[Welcome to the world of Chess. As the name suggests this world is made up of squares. Your only goal is to survive. Even if your side loses, if you are alive, you will move on to the next round. However, your strength will stay the same which means you have a higher chance of dying next round. If your side wins, you will not only gain experience but also, attribute points which you can allocate to your status. Hint, it is better to win early because you get more attribute points in the beginning. It will be harder to get Attribute Points later. The chess rules largely remain the same. However, the major differences are: Whenever someone wants to 'capture' you, they have to kill you. Your only chance of survival is retaliation. Kill or be killed. The higher your Attribute Points, the higher your chances of survival. Pawns are the only ones who are allowed to en passante. Whenever there is castling, the pawns have to build a safe house for the king. The tools will be provided. Assisting each other is allowed, provided the rules of chess are followed. However, betrayal is allowed to make it more interesting. An existence called the 'Player' will tell you what moves to make according to his or her knowledge. However, it's up to you to listen to him or her. It's your life on the line, after all. If you are alive at the end of the round, regardless if your side won or lost, you will be healed and returned to optimal condition[This also applies upon level up]. Moving on to your statuses. There are five main attributes: Strength(STR), Agility(AGI), Vitality(VIT), Intelligence(INT) and Accuracy(ACR). To open your Status Windows, say "status" in your head to have it pop up in front of you. The first round starts in 24 hours. Each one of you received a rule booklet. It explains the rules of the games as well as what each of the Attributes do. Make sure to read it thoroughly. Remember, if you die in this game you die in real life "
Before they knew it, the mysterious voice disappeared, as if it didn't speak to them at all. At that moment a yellow booklet materialized in front of every student. Most of them just skimmed through it, not giving it much importance. The only people who took the time to read the booklet thoroughly were: Arthur White, Alex, Julia, Mary, and Ivan. What they found out shocked them.
First, with each round, the terrain of the board is going to change. Next, if your side keeps winning consecutively, then the Attribute Points will increase by increments of 5 until the streak is broken. Then the rounds will be timed: Classical(1 hour and 30 minutes + 30 minutes on move 40. No increment). Rapid(10 minutes, no increment). Blitz(3 minutes. No increment). Bullet(1 minute. No increment).
After that, there was the Attribute Points guarantee, which states that everyone is given 10 free Attribute Points, along with a caution to think long and hard about the proper Attribute Points allocation. If one tries to min max their stats they are likely to die in the first round.
Then what followed was the detailed Attribute explanation:
Strength(STR) – Increases attack power and physical damage. The higher STR is the higher the damage dealt to your opponent. If Strength is high enough, you can knock back your opponent due to your overwhelming power.
Agility(AGI) – Increases movement speed, stamina pool, stamina regeneration, projectile speed, magic attack speed, and flexibility. Allows to dodge projectiles and physical and magic attacks. If your Agility is higher than your opponent's, then your opponent's movements will appear in slow motion in front of you. Everyone starts with 0% chance to dodge, unless Attribute Points were added to Agility. Each Agility Point added increases your dodge chance by 1%.
Vitality(VIT) – Reduces physical and Magic Attack Damage. If Vitality(VIT) is high enough, it can nullify physical or magic damage. Each Attribute Point added to Vitality increases your Hit Points(HP) by 1
Intelligence(INT) – Increases Mana Capacity and Magic Attack Damage[applies only to Bishops]. If Intelligence(INT) is high enough, it allows for faster cooldown speed. Each Attribute Point added to Intelligence increases your Magic Points(MP) by 1, and your Mana regeneration speed will increase by 1%. Mana Points will automatically regenerate over time(100% regeneration speed).
Accuracy(ACR) – Increases physical attack accuracy, magic attack accuracy, and projectile accuracy. If Accuracy(ACR) is high enough, it can pinpoint the opponents vital points, which when hit will cause instant death, it also allows for a higher chance of a critical hit. If your opponent's Accuracy(ACR) is lower than your own, then your opponent's attacks, both physical and magic, will have a higher chance to miss their target. Everyone starts with 0% Accuracy + Accuracy Attribute. 1 Point of Accuracy Attribute added, adds 1% increase in accuracy
Hit Points(HP) – This is your Health Bar. Everyone starts with 10 Hit Points + Vitality Attribute. If your Hit Points(HP) hits 0 you will die. Upon a Level Up, your Hit Points(HP) will be completely restored and any injuries will heal automatically
Stamina Points(SP) – This is your Stamina. If Stamina is exhausted, then your movements will slow down, along with your reaction speed. Everyone starts with 100 stamina points + Agility Attribute. Walking consumes 1 Stamina Point. Running consumes 2 Stamina Points. Any physical attack consumes 4 Stamina Points. Stamina will regenerate over time(100% regeneration speed). If 1 Attribute Point is added to Agility, then the regeneration speed is increased by 1%
Mana Points(MP) – This is your Mana. If you are a Mage(Bishop) then Mana is Essential. If you exhaust your Manapool you will feel lightheaded and lose consciousness on the spot, which means death. Every Mage(Bishop) will start with 100 Mana Points + Intelligence Attribute. Mana
After that came class descriptions:
Pawn – Weakest foot soldier. Allowed to en passant. Has limitless potential. Goal: reach the end of the board to unlock potential. All stats start at 1. The Attribute Points Guarantee will apply. Available spaces: 16. Good luck buddy, you will need it.
