Turn them, or take them.

SWAY is a two player strategy game on a 7 by 7 board. Each side commands a court of ten pieces. Most pieces capture the way you would expect, by landing on an enemy and removing it. But the move that wins games is the sway: trap enemy pieces between two of yours and they switch sides instead of dying.

You can play against a bot (three strength levels), against a friend on the same device, or sit back and watch two bots play each other.

Objective

You win when any of these happens:

You capture the enemy Monarch.
The enemy is left with nothing but a Monarch.
The enemy has no legal move on their turn.

The game is a draw if the same position appears three times, or if 60 moves in a row pass (counting both players) with no capture and no sway.

The Sway

Sandwich an enemy piece between two of yours and it changes colour. It does not die. It joins you and keeps fighting on your side for the rest of the game.

How it works: the moment your piece lands on a square, look outward from that square in every direction (left, right, up, down, and the four diagonals). In any direction, if you see one or more enemy pieces sitting shoulder to shoulder, followed by one of your own pieces at the far end, every enemy piece in between is swayed to your side.

Example: your Runner lands on a square. The next two squares to its right hold enemy pieces, and the square after that holds your Lancer. Both enemy pieces are boxed in, so both switch to your colour. One move, two pieces gained.

Things to remember:

The line must be solid. A single empty square between your two pieces and nothing happens.
Only the piece you just moved can start a sway. Pieces already on the board never trigger one on their own, so you have to move into position.
A Monarch is never swayed, by either side. It also blocks the line, so an enemy Monarch in the middle of your sandwich protects every piece behind it.
A swayed piece keeps its type. A stolen Lancer is still a Lancer.

Swaying beats capturing. A capture removes one enemy. A sway removes one enemy and gives you a piece, so the gap between you and your opponent grows twice as fast.

The Pieces

Each side starts with ten: one Monarch, two Lancers, two Runners, two Leapers, two Peasants and one Goliath.

Monarch

Moves one square in any direction.
Can only capture a Peasant by landing on it.
Can capture a Goliath by leaping over it onto the empty square directly beyond.
Cannot capture Lancers, Runners, Leapers, or the enemy Monarch, so it may not move onto them.
Because neither Monarch can capture the other, the two can stand side by side.
Is never swayed and blocks sway lines.
Everything else can still capture it, so keep it safe. You are not allowed to make a move that leaves your Monarch on a square the enemy could capture next turn.

Lancer

Moves up to three squares in a straight line: up, down, left or right.
Cannot jump over pieces.
Captures by landing on an enemy.

Runner

Moves up to three squares diagonally.
Cannot jump over pieces.
Captures by landing on an enemy.

Leaper

Moves in an L shape: two squares one way and one square to the side.
Jumps over anything in the way.
Captures by landing on an enemy.

Peasant

Steps one square diagonally forward onto an empty square. It never moves backward.
Does not capture by landing. Instead it jumps: if an enemy sits diagonally ahead and the square directly beyond it is empty, the Peasant leaps over and removes it.
If another jump is available from where it lands, it must keep jumping. One turn can clear a whole diagonal. Starting a jump is your choice, but finishing the chain is not.
Any sway is checked once, from the square where the Peasant finally stops.
On reaching the far rank it is promoted to a Lancer, Runner, Leaper or Goliath, your choice. Promotion ends the turn, even in the middle of a chain.
A swayed Peasant turns around. Forward means whichever way its current owner is facing, so a Peasant you steal marches straight back at the player who lost it.

Goliath

Moves one square up, down, left or right, and it does not stop for anyone.
Whatever stands in the square it steps into gets shoved one square further in the same direction.
- If the square behind the shoved piece is empty, the piece slides into it and survives.
- If that square is occupied or off the board, the piece is crushed and removed. This works on anything, including a Monarch, which ends the game.
A Goliath never crushes its own side. It only shoves a friendly piece when there is room for it to go.
Nothing captures a Goliath by landing on it. Lancers, Runners, Leapers and Peasants cannot touch it or pass through it. Only an enemy Goliath crushing it, or a Monarch leaping over it, will remove one.
A Goliath can still be swayed. You cannot kill it, but you can steal it, and a stolen Goliath is often the biggest swing on the board.

Reading the Board

A dot on a square is a quiet move.
A ring is a capture or a jump.
A number badge on a target square shows how many pieces you would sway by landing there.
A second badge shows how many pieces a Peasant chain would take along the way.
A red outline around your Monarch means it is under threat.
Tap any piece to see its name and how it moves in the info card.
Turn on Show risk in settings to mark your pieces the opponent could capture or sway on their next move.

Strategy Tips

Pieces sitting in a row are easy to sandwich. Keep an open square behind anything that could be trapped.
A swayed piece counts twice: you gain it and they lose it.
Park your Monarch beside your own pieces. It cannot be flipped, so it makes a reliable anchor for your sandwiches.
Pushing both Peasants up the same side is tempting, but it often feeds your opponent a chain jump.
Watch your Monarch near walls and other pieces. A Goliath can crush it against either.
You cannot kill a Goliath by normal means, so plan to sway it or trade it off with your own Goliath.

Game Options

Modes: vs Bot, 2 players (same device), or Bot vs Bot.
Bot strength: Scout (easy), Captain (medium), Archon (hard).
Undo: step back a move at any time.
Board, piece style and colours: several themes to choose from in settings.
Rotate board: in 2 player games, turns the board to face whoever is on move.
Sound and music: each piece has its own sound, and the music can be switched off.

Sway

Screenshots

About Sway