The rulebook is currently under construction - 1/17/25
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Arborius: Game of Trees
Compose your ultimate hero by nesting units together, build unique combos and adapt to your opponents. Craft any cards in any order to create something truly unique. Each collectible tile snaps and stacks together. Tiles have orientation that effects where they can move and attack. Every tile has the same base actions:
-Move a stack -Attack -Unplay -Play
-Use abilities -Enter tiles -Exit tiles
Move can tiles forward:
Tiles can jump down.
Or step up one.
Tiles can be unplayed, returning them to your deck
When played a tile must: - Face an ally - Not cover an enemy
Enter the top tile directly in front.
Exit a tile from the top.
Example of play:
Only white's turns are shown in this example. White wants to use its circle to attack black's triangle. Unless an ability effects it, tiles may only attack directly in front of them, so the circle needs to be moved into position to attack. The whole process takes 5 turns.
Starting positions
First white unplays the circle
Then replays it facing towards black's triangle
Then the circle can ascend.
And attack down on the triangle.
Example of play:
Only white's turns are shown in this example. White wants to use its circle to attack black's triangle. Unless an ability effects it, tiles may only attack directly in front of them, so the circle needs to be moved into position to attack. The whole process takes 5 turns.
Starting positions
First white unplays the circle
Then replays it facing towards black's triangle
Then the circle can ascend.
And attack down on the triangle.
Setup:
Arborius is played over multiple small boards that come and go as a game unfolds. All the tiles on a "board" will be touching, so physical grid markings aren't necessary. Players start with only one tile in play. Moving tiles from deck to board efficiently is key. Basic starting positions:
Win condition:
A player wins when their opponent is unable to make a move. This happens when all their tiles are either dead, or covered up by other player's tiles. Tiles are completely disabled while covered. Here blue has won by covering all of yellow's tiles.
Imagine a game of chess. The board is flat. Positional advantage is determined entirely by tiles' attacks. In Arborius, it's determined by terrain, which is made up of other tiles.
With high ground advantage, players fight to control more valuable positions in the playspace. Controlling the top of a stack allows the entire column to be moved or rotated at once.
CRAFTING AND INVENTORY
Now it gets interesting.
Tiles can also move inside each other...
This is the building/crafting system. When a tile moves inside another tile, we start another separate board.
This additional board represents the "inside" of the tile, or its "inventory" You still make only one move across all boards, rather than one move in each board.
A piece may use any of the abilities from its inventory as its own.
Equipping your tiles with internal structures makes them more powerful.
Enemy tiles can enter your own, and attack your items directly, but enemy tiles' abilities can also be used from your inventory.
There are no limits on the depth of inventories.
Note:
Isolated tiles with no adjacents are destroyed. To distinguish a new "board", just put the tiles more than one tile away from the others. Tiles can't be away from each other and still be on the same board.
Attacking:
When a tile attacks, deal damage equal to the height of the tallest stack of tiles in it. For example the tallest stack here is 4 tiles, so it deals 4 damage with each attack.
Defending:
A defender must remove stacks of tiles. If they take x damage, they must remove x stacks, and place them on top of the Defender. If they do not have enough stacks, the defender is destroyed and removed from play.