Knight – The only soldiers on horseback. They come in pairs. Has the ability to jump over others. All stats start at 3. Attribute Points Guarantee will apply. Available spaces 4. Fight with Honor or without it.
Bishop – The only one capable of using magic. However, depending on what side you choose to play, the Bishop may become a Light or a Dark Mage. Available spaces: 4. They come in pairs. All stats start at 3. Attribute Points Guarantee will apply. Come towards the Light or join the Dark side.
Rook – Castle archer with a crossbow. Comes in pairs. Has the ability to bring the King to safety along with some pawns. Available spaces: 4. All stats start at 5. Attribute Points Guarantee will apply. Defend the King at all costs!
Queen – The most powerful, yet most vulnerable at the same time. Has the power of a Rook and a Bishop. All stats start at 9. Attribute Points Guarantee will apply. Beware the Queen.
King – The most important figure. Must be protected at all cost. If he is killed then the round is lost. All stats start at 1. Attribute Points Guarantee will apply.
Then what followed was an explanation of the matchmaking system. Basically, the more your side wins, the more challenging the next round will be. It is advised to sometimes go for a draw instead.
Next the draw rules were explained in detail. They are: Draw by Agreement, draw by repetition, and draw by the 50 move rule.
Draw by Agreement – Both sides agree to a draw
Draw by Repetition – if the same moves have been repeated three times.
Draw by the 50 Move Rule – If there were no "captures" in 50 moves, then it is a draw.
In case of a Draw, both sides share the Attribute Points[equally] that the winning side would have received otherwise.
After that, the level-up system was explained in detail. Everyone would receive 8 Experience Points(EXP) per round[if your side wins]. In case of a draw, each side will receive 4 EXP and no Attribute Points. In case of a loss, the losing side will not receive EXP at all.
Events – Every 5th round will be an Event round with special conditions and rewards.
The Lobby – After each round the survivors will be teleported to the lobby where you can recover your Health, Mana and Stamina, among some other things(Explore on your own).
Coins – After each round you will receive a fixed amount of coins based on the leagues that you are in. The coins are divided into: Bronze, Silver and Gold. 100 Bronze coins = 1 Silver coin. 100 Silver = 1 Gold. Upon a win of the round everyone will receive 10 Bronze coins. In case of a draw, Everyone will receive 5 Bronze coins. In case of a loss, you get nothing.
Shop – Exchange your Coins for Items that help you survive the rounds and much more
Leagues – Leagues determine your EXP and Coins gained after each round. The higher the League, the higher the reward. The Leagues are as follows: Wood, Stone, Bronze, Silver, Crystal, Elite, Champion and Legendary.
To advance you have to survive a number of rounds. The more rounds you survive the faster you will advance. Everyone starts in the Wood League.
Wood League – EXP gain + 8. Coins gained + 10 Bronze Coins[per round]. To advance to the Stone League, survive 5 total rounds.
Stone League – EXP gain + 16. Coins gained + 20 Bronze Coins. To advance to the Bronze League, survive 10 total rounds
Bronze League – EXP gain + 24. Coins gained + 50 Bronze Coins. To advance to the Silver League, survive 15 total rounds
Silver League – EXP gain + 32. Coins gained + 1 Silver Coin. To advance to the Crystal League, survive 20 total rounds
Crystal League – EXP gain + 40. Coins gained + 1 Silver Coin and 25 Bronze Coins. To advance to the Elite League, survive 25 total rounds
Elite League – EXP gain + 48. Coins gained + 1 Silver Coin and 50 Bronze Coins. To advance to the Champion League, survive 30 total rounds.
Champion League – EXP gain + 56. Coins gained + 1 Gold Coin. To advance to the Legendary League, survive 40 total rounds
Legendary League – EXP gain + 112. Coins gained + 2 Gold Coins. This is the final League]
Near the end of the booklet there was a notice that said that no matter which side one picked, the side may or may not be switched at random, in the next round. Finally, at the very end of the booklet there was a picture of a green leaf clover.
Having finished reading the yellow booklet, Arthur was debating a very hard dilemma: Which side do I pick?