DozenChess

DozenChess takes the rigid geometry of chess and remakes it as a roguelike trial where optimal piece placement and resource scarcity matter more than memorised openings. The core loop—prepare a squad by merging duplicates and buying upgrades, then spend three action points per turn to move, cast skills, and trigger coordinated attacks—forces constant trade-offs between aggression and positioning, the exact tension that makes tactical games breathe.

The release date for DozenChess has not yet been confirmed, and it will arrive on PC when it launches.

Preparation and Permutation

Before each of the 12 stages, you buy and arrange up to 12 pieces using credits earned from previous battles. Merging identical pieces upgrades them, creating the long-term progression spine that roguelikes need. This is where the game's defining risk sits: whether upgrading one piece heavily, spreading resources evenly, or building a specific synergy pays off depends entirely on what enemies and shops the next stage holds. You cannot see what comes next, so every deck-building choice is a gamble. Stages grow harder, which suggests the game must balance giving you enough power to progress without letting any single strategy dominate, a calibration that will make or break the experience.

Combat and the Three-Point Bottleneck

Combat grants three action points each turn, no more. Every movement, skill cast and item use drains from that same pool, so a turn might mean moving one piece and buffing another, or moving three pieces with nothing left for attacks. All allied pieces strike simultaneously once your turn ends, creating a puzzle where positioning and timing matter as much as the pieces themselves. Whether this rhythm sustains tension across 12 stages without becoming routine is the open question.

The release date remains unannounced. If you hunger for a chess variant that plays like a tactical roguelike rather than a board game with random rolls, DozenChess is building toward something distinct. Wishlist it now if you want to follow its development, and check back when a release date is set.