LineUp!

LineUp! is played on a 5x5 grid of squares, with circles at each corner of these squares forming a 6x6 grid. On each player’s turn they are permitted to place a token on any of these squares or corners. Players start with 25 tokens each and the game is over when both players have used all of their tokens. The object of the game is to attempt to build secured structures by either placing or capturing tokens on the board. There are two types of secured structures: Having tokens on a square and the 4 corners surrounding it Having tokens on a corner and the 4 squares surrounding it Tokens making up a secured structure cannot be captured. Instead of placing a token on an unoccupied area of the board, a player may remove one of their opponent’s tokens and replace it with their own. This is called capturing a token. Captured tokens are removed from the game. A token may only be captured if you have a line of tokens adjacent to the token you wish to capture that is greater in length than the line of your opponent’s adjacent tokens in the opposite direction. Thus, to capture a square you must have a line of squares and to capture a corner you must have a line of corners. Tokens that make up part of a secured structure cannot be captured, but can be used in forming lines to capture other tokens. The game ends when both players have run out of tokens to place on the board. When this happens, count the number of secured structures each player has built during the game. Remember, tokens can be used in more than one secured structure. The player with the highest number of secured structures wins. If the number of secured structures is equal, then the player with the largest number of tokens on the board wins on possession (this is the same as the player who has captured the most tokens). If this number is equal then the game is a draw. (Excerpts from the instructions)