Proteus

About this board game

Proteus is a two-player dice game played on a standard chess board, with an approximate play time of 30 minutes. It combines the familiar feel of chess with a distinctive system in which your playing pieces can change throughout the game.

Each side receives eight dice, and every face of each die shows a different piece. At the beginning, all eight dice represent pawns. On each turn, you may change one of your dice to a more powerful piece, gradually transforming your forces as the game develops.

That increase in strength comes with an important cost. The more powerful your pieces become, the more points they are worth to your opponent. Proteus therefore asks you to weigh immediate tactical power against the value you may be handing to the other player.

• Designed for 2 players
• Uses a standard chess board
• Includes eight dice per side
• Begins with eight pawns for each player
• Lets players upgrade one die to a more powerful piece each turn

The rules are easy to learn, making Proteus accessible as a quick introduction to its unusual ideas. However, choosing when to upgrade and how much power to create gives the game considerable strategic depth.

With its blend of dice, chess-like play, and constantly changing forces, Proteus offers a game experience that is familiar in outline but highly distinctive in practice. It was released in 2001 and comes from the creators of Knightmare Chess.