Siege is essentially a card game version of chess with social deduction mechanics

Lo and behold, someone has made a new card game version of chess. Well, sort of, anyway.

AEG’s Siege – which is out this month – essentially distils the check-block-check-block parrying of the traditional tabletop game down to a card game of bluffing and deduction.

As in chess, players are working to keep their king safe – lose him, and it’s all over. Instead of the traditional chess pieces, the king and his subjects are represented by a line of cards kept face-down on the table.

Each turn, a player can attack a rival card with one of their characters, turning the card face-up to initiate a simple attack-defence resolution. The highest number wins and the losing card is removed from play.

Where it gets interesting is in the ability to call other cards into support the attack or defence with their unique powers, from the assassin’s ability to win all attacks against the king or knight to the gatekeeper’s ability to fortify their strength when placed at the extreme of the line of cards.

By utilising their various powers, players aim to deduce which of their opponent’s anonymous cards is the king and defeat it while bluffing to keep the identity of their own king hidden.

Up to six players can play and each round takes a quick 10 minutes.

42 cards come in the box with the rulebook, and the US RRP is $25 (£20).