NAME

       biloba - multiplayer strategy board game

SYNOPSIS

       biloba [server]

DESCRIPTION

       This manual page documents briefly the biloba command.

       This manual page was written for the Debian™ distribution because the original program
       does not have a manual page.

       biloba is an abstract strategy board game which allows up to four players.

       Allows single player gaming against its own AI engine, and multiplayer gaming through the
       network.

GAME RULES

       Game has a help facility included, the question mark icon on the top right corner. After
       clicking it rules are fully explained with graphic diagrams. Just click on the anywhere
       screen to advance help screens.

       For completeness a summary of the rules extracted from the game homepage is included
       below.

   Goal
       The goal of the game is to remove all opponent's pawns from the board.

   Moving
       A pawn can move to next free tile in any direction (a). A pawn can also jump over any
       other pawn, one at a time, but never backwards (b).

         · | · | ·       · |   | · |   | ·
        ---+---+---     ---+---+---+---+---
         · | O | ·         | X | X | X |
        ---+---+---     ---+---+---+---+---
         · | · | ·       · | X | O | X | ·

        (a) Movement    (b) Jumping

   Taking and replacing
       An enemy pawn is taking by placing two pawns on each side of one of its horizontal,
       vertical or diagonal axis.

           |   |         | X |         |   | X
        ---+---+---   ---+---+---   ---+---+---
         X | O | X       | O |         | O |
        ---+---+---   ---+---+---   ---+---+---
           |   |         | X |       X |   |

       The pawn is then removed from the board, and replaced by one of the two pawns that took it
       out.

           |   |         | X |         |   | 🡗
        ---+---+---   ---+---+---   ---+---+---
         X | X | ←       | X |         | X |
        ---+---+---   ---+---+---   ---+---+---
           |   |         | ↑ |       X |   |

       If more than one enemy pawns are taken in a same move, they will be all taken out of the
       board before doing the replacement.

           | X | X       | X | X       | X | 🡗
        ---+---+---   ---+---+---   ---+---+---
         X | O |       X |   |       X | X |
        ---+---+---   ---+---+---   ---+---+---
           | O | X     X |   | X     X | X | ←

       If replacing a pawn lets you take out other ones, they must be removed first, and followed
       by more replacements.

       Taking pawns is mandatory when possible, and unlimited.

       If a player is forced to take pawns at the beginning of the turn then take movements are
       made, replacements are made and turn is over.

       If a player can take a pawn while not in turn (in 3 or 4 players games), will wait for the
       turn, and make take if it is still possible.

       The turn is over when the player which started it has done all the possible takes and
       replacements.

   Special tile
       The tile at the center of the board is special. When a pawn enters it it's required to
       move again to any of the seven adjacent tiles.

       Pawns can't stop on the special tile.

       The special tile is not accessible by jumping over a pawn.

   End of game
       The winner is the last player to have at least three pawns on the board.

       As soon as a player only has two pawns left, and can't take an opponent's pawn out just
       after, that player loses and the two pawns left are removed from the board.

       If, after having lost a pawn, player can take another pawn by doing a move, it's a draw.

OPTIONS

       The optional machine name or address where a peer biloba is listening for a network game.
       Port used is 8000.

SEE ALSO

       biloba-server(6), Game homepage <http://biloba.sourceforge.net/>.

AUTHORS

       biloba was created and coded by Guillaume Demougeot <mailto:dmgt@wanadoo.fr> and Colin
       Leroy <mailto:colin@colino.net>.

       This manual page was written by Ricardo Mones <mailto:mones@debian.org> for the Debian™
       system (but may be used by others).

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright © 2005-2019 Ricardo Mones

       Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of
       the GNU General Public License, Version 2 any later version published by the Free Software
       Foundation.

       On Debian systems, the complete text of the GNU General Public License can be found in
       /usr/share/common-licenses/GPL-2.