Battle Line: Medieval

A two-player medieval card duel where you build stronger formations than your enemy along nine battle flags.

Designer: Reiner Knizia
Published by: GMT Games
Editions by: Lavka Games, Pixie Games, Roland's Revenge Games, Shakos

Battle Line: Medieval is the 2017 retheme of Reiner Knizia's classic two-player card duel, and the pitch is simple: win the line of battle. Nine flags lie between you and your opponent. Along each one you build a formation of cards, and whoever builds the stronger formation takes that flag. Win five flags in total, or three next to each other, and the war is yours. Sixty fresh medieval cards come with ten tactics wildcards that bend the rules in your favor. It is a gut-punching exercise in bluffing, timing and card counting, over in about thirty minutes, for exactly two. It descends from the German original Schotten-Totten.

Nine flags, two ways to winPoker-style formations compared on each laneTen tactics cards bend the rules

Who it's for

You want a quick, clever two-player card duel with real bluffing, something like a faster, meaner cousin of lane-based classics.

Not for you if…

You are more than two, or you want a big campaign. This is a thirty-minute head-to-head.

Vibe's take

Tense and tricky. Every card you play reveals a bit of your plan, so you are constantly deciding when to commit, when to bluff and when to let a flag go.