To move or not to move?

The rules seem a little unclear on movement and card play. It’s obvious you can play a sword card before you move so that you can push a mouse on the first leg of your move (like the example shows). The example for diplomacy seems to show the mouse swapping places with the enemy without moving first, so does playing the card count as the move itself? And do you need to move one space before you’re allowed to play a stronghold card? Because that changes the attack runs into the corner and how you win if you do/don’t.

So i guess I’m asking if cards substitute for the required once per turn mouse movement if you play them…

The rules are explicit: Move and then you may play a card on the pawn you moved.
You must move. You may play a card.

None of the example illustrations show the regular required move.

Hope that clears things up!

Thanks, Luke, that does clear things up. I like the way it adds to the strategy by complicating things a bit. It just felt a little counter intuitive at first, so I had to ask.

No problem. It’s a common question.

Even after I explain the rules to people in person—and then demonstrate them—they still have the urge to play that card first and not move.

But you’re right. Forcing the move, adds a lot of strategy to the game.

Hope you like it!
-Luke

To be entirely redundant: You move, and then play a Swords card for three moves total? I ask because in the rules it says, “This is in addition to and your normal move for that pawn.” To me that sentence indicates two moves total instead of three.

Your normal move is one space. The move provided by a sword card is two spaces in an ‘L’ shape.