Ink Clans glossary

The words you will meet in Ink Clans, from the checkers terms every rule set uses to the on-screen labels of the fights and the badminton court. Each entry says what the game actually does; the longer explanations live on the pages linked from them.

By Leonel Meque ยท Updated

Checkers and fights

Back row
The row a side starts nearest to. Men left on it stop the opponent from crowning there.
Board view and Low view
The two cameras in a checkers match: high above the board, or low behind your fighters. Starting view in Settings picks the first; a button in the match switches between them.
Boxed in
When none of the fighters a side has left can move. A side with no legal move loses, exactly as if it had no fighters.
Capture
Jumping diagonally over an enemy fighter into the empty square behind it. The jumped fighter is knocked out in a fight and leaves the board.
Capture hints
A setting, on by default, that draws red rings around the fighters you are allowed to capture with this turn.
Capture rule
Strict (jumps are compulsory and chains must be finished) or free (jumps are optional and chains can be stopped). See the rules guide.
Chain
Several captures by the same fighter in one turn. Every jump is its own fight, and a COMBO count appears as the fighter turns to the next one.
Clan
The side you lead: its look, names, finishers, ultimate and knockout style. Clans never change the rules. See the clans.
Crown
What happens to a man that finishes its move on the far row: it becomes a king, gets a gold crown and a cape, and is called a master. Exactly when depends on the rule set.
End turn
The button that stops a chain early. It only appears with free captures.
Far row
The opponent's back row, where your men are crowned.
Fight length
Full plays the whole fight scene, Short skips the intro and keeps one exchange, Off shows only a quick knockout.
Finisher
One of the three named attacks a clan uses to end a fight. It never changes the result; the captured fighter always loses.
Finisher choice
Ask me shows a chooser on every capture; Surprise me, the default, picks for you.
Flying king
A king that moves any distance along an open diagonal and can land on any empty square beyond a piece it captures. Every rule set except American has them.
Highlight replay
At the end of a match with fights on and no forfeit, the best capture of the game is replayed more slowly under a Replay stamp.
King
A crowned fighter. It moves and captures diagonally both forward and backward: one square at a time in American, any distance elsewhere.
Knockout style
How a defeated fighter leaves the board, decided by the loser's clan: splat, crumple, flatten, tear, paper plane or confetti.
Man
An uncrowned fighter. It steps one square diagonally forward and, in every rule set except American, can also capture backward.
Master
The game's name for a crowned fighter. A master can use its clan's ultimate as well as the three finishers.
Maximum-capture rule
In Brazilian and International with strict captures, you must play a capture sequence that takes the most pieces.
Minimap
The small board in the corner of the match screen: one disc per fighter in its clan colour, a gold dot on kings and an arrow for the last move.
Move log grades
The cheers beside captures in the move log. A chain shows its combo count, taking a king shows "giant slayer!", crowning shows "crowned!", and a single capture gets "clean hit!", "brilliant!" or "best move!" at random. They are decoration, not an engine verdict.
Pass and play
Two players on one device, each with a different clan, handing it over between turns.
Speed up
The button that plays the current fight four times faster.
Step
A move without a capture: one square diagonally for a man or an American king, any distance along a diagonal for a flying king.
Ultimate
A clan's fourth and biggest attack, open only to a master. How often it is picked is explained on the clans page.

Badminton

Auto-move
A match option that runs your fighter into position so you only time the hits.
Charge
Holding a clear or a smash before letting go. A full charge takes just over half a second and hits deeper or faster.
Clear, smash and drop
The three shots: a deep lift to their baseline (J), a fast downward hit (K) and a soft shot just over the net (L).
Crowd view
Watching a computer-played match from the stands, chosen with Watch a match.
Perfect
A hit timed right on the shuttle: faster, cleaner, and it fills the power bar quicker.
Power Gallery
A menu screen that loops each power and ultimate so you can see what it does.
Power window
What a full power bar opens: 10 seconds in which E or Q spends uses of that power, at most one a second.
Rally heat
From the fifth shot of a rally the game speeds up a little and power bars fill faster, building until the sixteenth.
Stamina
Spent by running, jumping and diving, recovered by standing still and between points. Low stamina means slower feet, then slower charging, and when it is very low, lower jumps.
Tell
The one-line warning that comes with every ultimate, telling the other player how to deal with it.

Each clan's finishers, ultimate and badminton powers are listed on its own page: Ninjas, Karatekas, Sumo, Samurai, Storm Ninjas, Monks, Nak Muay, Capoeiristas.

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