How the war is fought
Deadright digit, right place
Injuredright digit, wrong place
- Deploy. Each side hides a code of four different digits. Nobody else ever sees yours.
- Fire. Take turns firing a guess at the enemy's code.
- Dead is a right digit in the right place. Injured is a right digit in the wrong place. You learn how many, never which.
- Crack it. Four dead cracks the code. If the side that fired first cracks it, the other side gets one last stand to draw level.
- Beat the clock. Matches last 5, 10 or 15 minutes, with 30, 45 or 60 seconds a turn. When time runs out the round is finished, then the side closest to cracking wins: most dead, then most injured, then whoever got there in fewer shots.
Example
Their code 4071 Your guess 1024
1 dead (the 0) and 2 injured (the 1 and the 4).
Supplies
The match's orders set which supplies are on, how many crates and the time limit. Win the rock, paper, scissors draw for the full count of crates, lose it for one fewer and the first shot (with no supplies on, the winner fires first). One crate a turn:
- Recon flies a plane over their trench: a green flare if a digit is in their code, red if not.
- Sniper takes a shot at one of their four soldiers: a hit proves a digit sits in his spot.
- Smoke hides your squad: their next volley only reports total hits.
The tools
The plank at the bottom holds your tools. Tap one to open its window; tap it again, or its brass stud, to put it away. The notebook keeps every volley, one side at a time or both to compare, and counts new ones while it is shut. Long press a digit, or turn on the pencil, to mark digits you have ruled in or out.
- 0 to 9 aim, Backspace clears, Enter fires
- A fire control, R recon, S sniper, M smoke, L notebook, T taunts
- Esc puts the front window away, and with nothing open pauses; P pauses too
- In the supply draw: R rock, P paper, S scissors