In conclusion, Battle Line will make a great addition to my tavern gaming backpack. It felt like poker with a spacial element, or like nine simultaneous hands of poker. I loved the simplicity of play, but it also made me think. I played consecutive games in less than 30 minutes, and would have played more, had my opponent not surrendered from the beatdown that was developing. Player 2 could play two tactic cards in a row now, since her first would equal Player 2’s total and her second would exceed his by one, which is legal.Ī game of Battle Line takes about 10-20 minutes to play. But if Player 2 doesn’t play any tactic cards in the game, then Player 1 can never play another tactic card. So, if Player 2 has played no tactic card so far in the game, then Player 1 may play one of his tactic cards. A player cannot play more than one more tactic card than his or her opponent has played. While they sound powerful (and they are) there is a catch. Tactic cards can be as simple as a “wildcard” or as a way to shift cards which have already been played to the battlefield. These can be drawn just like the other cards. There is also a small deck of tactic cards. There are 6 suits (colors) with ten cards each (1-10). While the rules are simple, the strategy can get pretty deep. A straight flush (Wedge) is highest, followed by 3 of a kind (Phalanx), then a flush (Battalion Order), then a straight (Skirmish Line), and lastly, the highest total of the three cards (a Host). Once 3 cards are placed on either side of a pawn the player having the best poker hand wins the pawn immediately. Players take turns placing a card on their own side of any one of the pawns, until they place a maximum of 3 cards at each pawn. The goal of the game is to win either three consecutive or ANY five of these pawns along the battle line. In Battle Line, players use cards as soldiers to make formations, in order to break through their opponent’s – wait for it – battle line! The table is set up with 9 pawns which are placed horizontally between the two players. A couple of weeks ago, I happened to come across Battle Line, designed by Reiner Knizia and published by GMT Games. I’m always looking for two player games that pack a lot of strategy in a small box, so I can bring them to conventions or to my local tavern in case the opportunity for a game arises.
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