I have given Lost Cities a ranking of “10” at www.boardgamegeek.com, the only two-player game to get that rating from me. This is because it’s the one two-player game that my wife loves, and the one that I’ve had the most success teaching. But my personal favorite, the one that I’m most enthralled with, is Battle Line (GMT Games, 2000 - Reiner Knizia.) Known by many as Schotten Totten, Battle Line is the exact same game with only a different theme and some special cards added. Either way, I was thrilled to hear that GMT was reprinting the game last year, so gladly picked up a copy when it was available.
Maybe part of the reason I like Battle Line so much is that it’s all about numbers. It has a slight flavor of poker; but the things I enjoy the most about it are the proofs, when you can successfully show your opponent that they cannot win a specific battle. Perhaps some people won’t like the math overtones of the game, and the fact that the theme is an obvious paste on. But I will contend that it’s Knizia’s best two-player game; and that although luck plays a decent-sized role, that skillful play will result in victory. If you’re looking for a fairly quick, intriguing two-player game, I can’t recommend Battle Line highly enough.
A deck of sixty “Troop” cards is shuffled, composed of six suits - each numbered one to ten. Players are dealt seven of these cards, along with one Tactics card (from a shuffled deck of ten.) Nine wooden pawns (flags) are placed in a row between players, and one player is chosen to go first, with play alternating thereafter. On a turn, a player may play a Tactics card, which has some sort of special effect but may only play one more Tactics card than their opponent has. Usually, however, a player will play one of the Troop cards adjacent to one of the flags on their side. Players are trying to make “formations” of cards in one of the following ways, ranked from highest to lowest.
- Three cards of the same color with consecutive values,
- Three cards with the same value,
- Three cards of the same color,
- A “straight” of three (i.e. “4”, “5”, “6”)
- Anything else.
If the players have two of the same ranked formation, the formation with higher numbers is the winner; ties are lost by the person who played the last card.
Before a player’s turn, they may claim flags if possible. If they have a completed formation of three cards by any flag, and it is higher than the opponent’s formation; or they can prove (with cards already played) that their opponent cannot make a higher formation, they claim the flag, moving it to their side of the table. If a player claims three flags in a row, or five flags total, they win the game (or hand).
Some comments on the game...
1.) Components: GMT isn’t the highest bastion of quality, and this game isn’t an exception. The cards look nice but are rather thin, making them vulnerable to repeated play. The “flags” are red wooden pawns, which are functional, although knowing how far to space them on the table can be a pain - I prefer the card rocks from Schotten Totten. The box for the game is a good size and fairly sturdy, although it’s rather large for the game. When traveling, I take all the pieces out and store them in a much smaller box. Still, with all these minor complaints, the game is relatively inexpensive, although I’ve seen it sold out in several places.
2.) Rules: The rules are pretty clear with a lot of examples to explain exactly what formations beat other formations. I still have a complaint about this, as a reference card would be extremely helpful to new players. I have my own reference cards that I’ve made up, but it would have been nice for GMT to include it in the game. The game is easy to teach, although new players will find it a bit daunting when first playing. Where should you put your first card?
3.) Luck: Shortly before I typed this interview, I played a couple games with my wife for fun. I told her happily before playing that I had lost the game only once - upon which she proceeded to thrash me. So to keep my honor intact, I declared the game full of luck. And in all seriousness, there is a decent amount of luck in the game - comparable to that in Lost Cities. But I will contend that a superior player will win most of the time and that there is the room for a lot of options here. Yes, sometimes you’ll draw the card you need the turn after you played another card in that spot, but I think the game is fun because of that - rather than despite it.
4.) Tactics: At first, I steadfastly resisted using the Tactics cards. I had just migrated over to Battle Line from Schotten Totten, which doesn’t have Tactic cards, and I thought they diluted the game. So I refused to play them, limiting my opponent to only one per game. But then I saw how useful that one card could be, even though I prided myself on winning the games anyway. And eventually I started using them and found that while they added some chaos to the game, making it feel less “pure” to me that they were actually fun. The rule about a player only able to play one more than their opponent is rather nice and adds a little bit of checks and balances to the game.
5.) Proofs and Fun Factor: For me, the ability to have fairly perfect knowledge in the game and proving that the opponent cannot win a specific flag is a tremendous thrill. I’ve found that the game is useful in teaching introductory logic to kids, as this game uses a lot of it. But the game isn’t simply logic, as there are a lot of risk taking moves; watching what your opponent does both in their moves and the reactions on their face is incredibly important.
Not everyone I play this game with “gets it”, therefore keeping it from being a “10” in my book. Still, it’s my absolute favorite two-player game to pull out, and I’ve played it more than any game in the Kosmos two-player line (except Lost Cities). I give it high praise; and if you liked Lost Cities, this is the next step in the natural progression. Battle Line was out of print for a while, and high demand finally brought back a second printing. Get a copy of it now before it goes out of print again!
Tom Vasel
“Real men play board games.”
