Line or Colour

Line or Colour is a combinatorial game for two players. Originally named Tangion (a contraction for Tangent+Tension), the game involves two perpendicular winning conditions that can tie players´ brains in knots. It was derived from Domina 4 by adding a n-in-a-row victory condition and removing piece movement.

The name was later changed to the more friendly Line or Colour.

MATERIAL

49 rounded counters in 7 colours (7 each)
25 white rings
25 black rings
The official edition includes a board for faster setup.

RULES

There are 2 types of gameplay: basic and advanced.

Basic version:

Arrange 25 counters in 5 colours (5 each) in a square according to the figure:

12345
45123
23451
51234
34512

Player 'White' (Starting player) takes all the white rings. Player 'Black' takes all the black rings.

Starting with 'White' players alternate turns 'claiming' a counter by placing a ring of their colour on it. The pie rule is enabled.

The game ends when a player either forms a row of at least 4 consecutive rings of his colour (orthogonal or diagonal) or has claimed 4 counters of the same colour. That player wins the game.

Advanced version:

Arrange 49 counters in 7 colours (7 each) according to the figure:

1234567
6712345
4567123
2345671
7123456
5671234
3456712

Same rules apply, but a player wins by making a line of 5 or claiming 5 counters of the same colour. The pie rule doesn't seem to be necessary in this version.

Variant for both versions: Arrange the counters randomly.

AKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks to Stephen Tavener for playtesting and Cameron Browne for playtesting and game name brainstorming, that unlocked its publication almost a year after its inception.