2)	D S S S A M	50%	25%
Level 3)	D F S S A M	25.9%	11.1%
Level 4)	D F C S A M	7.4%	2.7%

3) Add factors, Summon a being.

When a die result is not an S, 1 of the factor type rolled is added to the player's factor pool. Factors must be tracked as acquired and expended. A die for each one of the 5 factor types (or multiple dice for each factor if necessary) may be turned to indicate the amounts currently in the factor pool.

When a being is chosen to put into play, a 6 square/ 3 domino path must be laid out with one of its first- laid domino's squares abutting either the Image (in spaces to front or sides) or a square of a previously laid path belonging to that player, against any square in any way. A domino may be laid in front of an Image, where the in- line (edgewise) domino would be removed to make way for it, or to either side of the Image's marker, though the layout may not extend to the area behind the Image.

One player lays his dominoes face- up, while the other lays his face- down. If a player should reach a situation in a layout at which he's surrounded by his opponent's dominoes to the point where he can't lay a 3- domino path off of any square of his dominoes or a vacant square next to his Image, he can no longer summon beings.

The rules for laying a 3- domino path are that no two dominoes of the three may be laid end- to- end (short side against short side), dominoes played must abut the unconnected/ far end square of the last laid, and no layout may be used which would create a solid 2x2 block within the 3 being laid. These qualifications only apply to the 3- domino path being laid at any one time. A path may interlock with the existing dominos laid out by either player in any way, so long as they fit.

After the path is laid out, a marker piece/ figurine of the summoned being is placed in a square of the newly- laid path adjacent to a square of a previously- laid path chosen by the summoning player if more than one possibility exists. The previously- laid path may be that of either side. The card referenced by the summoned being is then placed face- up near the layout.

4) Move & attack.

Note that the following generally applicable rules may be altered by a being's special abilities, and the exceptions as known are described.

A being is capable of moving and attacking, as well as using a special ability, on the same turn it is summoned into play - there's no waiting period. Only the acting player's beings may be summoned, be moved and make attacks during his turn, though the opponent's beings may use their special abilities.

Movement:

After a being is put into play, it may be moved on the domino pathways by crossing a square divider to an adjacent square: no diagonal moves are permitted. A being may be moved onto any adjacent square, whether of the same domino or of one placed next to it, and no matter which side laid the domino. Moving a being requires making a payment in Move factors, ordinarily one Move factor per square for each being moved. Any or all beings on a player's side in play may be moved any number of squares during that player's turn, providing the player has sufficient Move factors to pay all costs. Beings may be moved in any order, but can not move simultaneously, and may not skip squares when moving. A being may move before and/ or after any other being moves, and before and/ or after it or another being makes an attack or uses a special ability.

A being may enter a square occupied by another being of the same side, but may not stay there while another being, including the colocated being, moves, or it or another being attacks. If forced to halt in an occupied square, the moving being is removed from play. A being may not enter a square occupied by an opponent being.

The 10 card/ Rook is a trap/ barricade- type being. It can't move after being put into play. An opponent piece which moves to any square adjacent to a Rook (including diagonally adjacent) must end its movement for that turn. An opponent piece which begins its turn in a square adjacent to a Rook will not be halted by moving into another square adjacent to the same Rook, but its cost in Move factors to enter such another adjacent square is increased by +1.

Attacks:

Every being on a player's side is allowed to make one attack per turn, providing the player has sufficient Attack factors to pay all costs. A being's attack may be made against an opponent being or the opponent's Image. Attacking a being or Image requires making a payment in Attack factors, ordinarily one Attack factor per attack. In order to attack, a being must be in a square adjacent to its target across a square divider (that is, orthogonally adjacent, not diagonally). The two exceptions to this are the 9/ Bishop and the 10/ Rook which may attack diagonally adjacent targets.

Every being has a suit type, indicated by its assigned card. Suits are ordered in a hierarchy of Hearts Spades Diamonds Clubs (mnemonic "Club beats Heart beats"). This means that two cards of the same color, even if of different suits, confer no modifiers when their beings oppose each other, but for cards of different colors Hearts best Spades best Diamonds best Clubs best Hearts. In particular, for attacks, if a being attacks a being of the suit below it, the attacking being gains Atk +1. This hierarchy bonus is checked for each attacker: one attacker cannot benefit from another's bonus. Also note the effect of hierarchy in Check defense below.

