12 Patrols is a solo, mostly abstract strategy game played with 9 cards, 9 D6 dice, and 9 cubes.

Play as the Constable of the kingdom. Send out 12 patrols of knights and footmen to protect all 9 regions.

Game OverviewDraw, then place region cards in a 3x3 grid. As a row or column of 3 cards is completed, add patrols (dice or cubes) between the cards that satisfy all the requirements in that row or column. Win by placing all 12 patrols satisfactorily.

Set Up

Roll all 9 dice. You may wish to arrange them by color. Place the 9 cubes near the dice. Shuffle the 9 region cards and place the deck face down.

Gameplay

Deal 3 region cards face up. Place any one of the 3 anywhere in the kingdom, the to-be built 3x3 grid of region cards. Deal 1 card to replace the placed card. Place any one of the 3 available region cards adjacent to the already played card (to the left, right, top, or bottom). Cards must be played right side up (not rotated). If desired, immediately select one or more items (cubes and/or dice) to place in any open patrol spot - any empty spot orthogonally between any played region cards to satisfy the requirements (the symbols on the facing edges of the region cards). When a row or column of 3 cards is completed, then all items between those cards must be placed. Repeat steps 3 - 5 until all cards are played, or you can no longer satisfy the regions’ requirements.

12 Patrols won 2nd place for best overall game in the 2019 9 Card Design Contest.

—description from the publisher