Mage's Chess

Combining the ivory tower scholarliness of chess with the occasional glove-throwing of hockey, mage's chess was developed out of a number of classic strategy games by mages who wished to show off both their strategic and magical prowess. By using a modified six-by-eight board and replacing their pieces with fellow magic users, it has become an intensely competitive strategic team game that supports a lucrative gambling industry.
Much like an ordinary game of chess, mage's chess is played on a checkered board of alternating colors with pieces which each have specific rules regarding how they may move. Each piece is represented by a player which is where much of the game's chaos is introduced. In true wizarding fashion, every player will have their own thoughts on which piece should move where during which turn, and will spend much of the game magically sending messages back and forth, debating strategy. While each team has a dedicated leader, their word is not always law, and the more senior team members are not just allowed, but expected to have a mind of their own.

Game Setup & Positions

Each team consists of thirteen players: six Pawns, one Royal, one Counselor, two Chariots, two Shamans, and one Luminary. All board players, referred to as pieces, have dedicated starting locations on the board, with the exception of the Luminary; as the leader of the team, Luminaries are the only non-board piece and traditionally work from an elevated platform behind the board, although more modern stadiums have often built transparent catwalks where they can walk about and observe the game from above the board with multiple vantage points.
The pieces that players play as may change from game to game. In professional games, the Royal, Counselor, Chariots, and Shamans– collectively known as the court positions– are often shifted up until the last possible moment, although final positions are required to be locked in and delivered in written format by a team's Luminary to a referee and exchanged with the rival Luminary one minute before play begins. Pawns typically stay as Pawns until a player has accumulated enough seniority and there is a court position opening, but may be shifted between different Pawn positions. Luminaries tend to be relatively static, but may occasionally switch out with Royals or Counselors when one is particularly familiar with a rival Luminary's style of play.
Positions also often denote levels of seniority, with Luminaries being the most senior members, followed by the Royal and Counselor; the Chariots and Shamans; and then Pawns. As the most junior members, Pawns are not forbidden to participate in team strategizing, but are expected to defer to their seniors and not speak over them.

The Royal

The Royal is the piece which will result in a loss if captured, necessitating them being one of the strongest casters on the board. They begin the game at the dawnward rear-center space on their side. They can move to any one adjacent space.

The Counselor

The Counselor begins next to the Royal, at the duskward rear-center space. Like the Royal, they are typically one of the strongest casters on the board. They may move any number of spaces rank, file, or diagonal, but are not permitted to overtake other pieces.

The Chariots

Chariots are positioned on either side of the Counselor and Royal. They can move any number of spaces diagonally, but are not permitted to overtake other pieces.

The Shamans

Shamans occupy the rear corners of the board, on either side of the Chariots. They can move any number of spaces rank or file, but are not permitted to overtake other pieces.

The Pawns

The six Pawns make up the front line of the team. They may only move one space forward at a time, and can engage pieces which are at either of the diagonals in front of them.

The Luminary

The Luminary serves as the leader and head strategist of the team, responsible for fielding arguments from any and all team members regarding the best course of action for a given turn, and making the final call. They are the only non-board player.

Requirements for play

In order to play on a mage's chess team, one must be capable of using magic, and are expected to be able to do so with enough stamina to last through multiple hours of play, essentially requiring the ability to cast cantrips.

Luminaries

Luminaries are technically not required to be able to use magic. In the early days of mage's chess, their use of magic was expressly forbidden, forcing players to use hand signs to communicate. Nowadays, the rules have relaxed to permit magic for the purposes of communication with their team, as well as limited expressive displays which do not impact any piece on the board in any fashion, nor infringe upon the well being of the rival Luminary. Repeated excessive displays may result in sanctioning from the referee, requiring the offending Luminary's team to forfeit one turn, up to forfeiting the entire match if the displays continue.

Playing the Game

Normal Movement

Teams will alternate turns, each moving one piece per turn. No piece may move to a space which would require them to overtake another piece.
Time restraints on turns sometimes vary based on the organization or tournament, but the most common ruling is that turns may take no longer than 45 seconds.

Engagements

An engagement occurs any time a team attempts to capture a rival piece with one of their own. Unlike in regular chess, engagements and capturing are not always successful. Each attempted engagement is allotted thirty seconds, during which transparent magical barriers will enclose the spaces of the two pieces who will be engaging. The barriers prevent players from entering any other non-engaged spaces. This results in engagements approached from the diagonal being limited to ranged attacks, while rank and file engagements permit melee assaults.
If neither side is able to down their opponent within thirty seconds, the engagement is a draw and both pieces remain in their place. If one side successfully downs their opponent, the losing side is considered captured and is removed from the board, and the winner will move into the space previously occupied by the captured.
Continuing to attack an opponent who has already been downed is not permitted. Doing so will result in the attacking piece losing the engagement, and being immediately expelled from the game.
After an engagement has been initiated, the piece who is receiving the challenge may choose to concede at any time, before the engagement begins or during. The challenger may also concede, but only after the engagement has begun.

Special Moves

Heresies

Board players are not always beholden to their luminaries' commands. Players are expected to argue in favor of strategies they believe will result in a superior outcome, and luminaries may concede, or debate in favor of their own strategy until a conclusion is reached. However, when a player feels certain that they are right but are not able to persuade their luminary to their side, they may choose to commit a heresy. Each player is allowed to commit a heresy by violating their luminary's direct orders once per game; once the heresy has been committed, the player is entirely beholden to their luminary's orders from then onward. The luminary will denote when a player has committed a heresy by marking them with a glowing halo.
In modern mage's chess, heresies are only committed in approximately 40% of games, and are most commonly committed by royals and counselors. Heresies committed by chariots and shamans are somewhat less common, and those committed by pawns are exceptionally rare.

Pawn Promotion

Pawn promotion is a special move that occurs when a Pawn makes it all the way to the end of the board across from their original starting point. Promotion allows the Luminary to transform their Pawn into a different type of piece, allowing them to adopt new movement rules. The Pawn may be promoted into a Counselor, Chariot, or Shaman. A Pawn may not be promoted to a Royal. The Pawn may not contest the Luminary's choice of promotion.

Team Colors

Teams are always represented by two colors: blue and green. The exact shades will vary depending on the team, and sometimes the stadium being played in. Luminaries typically dress in all black. Which team will play as which color is determined by the team luminaries based on a coin flip. Whoever wins the coin flip will decide which color their team will play as. The green team always moves first.

Mage's Chess Board by illumiinae

Uniforms

All uniforms are expected to be clean and fit appropriately. Players are expected to be covered from chest to shoulder, and hip to knee. Shoes cannot be open-toed. Each position should be visually distinct enough from others so as to not cause confusion. While it is not a requirement, it is common for teams to wear masks or other covers of the lower face so their lips cannot be read while casting Message. Uniforms are also typically enchanted so as to easily shift between blue and green colors.