On May 18, 1995, Edward Jackman jte@primenet.com, posted this on rec.games.abstract,

LINES OF ACTION

aka LOA

and several LOA variants.

LINES OF ACTION, invented by Claude Soucie and published in Sid Sackson's book *A Gamut of Games*, is one of the more popular games played in the postal game club NOST and has given birth to several variants.

The rules to LINES OF ACTION:

The game is played on an 8x8 board. Each of the two players has a set of 12 identical pieces in contrasting colors. The game can be played using a standard checker/draughts set without modification. Here is the opening setup: 

  8   - B B B B B B -
  7   W - - - - - - W
  6   W - - - - - - W
  5   W - - - - - - W
  4   W - - - - - - W
  3   W - - - - - - W
  2   W - - - - - - W
  1   - B B B B B B -
      a b c d e f g h
In turn, starting with Black, each player moves one of their own pieces. Pieces move on queen lines (that is, in any of eight directions) and MUST move EXACTLY as many spaces as there are pieces of BOTH colors on the line of movement. Pieces may pass over friendly pieces but not over enemy pieces. Pieces may land on enemy pieces (not on friendly pieces), capturing them and removing them from the game permanently. The first person to bring all their own pieces into a single connected group wins. Connections in the winning group can be diagonal as well as orthoganal. If you are reduced to a single piece, you win, since obviously your piece forms a single group. If you form a winning group and reduce your opponent to a single piece or group at the same time, you win. (The original rules had this situation as a draw.)

Examples: 

  8   - - - - - - - -
  7   - - - - - - - -
  6   - W - W B - - -
  5   - - - - - - - -
  4   - B W W - - - -
  3   - W W - B - - -
  2   - - W - - B - -
  1   - - - - - - - -
      a b c d e f g h
The legal moves for the White piece at b6 are: The move b6xf2 is illegal as it passes over the enemy piece at e3. B6 cannot move up, left or up and left as it would go past the edge of the board. B6 cannot move directly down as it would land on another white piece.

White's best move would be c2-c5, forming a single group and winning the game: 

  8   - - - - - - - -
  7   - - - - - - - -
  6   - W - W B - - -
  5   - - W - - - - -
  4   - B W W - - - -
  3   - W W - B - - -
  2   - - - - - B - -
  1   - - - - - - - -
      a b c d e f g h
Here are a few of the LOA variants that have also enjoyed some popularity in NOST:.
SCRAMBLED EGGS LOA uses the same rules but begins with this array: 
8  - B W B W B W -
7  W - - - - - - B
6  B - - - - - - W
5  W - - - - - - B
4  B - - - - - - W
3  W - - - - - - B
2  B - - - - - - W
1  - W B W B W B -
   a b c d e f g h
PARACHUTE LOA starts 6 of each player's piece on the board and 6 of each player's pieces off the board. Here is the starting array: 
8  - - - - - - - -
7  W - - - - - - B
6  B - - - - - - W
5  W - - - - - - B
4  B - - - - - - W
3  W - - - - - - B
2  B - - - - - - W
1  - - - - - - - -
   a b c d e f g h
For the first 6 turns, each player makes a normal move,and then takes one of the opponent's off-board pieces and places it anywhere on the board. Once all pieces have been placed, the game continues as in standard LOA.

AMBILOA

Here's the starting array. Notice that there are four types of pieces: 
  8   - b b b b b b -
  7   w - - - - - - W
  6   w - - - - - - W
  5   w - - - - - - W
  4   w - - - - - - W
  3   w - - - - - - W
  2   w - - - - - - W
  1   - B B B B B B -
      a b c d e f g h
Each player has two types of pieces which must be moved in strict rotation. First a 'B' is moved by the Black player. Then a 'W' by the White player. Then a 'b' by the Black player. Then a 'w' by the White player. And so on. If, on your turn to play you have no pieces of the correct type to move, you lose that turn. The object is the same as standard LOA -- to get ALL of your pieces (of both types) into one group. This game is also played as a partnership game for four players.
Matthew Montchalin invented a similar game called *NEIGHBORS*, published in the April 1995 issue of GAMES & PUZZLES Magazine (email: games@puzzles.demon.co.uk). Here is the opening position: 
  8   - B B B W W W -
  7   W - - - - - - B
  6   W - - - - - - B
  5   W - - - - - - B
  4   B - - - - - - W
  3   B - - - - - - W
  2   B - - - - - - W
  1   - W W W B B B -
    
      a b c d e f g h
The object is the same as LOA. Length of moves is based not on the number of pieces in the line of movement as in LOA, but the number of 'neighbors' the piece has before it moves. A neighbor is a piece of either color a king's move away. A piece may move on queens lines and may leap over pieces of EITHER color (as opposed to friendly pieces only in LOA) and may land on an empty square or an enemy piece, capturing it.
Sid Sackson invented a game called FIELDS OF ACTION inspired by LOA that is not particularly similar and is slighlty more complex. It has been published in *New Rules for Classic Games* by R. Wayne Schmittberger. It was also published in either Games magazine or one of the books Games Magazine put out. Here is the opening setup: 
   +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
 8 |  8 |  7 |  6 |  5 |    |    |    |    |
   +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
 7 |    |    |    |    | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9  |
   +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
 6 |  4 |  3 |  2 |  1 |    |    |    |    |
   +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
 5 |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
 4 |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |    |
   +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
 3 |    |    |    |    | [1]| [2]| [3]| [4]|
   +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
 2 | [9]|[10]|[11]|[12]|    |    |    |    |
   +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
 1 |    |    |    |    | [5]| [6]| [7]| [8]|
   +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+
     a   b   c   d   e   f   g   h
(The bracketed pieces are white -- the non-bracketed pieces are black.)

Pieces are numbered from 1 to 12. Pieces move on queen lines and must move exactly as many squares as it has neighbors, as in Montchalin's game NEIGHBORS. It may pass over pieces of either color and land on either an empty square on an enemy piece, capturing it.

If a piece begins its turn with zero neighbors, it may move any distance in any direction as long as it ends its move on an empty square adjacent to two or more pieces.

The object is to do either of these things:

  1. Capture 5 sequential pieces -- they need not be captured in order. (For example, capture your opponent's 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.)
  2. Leave your opponent without a legal move.
Anyone know of any other LOA variants? Edward Jackman

Links to other LOA-pages

[Dept. of Computer Science] Hans Bodlaender hansb@cs.uu.nl.