# How to play

Ninelands is played on a 9×9 board split into nine **lands**. You place pieces one by one. Each piece **claims** cells
around it and earns **gold**. The game ends when no piece fits anywhere anymore, or when you press **End game**.

## The two rules of claimed land

1. **Nobody can build on claimed land**, not even you.
2. **Every new piece must connect to your domain** (the cells you hold). Only the castle may stand alone.

Lakes stop every claim. Mountains and moor cost double reach, so a claim gets shorter when it runs into them.

## The four pieces

| Piece  | Cost | Claims                | Reach | Crosses land borders | Where it may stand                                           |
| :----- | :--: | :-------------------- | :---: | :------------------: | :----------------------------------------------------------- |
| Castle | free | straight lines        |   5   |         yes          | anywhere except moor and lakes; only one, always first       |
| Farmer | free | the 8 cells around it |   1   |          no          | right next to your domain, in the same land; not in the moor |
| Knight |  10  | straight lines        |   2   |          no          | touching your domain inside its own land                     |
| Bishop |  15  | diagonal lines        |   2   |         yes          | touching your domain anywhere, also in the moor              |

**Reach** is a budget per direction: pasture costs 1, mountains and moor cost 2, a lake ends the line.

**Knights earn double** for everything. Some laws change the costs of knights and bishops (see
[Laws](/r/Ninelands/wiki/laws)).

## Gold

A piece earns gold for **the cell it stands on**:

| Cell                              | Gold |
| :-------------------------------- | :--: |
| Pasture (green)                   |  5   |
| Pasture in a land that has a lake |  7   |
| Ore (mountains) or herbs (moor)   |  20  |
| Anything else                     |  0   |

A knight doubles it: 10 or 14 on pasture, 40 on a treasure. Building costs are deducted.

Ore and herbs can only be taken by a piece standing **on** them. If one of your claims covers an untaken treasure, it
is gone for good, for you too. Take treasures first.

## Ruling lands

You rule a land when you hold **at least half of its cells**. Lakes don't count. A cell is held when your piece stands
on it or when it lies in your claim. The land's flag takes your colour.

## Stars

Every map has three stars:

1. ★ **Gold:** at least the gold goal at the end of the game.
2. ★ **Lands:** rule at least the lands goal at the end.
3. ★ **Both** in the same game.

The goals are not set by hand. Computer players play the very same map several times, and the goals are what the best
of them reached. So every goal is reachable, and a human who plans ahead usually beats them.

Gold counts **at the end**: a knight or bishop in your last moves costs gold and can lose the gold star again.

## Controls

- **Tap** a cell to see the preview: the cells it would claim and the gold it would earn. **Tap again** to place.
- The line below the board tells you why a piece fits or doesn't.
- **↶** undoes your last move.
- **End game** (tap twice) finishes the game. When no remaining move earns gold, the game suggests it.

## Only your first game counts

Your first finished game of a day goes on that day's leaderboard. After that you can play again for practice; it
won't change your result. See [Leaderboard, streaks and your realm](/r/Ninelands/wiki/faq).