Captures

A capture occurs when a moving group of Guards lands on or passes over an opponent’s piece or group that it can capture under the standard capture rules.

Captured pieces are returned to their Yard and lose any midpoint progress. Every captured Guard or Noble also loses that piece’s entire progression score.

The capturing player will be awarded combat score points based on their Noble’s location and the number of pieces captured.

Capture rules apply on all regular tiles. Special tiles follow their own rules.

A single Guard cannot capture any pieces.

A group of two Guards captures single pieces.

A group of three Guards captures single pieces and groups of two.

A group of four Guards captures single pieces and groups of two, three, or four.

Groups usually capture only smaller groups. A group of four is the exception: it can also capture another group of four.

Captures cannot occur on Castles.

Your pieces cannot be captured while on your own entering tile.

A Noble cannot capture any pieces.

A Noble can be captured by any opponent group of two or more Guards.

When a Noble is captured, all of that player’s Guards are also captured and returned to the Yard, except those already in Home or on the Home path. Those Guards remain in place and keep their progress.

That player also loses all stored rolls and exit credits.

That player is then given 2 exit credits, so they can move Guards out of the Yard on their next turn.

Protecting your Noble is essential.

A convergence capture occurs when a player adds another Guard to a tile shared by single pieces from multiple players.

Because single pieces cannot capture or blockade, single pieces belonging to different players may occupy the same tile.

If a player moves another Guard onto or past that tile, their two Guards temporarily form a group and capture any opposing pieces.

Example: Player 1, Player 2, and Player 3 each have a single Guard on tile 23. Player 1 also has a Guard on tile 27.

If Player 1 moves the Guard from tile 27 onto tile 23, Player 1 forms a group of two and captures the single Guards belonging to Players 2 and 3.

The same rule applies when moving past the shared tile. If Player 1 moves the Guard from tile 27 past tile 23 to tile 19, it temporarily joins Player 1’s Guard on tile 23 and captures the opposing single Guards before continuing to tile 19. Player 1’s original Guard remains on tile 23.

Noble capture rules still apply. If a Noble is captured through convergence, all penalties for capturing a Noble also apply.

In both game modes, capturing opponent pieces awards combat score based on the number of pieces captured and the location of your Noble at the time of the capture. Combat score carries more weight in Brawl, while progression score carries more weight in Journey, making captures generally more impactful in Brawl and advancing your own pieces more impactful in Journey.