There are many things that you can do that may ingratiate you to other players or infuriate them. What will you do in order to win?
Conflict Tactics
In Active Conflict? Fight, Fright, Flight or Freeze
Fight? – Strike back with a Yellow, Green or Blue Conflict card of your own which your opponent must now colour-match or suffer loss of a ring (if possessed) to you. Alternatively, move your opponent into a Conflict arrangement with another player and give that new player the first Powerplay in a bid to remove yourself from active Conflict. But can they be trusted? If you are in Conflict and manage to colour-match (or Void) a Yellow, Green or Blue Conflict card played against you, you have a number of options open to you (assuming you have the necessary powers): Fight, Fright, Flight or Freeze.
Fright? – Stand there like quarry in a spotlight and let your opponent take another shot at you if they have the power. Use your powers to stand your ground or try bluffing.
Flight? – Run Away! – Not everyone wants to fight. Get out of there! Use a Rainbow card to escape to either of the two Violet positions nearest you (if unoccupied) or use a Red card to flee to another Red position. Either way, the required configuration for Conflict is broken. Your opponent has the right to try to force you back into Conflict however so your escape may be short lived. Use both cards to really tuck yourself away, forcing your opponent to require extra power just to keep fighting you. Better still negotiate with another player to use them as a block and effectively end the current Conflict by agreeing to do nothing. But will they honour the agreement and not Powerplay the moment the configuration is in their favour?
Freeze? – Use a Freeze card to put an abrupt end to Conflict and protect yourself from cardplay until you have a chance of rolling the die again. Alternatively, freezing an opponent means that they cannot be involved in cardplay until they have again rolled the die. This can effectively put someone “on ice” for a while.
Other Tactics
Substitute Powers! – There is often more than one solution to any problem. If you don’t have a Red card to move from one Red position to another unoccupied Red, use multiple Rainbow cards to crawl your way there (NB. all positions along the way must be unoccupied). Similarly, combine Rainbow cards with a Violet card to reach another Red position. If you cannot colour-match a Yellow, Green or Blue Conflict card played against you then substitute a Void card if you have one.
Short-cut Home? – The game cannot be won by using cards to move a player token with enough rings to their Violet Home position as you can only win if you reach Home via a die roll. You can help make it easier however by placing a player token on a Red or a Violet position within striking distance of the owner’s Home. This is great if it is your own token, or that of a team-mate, but does ingratiating yourself to another player have rewards? It is said “scratch an altruist and watch a hypocrite bleed”. What do you do? What are your True Colours?
Just A Taste of Victory – When a player is within a die-roll of victory, move them to their Home. Moving a player to their Home position effectively forces them to recontinue play as you can only win a game of True Colours by reaching Home via a die-roll.
Beware of Squatters! – If you are within one die roll of Home and victory, an opponent may occupy your Home! Using a Rainbow card and a Violet Card if necessary they may occupy your Violet Home position with another player token, even their own. If you roll the die and achieve the required number to land on your Home, you are forced to move to the next unoccupied position along the pathway, past your Home position and your immediate victory is foiled.
Hide behind other players! – If you don’t want to be in the line of fire then complicate matters for your opponents by blocking your nearest Red position with another player. This player has to be relocated in order for anyone to be able to bring you up to that Conflict position with a Rainbow card. Of course, life’s never that easy. Your opponent could go around your block by using Rainbow cards to move you to a Violet position and then up to an adjacent Red position, then use a Red to force Conflict again. It is a lot of cards but you never know, maybe you’re worth it. Maybe just the Rainbow cards will position you against another player and fresh battle anyway. Maybe you’ll even survive for now. You still have to move next die-roll. What do you do?
Make everyone else fight and weaken your opponents! – Why fight strong players? Force your opponents to fight amongst themselves. These battles will weaken them, making them hopefully more vulnerable to your own attacks.
Bluff your opponents! – Why let your opponents know what powers you have. Bluff them! Don’t just pretend to be strong. Pretend to be weak, even “take a fall” if necessary. Let everyone believe you do not posess a certain power. Surprise them soon-after by playing that card.
Put a player on ice! – Use a Freeze card to prevent someone doing something, stop them in their tracks, or prevent them getting involved in anything for a while. Basically shut ‘em up while you have a go. Better still, use it on yourself to protect yourself until you next roll the die.
Be relentless and take as many rings as you can! – During Conflict, if an opponent cannot match a Yellow, Green or Blue Conflict card played, a ring is lost to the victor. If the victor has more power it may be used until all rings are stripped from the opponent. Be careful as your opponent may not be as defenceless as they appear.
Team Competitions – Only one player in the team need return three rings to their own Home position for the team to win the game, but all team members can only play their own cards. Are you required to altruistically help your team leader to victory or is it a socialist team where everyone helps each other to possible victory? Which team is the more effective?
Role-Playing – Do you enjoy role-playing games? Then form a team and decide on what roles each member is permitted to undertake. Are you the Master or are you an underling in the team? Are limitations on the use of your powers enforced? It’s your game, you decide.
Sigil Cards – The game includes Love Sigil cards which can be used as wildcards (Love Conquers All) , or to replace lost cards. Better still, create your own Power card for use in your games. What Power can you think of that will be unique to your games?
