Latrunculi

Objective

The objective of Latrunculi is to capture the opponent's pieces by skillfully surrounding them.

Game Board: A square board with a variable number of cells (often 8x8 or 12x8).
Playing Pieces: Each player has the same number of pieces. In classic setups, each side has 16 pieces.
Initial Placement: Players place their pieces on the first row on their side of the board, similar to a chess setup.

Turns: Players take turns moving, starting with a randomly selected player.
Moving a Piece: A piece moves either vertically or horizontally, but not diagonally, similar to a rook in chess. The piece can move over any number of unoccupied squares.
Capturing Pieces: To capture an opponent's piece, it must be surrounded by two of your pieces or by one of your pieces and an obstacle. A piece can only be captured horizontally or vertically, not diagonally.

The King / Dux: In some variants, there's a piece with special rules. The Dux is an offensively positioned piece that cannot be captured in the normal manner.
Winning Conditions: The game ends when a player cannot move anymore or has all their pieces captured.

Blocking: Try to limit your opponent's mobility by strategically positioning your pieces.
Decoys: Lure your opponent into a trap by sacrificing seemingly insignificant pieces.

Latrunculi is an engaging strategy game that relies on both clever positioning of your pieces and predicting the opponent's moves.