Checkmate in the Dungeon

Not the chess you know, but the chess you must try!

You’re the lone King, stranded in a maze that thinks like a grandmaster, surrounded by rogue pieces plotting your downfall. The halls crumble, time slips away, and every decision echoes with risk. No pressure!

Rook & Ruin is chess reimagined, without losing its essence. So you're looking at a game that, like chess, is truly unforgiving! It is a roll-and-write OR flip-and-write, depending on the method you choose to play.

In this game, you get the opportunity to play as a grandmaster. You choose from five legendary minds, each offering a unique arsenal of chess pieces or strategies to guide your path. So, get ready to play along like Aron Nimzowitsch, Vera Menchik, or Garry Kasparov!

What I didn't expect to like so much was the Flowing Arsenal System, where instead of cards, you write down each move like a professional chess player. There was something satisfying about writing down every move and keeping track of the pieces available to me. And it also makes the game super portable.

After losing four times, I finally escaped the dungeon on my fifth attempt. And it felt like reclaiming something old. Maybe the joy of learning chess all over again, or the patience I’d lost somewhere along the way...

The first time I played Rook & Ruin, I couldn’t help but recall when I first learned chess from my father. Ah, those late-night matches and the thrill of each check, mistakes and counter. Two decades later, here I was again, but this time it wasn’t across a board. It was through narrow halls, with ghosts of grandmasters guiding my every move in a solo print-and-play experience.

The campaign for Rook & Ruin is live on Gamefound, but time is running short. Only a couple of days remain. So if you love chess, or just love seeing it reborn in unexpected ways, this one deserves your attention!