Vanguard

Vanguard is a two-player strategy game on a 6x6 grid where 12 pawns per side advance toward the opponent's back row. Every cell a pawn leaves becomes a permanent trail — your trails are highways, opponent trails are walls. How to Play

Join a Match

Goal

Advance one of your pawns to the opponent's back row (row 6 for Blue, row 1 for Red).

Setup

  • Blue (P1): 12 pawns on the top two rows, advances downward.
  • Red (P2): 12 pawns on the bottom two rows, advances upward.

Controls

  • Tap/click a highlighted destination cell to move a pawn there.

Movement

  • Straight forward (same column): land on empty cells or your own trails.
  • Diagonal forward (±1 column): land on empty cells, your own trails, or capture an enemy pawn.
  • You cannot move backward or sideways.

Trail Mechanic (Key!)

  • Every cell a pawn leaves becomes a permanent trail of your color.
  • Your trails are highways — your other pawns can move through them freely.
  • Opponent trails are walls — you can never enter them.

Win Conditions

  • Reach the back row: Get any pawn to the opponent's starting row.
  • Eliminate all enemy pawns: Capture every opponent piece.
  • Stalemate the opponent: Win if your opponent has no legal moves on their turn.
  • Draw: If 200 moves pass with no winner (very rare).

Tips

  • Choose columns wisely — your trails block the opponent's paths permanently.
  • Use front pawns to create trail highways for reinforcements behind them.
  • Diagonal captures are powerful: they remove an enemy AND create a trail.

Demo

Player 1
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Move 0
Player 2