Description

This electronically refereed game is the best and closest game-board realization of the battlefield tactics from the Chinese military strategist Sun Zi (500 B.C.) in his celebrated work "The Art of War":

Warfare is the way of deception. Therefore, if able, appear unable; if active, appear not active; if near, appear far; if far, appear near. If they have advantage, entice them; if they are confused, take them; if they are substantial, prepare for them; if they are strong, avoid them; if they are angry, disturb them, if they are humble, make them haughty; if they are relaxed, toil them; if they are united, separate them. Attack where they are not prepared, go out to where they do not expect.

Each player commands a troop of 25 game pieces: 1 Flag, 1 Army, 1 Corps, 2 Divisions, 2 Brigades, 2 Regiments, 2 Battalions, 3 Companies, 3 Platoons, 3 Engineers, 3 Mines, and 2 Bombs. To win a game, one must either capture the Flag piece or defeat all the movable pieces of the opponent player. When two opposing game pieces are engaged in a battle, the identities of the two pieces are only revealed to the electronic referee system (not to the players) which determines the winning piece and the defeated piece. The battlefield consists of railway tracks along which the pieces can move continuously, country-road routes along which the pieces cannot move continuously, and bases which provide shelters to any pieces occupying them. On each side, the Flag piece is to be secretly placed in one of the two castle-shaped headquarters and guarded by movable troop pieces and unmovable Mines. Lively military figures, numeric numbers, and words in both English and Chinese are shown on the game pieces.