GAME BOARD DESCRIPTION AND INTERPRETATION
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Description and interpretation of the game board are as follows: The playing surface (battlefield) is 12 x12 spaces = 144 spaces. The board measures out as 18" by 18". Each space is a open-spot, square, or water (rectangle). The open-spots measure out at 1 1/4" in diameter and the squares are
1 1/4" by 1 1/4".
You move your pieces around and about on the open-spots
(you cannot land on the squares). You either move to them, single space at a time or land on them by jumping or multiple jumping. The squares have to be jumped over or you can maneuver around them. The deadly fire-dragon pit squares can be jumped over or landed on (your choice). Landing on a deadly fire-dragon pit square can be trouble or for your benefit. The yellow and black lines show that the water (castle moat) cannot be jumped over by any piece without the use of the drawbridge. You cannot pass the moat unless the drawbridge is down across the moat.
On the north side and the south side of the game board are two castles that face each other.
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One castle is gray-brown and the other castle is red-blue.
Each castle is divided into two wings. One wing is for the king and his knights. The other wing is for the queen and her horses.
The king's wing houses six "red" or "gray" knights in the knight quarters (inside white-lined walls).
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The queen's wing houses six "brown" or "blue" horses in the horse quarters (inside the white-lined walls).
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There are four warrior (knight on horse emblems) lookout posts across each castle behind the castle moat, in front of the knight or horse quarters.
In each wing of the castle there are twenty-two colored brick spaces that consists of eighteen brick open-spots and four brick squares. You can land on open-spots and you jump over the brick squares.
The colored brick spaces will color match the moving pieces that go in that colored castle wing at the start of the game.
3 of the 4 colored brick squares are plain bricks with no logo.
The other brick square has the crown jewels (queen side) or golden chalice emblem (king side) on them.
In the king wing (left) there is the dungeon jail and a guard post.
In the queen wing (right) is the stockade jail and a guard post. Around each jail is a thick black line. This thick black line represents the one-way jail wall.
When a warrior is on the jail's guard post, opposing pieces may enter the jail but they cannot leave while the guard is in position. The jail acts like a trap when there is a warrior posted on the guard post.
In between the dungeon and the stockade, right behind the guard posts is the castle moat (drawbridge). The moat has yellow and black diagonal lines on the two long sides of it. The yellow-black lines show that moving pieces cannot jump over the moat. Moving pieces can move or be forced into the castle moats, they cannot jump over.
In the moat it shows the knights and horses from both sides are destroyed when they go in the moat. Each castle moat is full of sharks with the remains and skeleton bones of the victims.
You need the use of the drawbridge to get over the moat.
The royal court consists of six over sized circle-spots (1 1/2" in diameter). They are in the center of the castle behind the moat.
On the left side is the king's court (three oversized circle-spots) and on the right side is the queen's court (three oversized circle-spots).
At the back of the king's court is the king's throne circle-spot. At the back of the queen's court is the queen's throne circle-spot. In chapter six, when the extra mortal kings and queens come on the board, they are placed in the royal court. In the royal court, the pink hearts show where the mortal kings and queens go.
Next to the king's throne is the golden chalice brick square.
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Next to the queen's throne is the crown jewels brick square.
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At the front of the royal court is the bridge plateau (two over-sized circle spaces).
The two over-sized circle spots are right next to the moat, it is marked with the word "bridge".
This is where the drawbridge is kept in the raised or up position.
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In the corner of the king's wing is the king's gold treasure circle-spot.
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In the opposite corner of the queen's wing is the queen's silver treasure circle-spot.
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In the center of the game board are four dark purple circle-spots. This is Merlynn's Centre Court.
In the center of Merlynn's Court is the spiral gyro compass rose. This is where the crystal ball and other "magic stuff" are kept during play (chapter 4, 5, and 6). Around the spiral gyro compass rose are four purple colored arrows with the direction headings. These can be used for locating position on the game board and helpful for setting up the game.
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In between each opposing castle on the east side and west side of the board are the magic court-slides.
One court-slide borders the east side of the board while the other borders the west side of the board.
The magic court-slide (slide area) consists of four pink circle-spots that are connected by gold star bursts.
At the edge of the game board in each magic court-slide are two pink circle-spots with a purple star in each one.
These two pink-starred circle-spots in each court-slide are called the magic warp-way exits allowing you to go off the gameboard and come back on the other side. There are pink arrows going off the board from both warp-way exits to show the magic warp-way.
The area off the board between the "warp-way" exits is called the warpzone. This is where some of the "magic stuff" (chapter 4, 5, and 6)is kept during play.
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Next to each magic court-slide are two deadly fire-dragon pit squares.
Mortal pieces are destroyed when forced on the deadly fire-dragon pit squares.
The four deadly fire-dragon pit squares are black and each have three fire-dragons in them, showing knights and horses from both sides (castles) being destroyed by fire.
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The rest of the game board is neutral (light green circle-spots) area between the castles. The light green area represents the grassy area between the castles.
In the grassy area are 12 swirling blue star-bursts and they represent Merlynn's magic that intervenes the battle. The 12 blue star-bursts also represent the 12 magic power rings. At the east and west end of the grassy field is a sun, moon, and stars logo emblem to show that the battle is fought under the "heavens".
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Inside of each castle wing is a green grassy area that consists of two circle-spots. This area or section is the king or queen's courtyard. The courtyards are not part of the brick castle.
In the outer front wings of each castle is a catapult.
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The catapult circle-spots are either yellow or orange with a catapult emblem on each of them.
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Warriors can fire the catapult bombs at 9 different target locations into each quadrant of the battlefield (game board).
Each catapult fires at the quadrant directly across from the catapult.
The catapults targets are represented by yellow and orange dots or yellow and orange dots with a black cross-hair on them that match up with the catapult fire bombs.
The catapults come into play in chapter 4.
There are 3 fire-flames that extends above each catapult target.
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