Warlord (original)
Acknowledgements:
This game is a variant of Chieftain, the parent page for Warlord in this wiki. There is one other game I know of that uses the number of royal pieces to determine the number of pieces moved per turn. Frank Lange uses 6 kings per side in Megachess [copyright 1994, 1999] with the rule that each player can move as many pieces as there are friendly kings.
The original shortrange chess game most of us were exposed to was Edgar Rice Burrough's Jetan. I read the John Carter on Mars series about age 10-12 or so, and thought Jetan was a great game idea. While I never consciously thought of Jetan in the design of these games, I have to believe that Jetan planted a seed in my unconscious that grew into part of my thinking about shortrange games in general. With the previous game of this series in particular, Lemurian Shatranj, I am lucky to not have re-designed a Jetan piece, especially as they are envisioned by LL Smith. Finally, I would like to thank Mike Nelson and George Duke for pointing out the correspondences between games.
Pieces
- the Chieftain. This is the royal piece. It slides 1 or 2 squares. It may not jump. It may change direction during its move, but may not move back to the square it started from. It has the special power of activating pieces so they may move. A chief may activate one friendly piece per turn, including itself or another chief. 
- the Hero. This piece combines 2 moves, a 1-square step, and a 2-square leap. It moves orthogonally only, in a straight line only. It may slide 1; or jump 2; or slide 1 and jump 2; or jump 2 and slide 1, horizontally or vertically only. While leaping, it may jump over a piece, friendly or enemy, upon which it has no effect. 
- the Shaman. This is the diagonal analog of the Hero. It slides 1 and/or jumps 2 in a diagonal line. This piece is a linear mover. It may not change directions during its move. It may jump over other pieces. 
- the Scout [standard chess kNight]. It moves as the FIDE knight: It leaps 2 squares from its starting point, and must land on a square of the opposite color from that which it started on. It may jump over other pieces. 
- the Warrior - It steps 1 square in any direction, to any of the 8 adjacent squares, moving like a non-royal standard FIDE king.
Set-up
The preset is [http://play.chessvariants.org/pbm/play.php?game%3DWarlord%26settings%3DWarlord+1.0]
Rules
Victory:
The game ends when all 8 Chieftains of one color are captured.
For a shorter game, end when one side has captured 3 enemy Chieftains, unless the opponent can immediately capture the 3rd friendly Chieftain. In that case, continue until one player has captured more enemy Chieftains than the opponent can capture back in that opponent's immediately following player turn.
Capture:
All pieces capture by replacement.
Movement:
- Each player may move up to 6 different pieces per turn.
- A player may never move more pieces than that player has Chieftains.
- No piece may move more than once in a turn.
- No piece is required to move. A player may pass a turn. If the opponent then also passes, the game is a draw.
- Pieces are moved one at a time, in any order desired by the owning player.
- All moves must be legal when they are made.
Activation:
- Pieces [except Chieftains] may not move under their own power. They must be activated by a Chieftain to move.
- No piece may ever move unless it is activated by a Chieftain which has to be within 2 squares of it at the start of its move. The chieftain that activates it may have been activated and moved to that spot earlier in the same turn.
- An activated piece may move outside the 2-square activation range of the chief which activated it, or any friendly chief's activation range.
- A chieftain may activate only 1 piece per turn, including itself or another chief.
- No piece may be activated or move more than once per turn.
- Once a piece has finished its move, it becomes inactive again. It cannot move in a subsequent turn without being re-activated by a chief.
- Chiefs may activate only pieces of their own color.
WARLORD II
This is a straight adaptation of the largest Chieftain variant, Overlord, to Warlord rules. Initially, it is suggested each player be allowed [up to] 10 activations/turn. If this is a good number, the total chiefs/side might be reduced to 12.
Pieces
- 16 chiefs
- 6 scouts
- 6 shamans
- 6 heroes
- 4 bishopies
- 4 rookish
- 30 warriors
New Pieces
- Bishopy. This piece moves as a 4-square bishop or a dabbabah. It slides up to 4 squares diagonally, or leaps to the second square orthogonally, jumping over the first orthogonal square and any piece that may be in that square. In Betza's funny notation, it would be a B4D. 
