Luzhanqi
Encyclopedia
Luzhanqi (lit. “Land Battle Chess”) is a two-player Chinese
board game
. There is also a version for four players. It bears many similarities to Dou Shou Qi, Game of the Generals
and the Western board game Stratego
. It is a non-perfect abstract strategy game
of partial information, since each player has only limited knowledge concerning the disposition of the opposing pieces.
Soldier Station - a normal space. Pieces can move on or off these spaces at will, and can be attacked and captured on them.
Railroads – a piece can travel any number of spaces along a railroad in a straight line, as long as its path is not obstructed by another piece.
Campsite – a piece on a campsite cannot be attacked.
Mountains – pieces cannot move over these two spaces.
No-man’s Land – these three spaces are the only points at which a piece can enter the opponent’s territory. Pieces do not land on these spaces, they pass over them.
Headquarters – the Flag must be placed on one of these two spaces.
one Field Marshal (司令) , rank 9
one Army Commander (军长), rank 8
two Division Commanders (师长), rank 7
two Brigade Commanders (旅长), rank 6
two Regiment Commanders (团长), rank 5
two Battalion Commanders (营长), rank 4
three Company Commanders (连长), rank 3
three Platoon Commanders (排长), rank 2
three Engineers (工兵), rank 1 (but see below)
two Bombs (炸弹) rank 1 (but see below)
three Land Mines (地雷)
one Flag (军旗)
Some pieces have special features and abilities:
The Engineers are the only pieces which can turn corners when travelling along the Railroad. Engineers can also capture Landmines without being removed from the board.
Bombs can capture any other piece, but are themselves removed from the board in the process. Bombs cannot be placed on the front line (the sixth rank) during the initial set-up.
Land Mines capture any piece that attacks them (except for the Engineers). Depending on the ruleset used, Landmines may or may not be removed from play following a capture. Landmines may only be placed on the first and second ranks during set-up. The Landmine cannot move from its original position.
The Flag must be placed on one of the two Headquarters spaces on the first rank. It cannot move. Its capture ends the game.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
. There is also a version for four players. It bears many similarities to Dou Shou Qi, Game of the Generals
Game of the Generals
The Game of the Generals, also called Salpakan in Tagalog, and GG as it is most fondly called, or simply The Generals, is an educational wargame invented in the Philippines by Sofronio H. Pasola, Jr. in 1970. It can be played within twenty to thirty minutes. It is designed for two players, each...
and the Western board game Stratego
Stratego
Stratego is a board game featuring a 10×10 square board and two players with 40 pieces each. Pieces represent individual officers and soldiers in an army. The objective of the game is to either find and capture the opponent's Flag or to capture so many of the opponent's pieces that he/she cannot...
. It is a non-perfect abstract strategy game
Abstract strategy game
An abstract strategy game is a strategy game, aiming to minimise luck, and without a theme. Almost all abstract strategy games will conform to the strictest definition of: a board or card game, in which there is no hidden information, no non-deterministic elements , in which two players or teams...
of partial information, since each player has only limited knowledge concerning the disposition of the opposing pieces.
The Board
The Luzhanqi board has a number of different features which affect how pieces move.Soldier Station - a normal space. Pieces can move on or off these spaces at will, and can be attacked and captured on them.
Railroads – a piece can travel any number of spaces along a railroad in a straight line, as long as its path is not obstructed by another piece.
Campsite – a piece on a campsite cannot be attacked.
Mountains – pieces cannot move over these two spaces.
No-man’s Land – these three spaces are the only points at which a piece can enter the opponent’s territory. Pieces do not land on these spaces, they pass over them.
Headquarters – the Flag must be placed on one of these two spaces.
Pieces
Each player has 25 pieces, which are identical except for markings on one side. They are listed here in order of rank. Each player has:one Field Marshal (司令) , rank 9
one Army Commander (军长), rank 8
two Division Commanders (师长), rank 7
two Brigade Commanders (旅长), rank 6
two Regiment Commanders (团长), rank 5
two Battalion Commanders (营长), rank 4
three Company Commanders (连长), rank 3
three Platoon Commanders (排长), rank 2
three Engineers (工兵), rank 1 (but see below)
two Bombs (炸弹) rank 1 (but see below)
three Land Mines (地雷)
one Flag (军旗)
Gameplay
Both players begin by arranging their pieces on their half of the board, with the markings that indicate rank facing towards them (and hence invisible to the opponent). Play then proceeds by turns, with each player moving one piece per turn. On each move a piece may move to any connected adjacent space, or use the Railroad lines to travel to more distant spaces. When a piece lands on a space occupied by an opposing piece, the respective ranks of the two pieces are compared (either by the players or by an independent referee). The lower-ranking piece is removed from the board.Some pieces have special features and abilities:
The Engineers are the only pieces which can turn corners when travelling along the Railroad. Engineers can also capture Landmines without being removed from the board.
Bombs can capture any other piece, but are themselves removed from the board in the process. Bombs cannot be placed on the front line (the sixth rank) during the initial set-up.
Land Mines capture any piece that attacks them (except for the Engineers). Depending on the ruleset used, Landmines may or may not be removed from play following a capture. Landmines may only be placed on the first and second ranks during set-up. The Landmine cannot move from its original position.
The Flag must be placed on one of the two Headquarters spaces on the first rank. It cannot move. Its capture ends the game.