When an attack is made against a being, place a number of pennies beside its card indicating the points of attack (the attacker's Atk value with any modifiers) to be applied at the Check defense phase. The same target being may be attacked by more than one being in a turn. Note that no beings attacked are removed from play until the Check defense phase.

5) Check defense.

The Check defense phase occurs after a player has ended all movement and attacks for his turn. When a being has been attacked during a turn, the value of its card's Defense may be applied against the attack points dealt to it, providing the owning player has sufficient Defense factors to pay the cost. Using a being's Defense requires making a payment in Defense factors, ordinarily one Defense factor per use. The being's Defense value is not multiplied in case of multiple attacks, but is applied once (with any modifiers) against all accumulated attacks, and no more than the required Defense factor expenditure per being may be made.

The same hierarchy of card suits described in Attacks above has application for defense as well. If a being checks defense against an attack by a being of the suit below it, the defending being gains Def +1. It is only required that one attacker qualify the defender for this bonus, not every attacker in the case of more than one attack.

After a target being's Def is subtracted from the points of attack dealt, move pennies onto the defending card from those set beside it to note its damage, or adjust a die to track its current Str. A being reduced to Str 0 is removed from play; that is, its piece is taken off the board and its card is placed in a discard pile, and may not be resummoned.

Victory conditions are checked here at the end of each player's turn. A player wins if he eliminates (deres'es) the opposing player's Image. An Image has no Def and begins the game with 3 life points rather than a Str value. One life point is deducted from an Image at the end of any turn in which it was attacked by any means, and an Image is eliminated when reduced to 0 life points.

A player can also win if his opponent is left with no space available to summon beings or there are no summonable cards left in his opponent's pool deck, and the opponent has no beings in play (if the opponent has only Rooks in play, there'd have to be a sufficient number to eliminate the enemy Image providing enough Force factors could be gained to reach the target in detonations - a real "long shot").


Optional/ Advanced Rules Section

Setup (~Optional):

If a player has chessmen of white and red colors (as in Alice Through The Looking Glass) or some other color variation, the player may associate the card to piece colors as he desires, just advising the opponent of his scheme.

4- Dice Rolls (~Optional):

~When choosing dice/ cards from pool deck, a player may spend a Chance factor to be allowed to choose and roll 4 dice at once rather than the normal maximum of 3. Still only 1 being per player turn may be summoned. ~prob.s for smn on 4 dice: lvl 4= 13.2%

Refereed (~Optional):

~third person acts as referee so that Factor pool (~? & beings in play) info can be hidden from opponent

Select Being Pools (~Optional):

~Card selection & fill- in - Each being is assembled from 2 cards, with its stats derived as follows:

Str= back card's long count

Atk= front card's long count

Def= back card's mid count

Mov= back card's spot count minus front card's spot count

~The level of a being is determined by

~Pool is composed of 15 card pairs. Once a player's being card pairs are selected, no alteration of pairs may be made. If these cards are stacked together in a pool deck, the player must be careful not to remix pairs; always examining the cards pair- by- pair from the top of the deck. A player might prefer to use cards for his back cards of the same card size as those of his front cards but with a different design, to keep track of his intended order. This could also be enforced in play if so desired.

3) Add factors, summon a being. (~Optional)

5) about 10 pieces (preferably with a set of duplicates) to use as figurines, for which chessmen work well (described below), or some small plastic (Lego) bricks with 2 of each type, or pairs of dice or something of the sort

After the path is laid out, a marker piece/ figurine of the summoned being is placed in a square of the newly- laid path adjacent to a square of a previously- laid path, the card referenced by it is revealed and placed face- up near the layout and a duplicate of its marker piece is placed on the card to insure correct identification. For chessman, 5 white and 5 black pairs can be made by pairing the King & Queen, with one side using both black & white and the sides distinguished by the players using 2 different chess sets.

Attacks (~Optional):

~hierarchy= 2 cards of same suit bests/ surmouts 2 cards of same color bests 2 cards of different colors bests 2 cards of same suit