A Folk Strategy Game
Blackwater Wheel
81 Squares · 3 Domains · One Wheel
Every square on the board is marked with a zodiac sign, a planet, or an element — the same correspondence system that runs the tarot deck, laid out as a board instead of a deck.
Players alternate placing pieces, never moving them once set down. Capture comes from position, not force. Simple to learn, harder to hold.
81Squares
18Stones Each
2-2-2+ One Capture
- Open on your home Wheel. Black opens on the left Wheel, White on the right. Black then makes the first free placement.
- Place, don’t move. On your turn, set one stone on any empty square. Once placed, it stays.
- Capture by flank. Hold both squares directly opposite an opponent’s stone — north and south, or east and west — and it’s removed. Diagonals never count.
- No stepping into a flank. You can’t place on a square your opponent already flanks. Flanking an empty square to deny it is fair play.
- Mind the Wheels. Home Wheels can never be captured. The center Wheel is neutral — either player can take it, it can be captured, and it never counts toward winning.
- Win by holding the Wheel. First to hold 2 Zodiac, 2 Planet, and 2 Element squares at the same time — after capturing at least one stone — wins.
- When the stones run out. If neither player wins, most locked domains takes it, then most captures. Otherwise it’s a draw.