Combat begins when one player has Instigated it. The ins and outs of Instigat- ing Combat begin on page 10, but as a reminder, Combat is Instigated when two opponents share a square, provided that one opponent has challenged the other, during the Challenge phase of a turn. If a combatant lands exactly on the square containing their opponent, Combat begins. Combat will also begin if a combatant rolls higher than the amount necessary to move through the other combatant’s square—Combat “interrupts” the Movement phase of a turn, so the moving player stops when he or she reaches the square that contains his or her Combat opponent.

 

You may also Instigate Combat if you begin your turn in the same square with your victim, and you choose to pass the Movement phase of your turn. (As a reminder, passing your Movement phase means that you must forfeit your Income.) If you begin your turn in the same square as an opponent and do not wish to Instigate Combat, your opponent may not prevent you from leaving. But if you choose not to leave, your opponent may choose to Instigate Combat.

 

When Combat begins, the Instigating player⁷ must state whether they are initiating a normal Combat, in which each player is trying to do garden-variety physical harm to the other, or a Mugging, a special type of Combat in which the initiator is attempting to steal Possessions or cash from his or her opponent. Once a player has declared the intent to Mug another player, the victim may not transfer Possessions or cash to any player, aside from the Mugger, until the Mugging ends or until it is called off.

 

Resolving Combat replaces the “Take Board Effects” phase of a turn, so if Combat occurs on your turn, you should not take the effect of the square on which the Combat is occurring. The sole exception is if the Combat is occurring on a Major Square, in which case the player whose turn it is may use the Major Square before Combat initiates.

 

Frequently, a player challenged to Combat will attempt to buy, bargain, or otherwise Wheel and Deal their way out of actually having to fight. Combat can be called off by mutual agreement of both parties at any time prior to the throwing of the first Combat Rolls (see below). If Combat is called off in this fashion, and your movement was interrupted by the Combat, you must finish out your Movement phase as though no Combat had ever been declared. You can see an example of this exact scenario on page 13, in the “Wheel and Deal” section.

 

Similarly, if you decided to voluntarily pass the Movement phase of your turn to initiate Combat, you may choose to Move after all if the Combat is called off, provided you have not yet taken any board effects gained by voluntarily passing. If there are additional already declared Combats that did not receive Priority (see the footnote on page 10), these Combats may still take effect if the one that received Priority is called off.