BattleLine

Players:2
PlayTime:30Minutes
Cards:
60Troopcards
10Tacticscards
9Flagcards

Object
Playersaimtocreatepowerfulformationsontheirsideoftheflagstobeattheformationsontheir
opponent'ssideoftherespectiveflags.Thefirstplayertowinthreeadjacentflags(aBreakthrough)or
anyfiveflags(anEnvelopment)achievesvictory.

SetUp
LayoutthenineFlagsinalinebetweenthetwoplayers.
HaveeachplayercuttheTroopdeckandrevealacarduntiloneplayerhasrevealedahigher
number.ThatplayershufflesanddealssevenTroopcardstoeachplayer'shand.
PlacetheremainingTroopcardsasafacedowndeckatoneendofthebattleline.
ShufflethetenTacticscardsandplacethemasafacedowndeckattheotherendofthebattle
line.(SeetheGameplayVariantssectionifyoudliketoplaywithoutTacticscards.)

Gameplay
Theplayerwhodidntdealplaysfirst;playalternatesthereafter.
Ontheirturn,theplayerselectseitheroneTroopcardoroneTacticscardfromhishandand
placesitfaceuponhissideofthebattleline.(SeetheTroopCardssectionandtheTacticsCards
sectiononfordetailsonplayingcards.)
Attheendoftheirturn,theplayerdrawsonecardfromeitherdecktorefreshtheirhandto
seven.Whenbothdecksrunout,nofurthercardscanbedrawn,butplaycontinues.
TheflagsarewonbyformationsofTroopcardsplayedadjacenttotheflags.(SeetheFlags
sectionfordetails.)TheTacticscardsareusedtoinfluencetheformations.
TroopCards
o ToplayaTroopcardaplayerselectsoneoftheirTroopcardsandplacesitfaceuponhis
sideofthelineinfrontofoneflag.
o Therearethreecard"slots"oneachsideofeveryflagtoplayTroopcards.Inthecourse
ofthegameeachplayermayplaceamaximumofthreeTroopcardsinfrontofeach
Flag,inordertocreateformations(seetheFormationssectionfordetails).
o WhenaplayerisunabletoplayanyTroopcard,hemaypassorplayaTacticscardonhis
turn,buthisopponentstillcontinuestoplayuntilthegameisdecided.Suchsituations
mayoccurintwoways:aplayermayhavefilledallhisavailableslotsonhissideofthe
battleline,oraplayermayhaveonlyTacticscardsinhishand.

Formations
o Thedifferentformationsfromstrongesttoweakestare:
Wedge:Threecardsofthesamecolorwithconsecutivevalues.

o
o

Phalanx:Threecardsofthesamevalue.

BattalionOrder:Threecardsofthesamecolor.

SkirmishLine:Threecardswithconsecutivevalues.

Host:Anythreecardsthatdontformanotherformation.

TheorderinwhichtheTroopcardsareplayedtoformaformationisirrelevant.
Whencomparingtwoformationsinthesamecategory,theformationwiththehigher
sumofallthreecardvaluesishigherthantheopposingformation.Forexample,a
BattalionOrderformationthatconsistsofRed3,Red4,andRed6beatsaBattalion
OrderformationthatconsistsofBlue1,Blue3,andBlue7.Ifthetwoinvolvedsumsare
equal,theformationsaretied(seetheFlagssectionforresolutionofties).
2

TacticsCards
o TherearetenTacticscards.TacticscardsareplayedinsteadofTroopcardstoinfluence
theformations.
o AplayermayholdasmanyTacticscardsashewisheswithinhishandsizeofseven,but
mayneverplaymorethanonemorethanhisopponenthasplayed.Thatmeansaplayer
canalwaysplayaTacticscardunlesshehasalreadyplayedmorethanhisopponent.
o EachTacticscardhasaspecialfunctionandbelongstooneofthefollowingthree
categories:
MoraleTactics
Thesecardsareplayedintotheplayer'slayoutinplaceof,andina
similarwayto,Troopcards.
BattleAlly
PlaythiscardlikeanyTroopcardofvalue8,butdefine
itscolorwhentheFlagisresolved.

Leader(KingandQueen)
TheLeadersarewildcards.Playa
LeaderlikeanyTroopcard,butdefine
thecolorandvaluewhentheFlagis
resolved.Forexample,youhaveaBlue
8inyourlayout.IfyouaddaLeader,it
givesyoutheoptionofaddingaBlue8
6,7,9,or10tomakeaWedge,orany8
toformaPhalanx.EachplayermayonlyplayoneLeaderpergame.If
drawn,asecondLeaderremainsunplayableintheplayer'shanduntil
theendofthegame.IntheeventthataLeaderisdiscardedbythe
DeserterTacticscardaplayermaynotplayasecondLeaderduringthat
game.
ShieldBearer
PlaythiscardlikeanyTroopcard,butdefineitscolor
anditsvaluenotlargerthan3whentheFlagis
resolved.

