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=head1 NAME

biloba - multiplayer strategy board game

=head1 SYNOPSIS

B<biloba> [server]

=head1 DESCRIPTION

This manual page documents briefly the B<biloba> command.

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

B<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.

=head1 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.

=head2 Goal

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

=head2 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

=head2 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.

=head2 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.

=head2 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.

=head1 OPTIONS

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

=head1 SEE ALSO

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

=head1 AUTHORS

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

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

=head1 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.

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