Luzhanqi (Army Chess)

Objective:

Luzhanqi, also known as Army Chess or Land Battle Chess, is a strategic board game for two players. The objective is to capture the opponent's flag or to leave the opponent without any legal moves.

Game Board:

The board resembles a military battlefield with several paths depicted by small squares. Each player operates on their side of the board and has a special area for their headquarters.

Game Pieces:

Each player has 25 pieces consisting of various military ranks and special figures. The ranks range from Marshal (9) down to Soldier (1), including Bombs and a Flag.

Setup:

At the beginning of the game, each player places their 25 pieces face down on their side of the board so the opponent can't see how they are arranged. Strategic placement of these pieces is crucial for success.

Gameplay:

1. Alternating Turns: Players take turns performing moves. Pieces can be moved only along the predefined paths on the board.
2. Movement and Attack:
   • A piece can move horizontally or vertically onto an adjacent spot.
   • When a piece lands on a square occupied by an opponent’s piece, a battle ensues.
3. Combat Rules:
   • The piece with the higher rank wins and eliminates the weaker piece from the board. The attacker occupies the square.
   • Equal ranks result in the removal of both pieces.
   • Bombs destroy any attacking piece and then explode themselves.
   • Engineers (2) can defuse Bombs and survive a Bomb's attack.

Special Rules:

• Flag: This piece cannot move. Capturing it results in an immediate victory for the capturing player.
• Camp: These are special fields on the board that cannot be entered and serve as barriers.

Strategic Tips:

• It's crucial to defend your Flag while aggressively seeking out the opponent's Flag.
• Consider that Bombs are both deterrent and sacrificial, as they cannot be reused once deployed.
• Deception using the concealed nature of pieces is key to victory. Blind attacks can backfire if you aren't cautious.

Winning the Game:

The game ends when a player's flag is captured or a player can no longer make a legal move. In both scenarios, the player who captures or can still make a move wins.