The incredibly complex but hugely popular game involves forty-two pieces per side competing upon three game boards representing the sky, the earth, and the underworld. Pieces include the griffon, sylph, oliphant, basilisk, hero, thief, and paladin. Games often take a full hour, and unfold at a leisurely pace while the players converse.

The Rules:
A modified Mass Combat (page 120 SWEX) approach.

Primary Roll (Battle Check): Knowledge (Battlechess) or Smarts -2 (a modified common knowledge check)

• Each start with 10 Tokens
• Modifiers – Drunk -2, possible others
• Characters in Mass Combat = Your key pieces. It represents using your big guns (Rooks/Queen/King) in risky situations. Toughness=2+Skill/2 (so 2+Knowledge(Battlechess)/2 or 2+ Smarts/2 – 2/2 (or 1+Smarts/2) for damage purposes
• Cannot use your main pieces (Character) in your opening move.
• Lose when one side losses all their Tokens (basically lose all viable pieces), their “Character” is incapacitated (Checkmate), or Route (resign)
• You have a normal complement of Bennies in Online Play. NPCs generally have 3 (2 for being a Wild Card, 1 for each PC)
• Morale
  • only the -1 per token lost for the Spirit check.
  • Retreat translates to -2 on next Battle Check (no other check)
  • Route = resign