Gamehelptrench

This page is based on the Official Trench Rules revised by Rui Alípio Monteiro.

Concept

Trench is a two-player abstract strategy game inspired by World War I trench warfare, notably on the Western Front.

Each player commands an army of military units, navigating a diamond-shaped battlefield divided by a dangerous central trench line.

The mission: outmanoeuvre the enemy and claim control of the field through tactical combat.

Goal of the game

A player wins by strategically defeating their opponent’s army.

Through careful movement and combat, the player will gain the upper hand by capturing enemy units and earning points.

The first player to get 25 points (after both players have had the same number of turns), wins.

The Board

The board is 8x8 diamond-shaped*.

• The board is divided by a trench line, separating both armies.
• Each army starts in formation, mirroring each other across the trench.

*Note: for the digital version, there is also the option of orientating the board as a square, in order to use the maximum amount of space available on the screen.

The Units

Each player controls a total of 16 units.

All units can move along the columns and rows (both ways). These are the only directions the soldiers can move.

Units cannot jump over other units.

Rank	Maximum No. of Steps (No. of Points)	No. of Units (per player)	Movement Directions (Description)	Movement Directions Digital (Square) Orientation	Movement Directions Classic (Diamond) Orientation
Soldier	1	6	Columns and Rows
Sergeant	2	4	Columns and Rows Diagonal forward
Captain	3	3	Columns and Rows Diagonals forward and backwards
Colonel	4	2	Columns and Rows All diagonals (except backwards!)
General	5	1	All directions

Setup

The placing of the units obeys the natural combat formation of an infantry in the field, inspired by the alignment of a diamond-shaped Roman formation.

Digital (Square) board orientation

Classic (Diamond) board orientation

Player Turns

Players take turns moving one unit at a time.

• Black plays first
• Move only in one direction per turn (ex.: a unit cannot zig-zag)
• A unit may move fewer spaces than the maximum allowed (ex.: a captain can move only 1 or 2 squares)
• A turn ends after a move or a capture
• A player cannot pass their turn

The Trench Line

• Units can capture multiple units while exiting the trench and moving forward
• A unit in the trench is protected from frontal and trench attacks — an enemy unit cannot capture it by advancing from its own side, nor can it capture another unit if both are in the trench
• However, a unit in the trench can be captured from behind — if a player has a unit on the enemy's side, it can move backwards and capture an enemy unit that is inside the trench

• A unit in the trench cannot move backward to capture a unit in its own friendly territory
• Colonels and Generals can move along the trench (since those are the only units that can move sideways)

Capturing Units

A player captures an enemy unit by moving their unit onto its square.

• Only one capture per turn — unless you're exiting the trench
• Captured units are removed from the board

End of the game

The game ends when a player reaches 25 or more points, after both players have completed the same number of turns.

Since Black plays first, if Black reaches 25 points, White still gets a final turn to respond and try to tie or win.