Are the names of game tokens considered proper nouns, and hence need to be capitalized? Apparently not for chess, as king, queen, bishop etc. are written in lowercase. But what about games whose terms and conventions are less ingrained, for example Settlers of Catan? Which would you use?
A. If you roll a seven, you can move the robber. (treated as common noun)
B. If you roll a seven, you can move the Robber. (treated as proper noun)
Best Answer
You'd capitalize a specific piece, but not the generic. For example, the Ace of Spades, but ace/king/queen/jack. The Robber, but "a robber token." A knight in chess, but King's Bishop or Queen's Rook.
In regards to your specific example, Mayfair Games capitalizes "The Robber" in its support material for the Catan games. See here.