Sage (2010)

"Sage is an abstract strategy game which plays like Hnefatafl. It is played using a chinese chess board and pieces. The game starts with two equal armies of eleven pieces facing each other across the river - the Sage piece begins high in her tower, waiting to descend upon the battlefield. Any piece may capture by sandwiching opposing pieces vertically or horizontally. The aim is to score six points. These are achieved by moving your pieces into the river and off the board. The biggest tactical question is how soon you wish to move your pieces off the board - if you send too many off the board with an inadequate defence, your other pieces will be surrounded, but if you leave it too late, your opponent will slip off the board unchallenged. The game is fantasy themed; with Immortal sages, swift apprentices and soaring skyships. It is set on Quiet Mountain, an experimental island of scientific sorcery that has pushed the bounds of its esoteric lore too far - tearing Reality apart in a catacalysmic disaster. The first Sage to leave Quiet Mountain will be able to reach the Empress and blame their counterpart for the disaster! "