A light strategy game for two players, from the setting of the Mouse Guard comics and roleplaying game.

Each player controls four mouse pawns (white or black) on a 6-by-8 grid. Play involves a deck containing 10 of 3 types of cards (30 in total): Sword, Stronghold, and Diplomacy.

Setup

Turn the board so that each player has 6 squares in front of them. One player takes one mouse of each color, hides one in each palm, and has the other player pick a hand, thereby selecting what color they will be. Each player then places their mice in any configuration on the two closest grid intersection ranks. Shuffle the card deck and deal 3 cards to each player. Black goes first.

Play

On your turn, select one mouse and move it into any open space around it (up, down, left, or right). You may then play one of your cards targeting that mouse.

Sword: Move in an L shape (move one space in any direction, then one perpendicular to your last move). Any mice encountered are pushed in the direction of your movement. If multiple mice are lined up, all are pushed. Mice pushed off the board or into one of the corners surrounding a Stronghold are captured and removed from play. You may not capture your own mice.

Stronghold: Leap off the grid onto an adjacent square. Mice may not enter grid corners touching your square. Mice currently in such a grid corner are pushed back one space. Mice will try to move in the direction of their side of the board first. If they cannot move into an open space, the Stronghold cannot be played.

If you are in a stronghold, you may leave this position by moving to any of the grid corners touching the square and then moving once space. In this special movement case, you may not play a card.

Diplomacy: Choose the nearest enemy mouse (a non-Stronghold mouse counts as occupying the 4 squares around it):

If they are in a stronghold, force them out and into an adjacent grid corner of your choice.
If not, switch places with that mouse.

Rescue: If you have one of each card, play all of them and put one of your captured mice back on the board in any open setup position.

Immediately after resolving a turn, draw cards until your hands size is 3. If there are not enough cards, draw what remains, shuffle the discard pile, and continue drawing.

Winning

Build a stronghold in one of the enemy corners or capture all enemy mice.

Bound