EnvironmentTactics
Thesecardsareplayedfaceupontheplayer'snearsideofanunclaimed
Flag,sothatthereisenoughspacefortheTroopcardstobeplacednext
totheFlag.Onceplayed,theTacticscardsstayintheirpositionuntilthe
endofthegame.
Fog
Thefogcarddisablesallformations,andtheFlagis
merelydecidedonthebasisofthetotalvalueofcards
oneachside.

Mud
TheclaimforthisFlagisnowbasedonfourcardson
eitherside,sotheformationsneedtobeexpanded.
ThismakesitparticularlydifficulttoachieveaWedge
orPhalanx.

GuileTactics
Thesecardsareplayedfaceupontheplayer'sownsidenexttothe
Tacticscarddeck.Allcardsplayedtheremustbeclearlyvisibleand
remainthereuntiltheendofthegame.
Deserter
TheplayermaychooseanyoneTrooporTacticscard
fromtheopponent'ssidenexttoanunclaimedFlag,
anddiscardsitfaceupontheopponent'ssidenextto
theTacticscarddeck.

Redeploy
TheplayerchoosesanyoneTrooporMoraleTactics
cardfromhissidenexttoanunclaimedFlag,and
placesitfaceupintoanotherofhisavailableslots,or
discardsitfaceuponhissidenexttotheTacticscard
deck.TheRedeploycardcannotbeusedtomove
EnvironmentTacticscards.

Scout
Theplayerdrawsatotalofthreecardsfromoneor
bothdecks.Thenhechoosesanytwocardsfromhis
handandplacesthemfacedownontopoftheir
respectivedeckordecks.

Traitor
TheplayermaychooseanyoneTroopcard(nota
Tacticscard)fromtheopponent'ssidenexttoan
unclaimedFlag,andplacesitintoanemptyslotonhis
ownside.

Flags
o AttheendofaturnaplayermayclaimoneormoreFlags.
o InordertoclaimaFlag,aplayermusthaveacompletedformationontheirsideofthe
Flag,andmustbeabletoprovethatTroopcardsontheopponent'ssideoftheFlag
cannotbeatthisformation.
o Iftheopponent'ssidealsohasacompletedformationsimplycomparethemto
determinewhowinstheFlag.
o Iftheopponent'ssidecontainsanincompleteformation,theclaimingplayermustprove
thattheopponentwillnotbeabletocreateawinningformation,regardlessofwhat
Troopcardstheopponentmightplay.
Forthispurpose,theplayermayusetheopeninformationoftheboardtoshow
thatcertaincardsarenolongeravailable.
Theplayermaynotuseanyinformationfromhisownhand.
UnplayedTacticscardscannotpreventaFlagclaim.
IftheformationsoneithersideofaFlagaretiedoratbestcouldbetied,then
theplayerwhoplayed(orwouldplay)thelastcardintotheformationslosesthe
Flag.
WhenaplayersuccessfullyclaimsaFlag,hetakestheFlagandmovesittohis
side,beyondthecardsthatheplayed.Neitherplayermayplacefurthercardsin
frontofthatFlagoneitherside,normayanyTacticscardaffectthosecards.

GameEnd
WhenoneplayerhassuccessfullyclaimedthreeadjacentFlagsoranyfiveFlags,thegameends
immediatelywiththisplayerwinning.
Playhalts;nootherFlagsmaybeclaimedafterthat.
Ifplayingaseriesofgames,thewinneralwaysscoresfivepoints,andtheloserscoresasmany
pointsasFlagstheyhadclaimed.Thewinnerthenstartsthenextgame.

GameVariants
NoTacticsCards
o YoumaychoosetoplayBattleLinewithoutTacticscards.
o InagamenotusingTacticscardsthereisonlyoneruledifference:Playerhandsizeissix
cardsinsteadofseven.
o Thedealerwillonlydealsixcardstoeachplayeratthebeginningofthegame.
AdvancedPlay
o Onceyouhaveplayedthestandardgameafewtimesyoumaywishtotrythisvariant.
o AplayermayonlyclaimFlagsatthebeginningofhisturn.Thiseffectivelydelays
claimingaFlagbyoneturn,enablingtheopponenttomodifythesituationwithaTactics
cards.
ThreePlayers(bynqbus8ofBoardGameGeek.com)
o Setupflagssothateachplayerhasarowofthreeflagsthatfaceeachoftheothertwo
playersasintheimagebelow.
o Towinaplayermustcapture3adjacentflagsor4totalflags.The3adjacentflagscan
spanbetweenopponents.
o Note:Itispossiblefortiestooccurinathreeplayergame.

Draw

Flag