Counting tiles instead of cost
The trap: assuming a Protector can always cross four tiles.
What to do: add 1 + the height difference for each step. Going up and going down both cost more than a flat step.
Your first steps on the board
The beginner’s
guide
A good decision starts
before you move.
You know the pieces, but are not sure what to play yet? This guide helps you read a Pawn&Peak position, choose an objective and recognise the mistakes that can cost you a match.
Review the rules
01 · Know what you are aiming for
Play to win, not to capture everything.
Captures remove threats, but do not score points. Stopping a piece near its exit can be more urgent than taking an easy target in the centre.
First, check the score and the exits: a Guardian wins immediately if it is the first piece to exit. After two exits in total, across both teams, the score decides the result.
Pick a simple goal for your next moves: open a route, prevent an exit or prepare a supported capture. Reassess that goal after your opponent responds.
02 · Build a habit
A short routine for every turn.
Look for exit threats
Count the path to the far edge, including elevation, then add the extra point needed to exit. Do this for your pieces and your opponent’s.
Check the captures
Compare attack and defence with height and support included. A strength-1 piece can capture a strength-2 piece from higher ground: the number on the badge does not tell the whole story.
Imagine an opposing reply
Will your piece be capturable after it moves? Will you have removed reinforcement from an ally? A good square should still be useful after the other player’s turn.
Choose, then play
Compare a few moves that serve your objective. In a timed match, watch your clock: a short, consistent check is better than prolonged hesitation every turn.
03 · Recognise the traps
Six common mistakes.
Ignoring a target’s neighbours
The trap: judging a fight only by the two pieces’ base strengths.
What to do: inspect the target’s horizontal and vertical neighbours. Your allies add their strength to the attack; the defender’s allies each add +1 defence.
Isolating a powerful piece
The trap: assuming a Guardian is safe because it has strength 3.
What to do: check opposing captures before advancing it. Elevation, support and a Protector’s charge can change the balance.
Taking the first available exit
The trap: exiting without checking the final score.
What to do: compare exits worth 1, 2 or 3 points. Remember that the second exit ends the match immediately, and a Guardian only wins automatically when it exits first.
Confusing mobility with capture
The trap: trying to capture or exit with the Scout’s special ability.
What to do: use it to reach an empty tile without elevation costs. It replaces your move for the turn; it is not a free action you can follow with an attack.
Forgetting what you were protecting
The trap: moving an ally without noticing that it reinforced another piece’s defence.
What to do: look at the tile you are leaving, too. A move that is safe for the moving piece can expose the one left behind.
04 · Choose the right exit
One point or two?
A thought exercise: one blue piece has already exited, and the score is Red 0 — Blue 1. It is your turn, and both your Scout and your Protector have a legal exit.
Exit with the Scout
1 — 1
It scores one point. This is the match’s second exit: a draw.
Exit with the Protector
2 — 1
It scores two points. The match also ends here: Red wins.
The best exit depends on the score, not just how close a piece is to the edge. This example assumes both exits are legal; always check the actual route cost.
05 · Learn one thing at a time
A simple way to improve.
- Start with the tutorials in the Puzzle menu. They let you practise movement, abilities and combat in guided situations.
- Try Flat terrain in Training. Focus first on exits and support, without extra elevation costs.
- Then move to a board with elevation. Compare routes and notice which attacks become possible from higher ground.
- After a loss, find one key decision. Look for the threat you missed or the support you removed. Correcting one habit is more useful than changing your whole plan.
Learn to read the heights.
Worked examples show how terrain changes a move, a capture or a charge.
Tips for the current beta. There is no universal opening move: adapt your decisions to the terrain, score and opposing reply.