ChessDeck

Chess on a small board

ChessDeck is a PC roguelike deckbuilder built around chess movement, but you don’t play a full game of chess. Each turn, you draw cards that spawn pieces on your back row and move them up a small board. Pawns are cheap and slow, knights jump, and rooks and queens can cross the board in one move at a price.

A piece that reaches the enemy’s row strikes the garrison in its column. Clear that garrison to win the fight. Enemies show their intended actions a full turn ahead, including which column they’ll hit and how hard. The first piece in a threatened column takes the hit, so you have to weigh sending a strong piece forward against keeping it back to absorb damage.