- Rookish. This piece moves as a 4-square rook or an alfil. It slides up to 4 squares orthogonally, or leaps to the second square diagonally, jumping over the first diagonal square and any piece that may be in that square. In Betza's funny notation, it would be an AR4.
Setup
The preset is [http://play.chessvariants.org/pbm/play.php?game%3DWarlord+II%26settings%3DWarlord+2]
Warlord 2.0
Acknowledgements [cont.]
This specific board size and rules set were suggested by Joshua DeBonis, a game design consultant with whom I played a game of Warlord.
Full Disclosure: As of this writing [6/11/11], I am in negotiations with Mr DeBonis to hire him as a game consultant for Another Level Games, my current attempt to create a small game company.
Pieces
- the Leader. It slides 1 or 2 squares. It may not jump. It may change direction during its move, but may not move back to the square it started from. The leader captures any piece it lands on, stopping its move on that square. It has the special power of activating pieces so they may move. This is the piece that actually controls your army, by giving orders to move to all the other pieces. See Activation. 
- Heavy Cavalry. These pieces move up to 3 squares orthogonally only, that is, in a straight line and only through the sides of the squares . They may freely jump any 1 or 2 friendly pieces in their way, having no effect on the friendly pieces jumped. They may freely jump 1 enemy piece, but not 2 enemy pieces in a row. They must stop on the square directly after the first enemy piece jumped. 
- the Cannon. This is the diagonal version of the Heavy Cavalry. It moves up to 3 squares, diagonally only, and in a straight line. It may freely jump any 2 pieces, friendly or enemy, to land on the 3rd square. - Light Cavalry. This piece moves as the FIDE knight: It leaps 2 squares from its starting point, and must land on a square of the opposite color from that which it started on. It may jump over other pieces. 
- Infantry - Infantry steps 1 square in any direction, to any of the 8 adjacent squares.
Set-up
The preset is [http://play.chessvariants.org/pbm/play.php?game%3DWarlord+2.0%26settings%3DWarlord+2.0]
Rules
Victory:
The game ends when all 6 Leaders of one color are captured.
For a shorter game, end when one side has captured 3 enemy Leaders, unless the opponent can immediately re-capture the 3rd friendly Leader on the next turn. In that case, continue until one player has captured more enemy Leaders than the opponent can capture back in that opponent's immediately following player turn.
Capture:
All pieces capture by replacement. A unit may only capture 1 piece per turn, and must legally end its move on the square of the capture.
Movement:
- Each player may move up to 4 different pieces per turn.
- A player may never move more pieces than that player has Leaders.
- No piece may move more than once in a turn.
- No piece is required to move. A player may pass a turn. If the opponent then also passes, the game is a draw.
- Pieces are moved one at a time, in any order desired by the owning player.
- All moves must be legal when they are made.
Activation:
- Pieces [except Leaders] may not move under their own power. They must be activated by a Leader to move.
- No piece may ever move unless it is activated by a Leader which has to be within 2 squares of it at the start of its move. The Leader that activates it may have been activated and moved to that spot earlier in the same turn.
- An activated piece may move outside the 2-square activation range of the Leader which activated it, or any friendly Leader's activation range.
- A Leader may activate only 1 piece per turn, including itself or another Leader.
- No piece may be activated or move more than once per turn.
- Once a piece has finished its move, it becomes inactive again. It cannot move in a subsequent turn without being re-activated by a Leader.
- Leaders may activate only pieces of their own color.
Optional Rules
Extended heavy cavalry charge:
A heavy cavalry piece may jump over 2 enemy pieces to land on the 3rd square, capturing there if it is occupied.
Special cannon repositioning move:
Whenever a cannon and a leader are orthogonally next to each other, they may exchange squares as 1 action during the turn. Neither piece may do anything else that turn.
Additional light cavalry move:
Light cavalry units may also move 2 squares orthogonally [through the side of the square], and land on the same color as the pieces started on.
