Help For Lines-of-Action

(Copyright (c) Claude Soucie)

Introduction

Welcome to the network Lines-of-Action server. The rules of Lines-of-Action are below. The "challenge" command for Lines-of-Action and the Scrambled Eggs variant is described here. Other commands are the same for all pbmserv games.

loa challenge [-scrambled] userid1 userid2

Start a new game between userid1 and userid2

The -scrambled option allows players to play the Scrambled Eggs variant, which uses the same rules with a different initial board layout.

Rules for Lines-of-Action

Object of the game:

To get all your pieces into a single connected group. A group of pieces is connected if they occupy an unbroken chain of adjacent spaces, horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

        . . x x . . . .          . . x x . . . .
        . x x . x . . .          . x x . . . . .
        x . . . x . . .          x . . . x . . .
        x . . . . x . .          x . . . . x . .

   This is a winning position; this one is not a single group.

Initial board layout:

       A B C D E F G H              A B C D E F G H

    1  . o o o o o o .  1        1  . o x o x o x .  1
    2  x . . . . . . x  2        2  x . . . . . . o  2
    3  x . . . . . . x  3        3  o . . . . . . x  3
    4  x . . . . . . x  4        4  x . . . . . . o  4
    5  x . . . . . . x  5        5  o . . . . . . x  5
    6  x . . . . . . x  6        6  x . . . . . . o  6
    7  x . . . . . . x  7        7  o . . . . . . x  7
    8  . o o o o o o .  8        8  . x o x o x o .  8

       A B C D E F G H              A B C D E F G H 

        Normal Layout             "-scrambled" Layout

Movement:

Players alternate turns, moving one piece at a time

Each piece may move horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

You must move exactly the number of spaces as there are pieces on the row of spaces you are moving in.

You may jump over your own pieces, but not your opponent's pieces.

You may land on and capture your opponent's pieces, which are then removed from the game. You may not land on your own pieces.

Movement Examples:

For example, along the row below, each of the pieces would have to move 4 spaces, because there are 4 pieces on the row.

       1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
       x . . o . o . x

Pieces 1 and 8 cannot move because they would have to jump over an opponent's piece. Piece 6 can move to piece 2, and piece 4 can move to, and capture, piece 8.

From the opening position, B1 could move to B3, D3, or H1.