Overview

Camette is the smallest member of the Camelot family of abstract strategy games, invented by Michael Wortley Nolan in 2002. Played on a compact board of only 23 fields, each player has 3 foot soldiers and 1 knight. The goal is to get a single piece into the opponent’s castle or to capture all of the opponent’s pieces. Camette is ideal for learning the Camelot game system, as it preserves the core mechanics in a minimal format.

Components

• 1 game board (23 fields arranged in the Camette pattern)
• 4 pieces per player (3 foot soldiers + 1 knight), in two distinct colors
• 2 castle spaces (one at each end of the board)

Setup

1. Place the board between both players.
2. Each player places their 3 foot soldiers and 1 knight on their designated starting positions.
3. Each player’s castle is at their end of the board.
4. Determine which player moves first (typically alternating in a series of games).

Turn Structure

Players alternate turns. On each turn, a player must move one of their pieces following the movement rules.

Actions

Plain Move:

• Move one piece to an adjacent empty field (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally connected).

Canter (Jumping Over Friendly Pieces):

• A piece may jump over an adjacent friendly piece to an empty field beyond it.
• Multiple canters can be chained in a single turn if successive friendly pieces are available.
• Cantering is not mandatory.

Charge/Jump (Capturing Enemy Pieces):

• A piece may jump over an adjacent enemy piece to capture it, if the field beyond the enemy piece is empty.
• The captured enemy piece is removed from the board.
• Multiple captures can be chained in a single turn if successive enemy pieces can be jumped.

Knight Special Movement:

• Knights may perform a “Knight’s Charge” — an extended jump that combines cantering and jumping in a single sequence.
• Knights are more mobile than foot soldiers.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

A player wins by achieving either:

1. Castle Entry: Move any one of your pieces into the opponent’s castle space.
2. Elimination: Capture all of the opponent’s pieces.

There are no draws or stalemates in Camette.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• No Draws: The game is designed so that stalemate positions cannot occur. If a player cannot move, they lose.
• Multiple Jumps: Both cantering (friendly jumps) and charging (enemy captures) can be chained in a single turn. Planning multi-jump sequences is key to advanced play.
• Knight vs. Foot Soldier: Knights have more movement options than foot soldiers, making them the most valuable piece. Losing your knight is a significant disadvantage.
• Smallest Camelot Variant: With only 23 fields and 4 pieces per side, Camette is the most compact variant of the Camelot game family, making it quick to learn and play.
• Learning Tool: Camette teaches the core mechanics (plain move, canter, charge) that apply to all larger Camelot variants.

Player Reference

Move Type	Description	Captures?
Plain move	Move to adjacent empty field	No
Canter	Jump over friendly piece to empty field	No
Charge	Jump over enemy piece to empty field	Yes — removes enemy

Pieces per player: 3 foot soldiers + 1 knight Board size: 23 fields Win conditions: Enter opponent’s castle OR capture all enemy pieces