Castle Siege Chess

This board is wild! Possibly the best chess variant I've played. Great fun. I think a little more imagination with the new pieces would be good, but that is easy to change.

I do like this game. My son likes the advanced rulesets, and plays with friends. I'm not very interested in them. Personally I think they over-complicate a clean abstract--if I want a complicated ruleset I won't play a chess variant. But I absolutely recommend buying this off etsy.

This is a really great chess variant! The rules are a thoughtful addition to traditional chess rules.

A great variant of chess (which I would always gladly play if I'm in the mood for chess), but still a chess variant. The castle wall, curved spaces, and new pieces are very interesting. Of all the chess variants I've played, this one is the best at keeping the original spirit of the game.

The board is a pain. It a giant woodish square that is not foldable. It is a pain to store and a pain to transport. I use it to put my laptop on my bed, which it works great for but is definitely not the intended use. Apparently the game will be remade in an upcoming kickstarter, which will fix the board

I have not played the more complicated variants included with the game.

Level 2 of the Castle Strife game sequence. This is the one that is most directly a chess variant. It adds a few new pieces and an odd board geometry. I like both elements, which add a lot of richness without a lot of rules overhead. The new pieces are low powered but relevant. The board encourages three fronts of conflict. Combining the broad board with the new pieces creates a game about choosing where to deploy as much as how to tactically maneuver. I like it a lot.

The other levels of Castle Strife are nice too, but I think this one is my favorite for being so clean yet deep.