Nine boundary stones lie between you and your opponent. In front of each, you build poker-like formations of three cards on a side. Whoever plays the higher-ranking formation wins the stone. And in a unique twist, you may use your powers of logic to claim a stone even before your opponent has played all three of his cards, by demonstrating that the stone is impossible for him to win. Successfully claim five stones, or any three adjacent stones, and you win the game.
The original game consists of 54 cards, numbered 1 to 9 in six colors. The 2004 Pro Ludo reprint adds 10 special tactics cards, which can serve as wild cards or allow you to "break the rules" in various ways, and it's this version of the game that was soon rethemed into Battle Line for the American market. Opinions in the gaming community on whether the tactics cards improve or take away from the game seem to be quite evenly divided.
Re-implemented as:
