Stricken is a hidden-information game. The game uses a lattice with 5 layers. Each layer has 25 points.
1. Shells and information
- Each side starts with 12 active shells.
- Each shell contains one bead. A bead has 1 to 4 capabilities.
- The capabilities are ✦ Inspire, ◈ Ward, ✹ Pulse, and ▼ Sap.
- Your shells display every ability they contain. The same glyph is muted while private and solid after its first public use.
- Opponent shells display only abilities they have used publicly, plus a question mark while hidden information remains.
- A question mark never identifies a specific ability.
Capability permissions
✦InspireActive. Adjacent allies permanently gain +1 Power, with no cap.
◈WardActive. Adjacent allies permanently gain +1 Defense, with no cap.
✹PulseActive. Every adjacent shell takes damage equal to the actor's Power.
▼SapActive. Clear an adjacent enemy's buffs and disable its abilities.
Any active shell can Drift, Attack, or Pass. An unsilenced shell can also use any ability contained in its bead.
2. Turn sequence
- Select one active shell.
- Select one normal action.
- For a target action, select one highlighted target. The action commits immediately.
- The other side starts its turn after the action.
Pass is a normal action. Pass changes no shell and commits immediately.
A silenced shell cannot use Inspire, Ward, Pulse, or Sap. It can still Drift, Attack, or Pass.
3. Power and Defense
- Each shell starts at 1 Power / 1 Defense.
- Inspire buffs add to Power. Ward buffs add to Defense.
- Power and Defense are printed directly on every shell and are always public.
- Damage reduces Defense and persists.
- A shell is destroyed when Defense reaches 0.
4. Normal actions
↗ Drift
Select one adjacent point along one axis. The target point must be inside the lattice and empty.
⚔ Attack
Any active shell can Attack one adjacent opponent shell.
- Both shells use Power. Both shells take damage at the same time.
- A shell that reaches 0 Defense is destroyed for 1 point.
- If both shells are destroyed, both sides score 1 point. No shell advances.
- If only the target is destroyed, the attacker advances into the target point.
✦ Inspire
The acting shell must have Inspire and at least one adjacent ally. Every adjacent ally permanently gains +1 Power. The acting shell does not buff itself, and the buff has no cap.
◈ Ward
The acting shell must have Ward and at least one adjacent ally. Every adjacent ally permanently gains +1 Defense. The acting shell does not buff itself, and the buff has no cap.
✹ Pulse
The acting shell must have Pulse and at least one adjacent shell. Every adjacent shell takes damage equal to the actor's current Power, including friendly shells. The acting shell is not adjacent to itself and takes no damage.
▼ Sap
The acting shell must have Sap. Select one adjacent active opponent shell.
Sap removes every Inspire and Ward buff from the target and permanently disables all of its abilities. It does not reveal the target's private abilities.
- The target can still Drift and Attack.
- If losing Ward buffs leaves it at 0 Defense, it is destroyed.
- Sap does not deal combat damage.
5. Foretell
- Each side has 3 Foretell orders for one game.
- Select Seal Foretell to open the inline controls.
- Select an action that is legal now. Select a delay of 2 or 3 of your turns.
- Submit the Foretell. It seals immediately and ends your turn.
- The game checks the action again on the due turn.
- The game does the action if it is legal. Your turn then ends.
- The order does nothing if the acting shell is not active.
- An illegal future action fails. It does not reveal an ability.
- A shell can have one unresolved Foretell. Two Foretell orders cannot have the same due turn.
6. End conditions
- You win when no opponent shells remain.
- You can claim victory when you have at least 24 points and a lead of at least 3 points.
- The game ends after both sides complete 60 turns.
- At the turn limit, the higher score wins.
- If scores are equal, the side with more active shells wins.
- If active-shell counts are equal, the side with less total damage wins.
- If all values are equal, the game is a draw.
These rules are an original reconstruction. The rules are not canonical. The game is inspired by Iain M. Banks's The Player of Games.