We used a comparison program to sort the games we love into this list. It was surprising when Battle Line just missed out on the Top 50. Maybe it is because it is only two-player that it can’t quite keep up with the competition. It is one of our favorite two player games with lots of strategy and a bit of luck mixed in. Players use cards values 1 - 10 (or 1 - 9 in some version) of different colors to try to claim flags on the battle line.
On your turn you only have one simple action, play a card. There are two types of cards. One are just the general colored number cards and others are called tactics cards which have special powers. The main goal is to either claim five of the nine flags along the line or three adjacent to each other. As all cards are played face up your opponents will definitely find hard to not let you have three in a row.
How you judge each flag is based on a system similar to poker. The best possible is all the same color in a number run. Other plays have value too though. Three of a kind if quite powerful as it a flush or a run. If neither player can make something like that on either side of a flag then it is judged simply on the total number value of the cards. With just those cards the game is quite simple but still a ton of fun but then you add in tactics cards!
A lot of the tactics cards are wilds, or one of a group of numbers and other powerful abilities. Some steal cards or kill cards on your opponent's side and others remove the power of the moves i mentioned earlier and make ti based simply on the sum of the cards played. One of the important things to remember is that they cannot be played on a flag that is already claimed and they can be claimed before you’ve played all your cards. So don’t hold onto them too long! To balance out the power of those cards you can only play one more than your opponent has played. So don’t draw too many of those as you might get stuck with them if your opponent doesn’t play them!
There is quite a bit of randomness in the game as you are drawing randomly from the card deck. But as both players suffer from it we feel like it balances out in the end. Anyways it is more about how you use the resources you are given then drawing the perfect hand. If you have a friend and want to challenge them try your hand out with Battle line from our Top 100. We sometimes host tournaments at Platypus of this game - so get your practice in!