Rampage

Hard

Rampage is a little horned imp with a helmet, a raised fist and absolute confidence in his next assault. Your king is his favorite subject, whether he is introducing himself or celebrating a fallen defender.

How he plays

Rampage compares complete legal turns. His evaluation combines material balance and his own king’s safety with three attacking preferences:

• Advance pawns. Pushing them further forward improves his assessment.
• Bring attackers closer. Knights, bishops, rooks and queens get credit for approaching your king.
• Pressure the surrounding squares. Attacks on the ring of squares around your king matter too.

A king capture anywhere in the turn comes first, and he prefers a winning sequence with fewer actions. Equal best choices are broken at random.

His own king being directly attacked carries a penalty, so he may choose safety over a more aggressive move. He still evaluates the position at the end of his own turn; he does not search through your replies or future dice rolls.

An attack can start with a quiet move

Rampage is White here. He rolls Knight, Pawn and Pawn, with no pawns on his side. There is nothing to capture. Moving the knight from c1 to d3 brings it closer to your king on h8, so that is his choice.

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Knight, Pawn, Pawn: Rampage moves the knight from c1 to d3, closer to your king. There are no pawns to move. Highlighted squares mark the starts and destinations.

The move does not attack the king immediately. It shows how he builds pressure even without a capture.

Playing against Rampage

• Watch the space around your king as well as direct attacks on it.
• Consider the order of several enemy actions: the first can make a route for the next.
• Look for a safe square for your king and opportunities to threaten his. His preference for safety can compete with his attack.

Hear his voice

A challenge before the battle, a roar when a defender falls, and frustration when the dice interrupt the assault.

Rampage · Starting a game

Step forward. Your king will not survive this day.

Rampage · Taking your queen or rook

Crushed! Your mightiest defender falls into dust!

Rampage · Rolling with no legal move

The dice stall my fury. Savor your brief respite.

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