Mines Between the Lines Game Rules

Mines Between the Lines Rules

Overview:

Players: 2 players

Game Length: 20-30 minutes

Type: Strategy

Setup:

At the beginning players begin with an empty square grid of dots. The size of the ‘Dots Grid’ is determined beforehand. Standard sizes include 10 x 10 dots, 17 x 17 dots.

Hidden at the start of the game is a second grid, which uses the squares in between the dots, resulting in standard sizes of 9 x 9 squares, 16 x 16 squares. This second grid, known as the ‘Minesweeper Grid’, contains mines placed similar to classic minesweeper, with squares around the mines denoting the number of mines in adjacent squares.

Taking a turn:

At the beginning of a turn, players have several options. They are only allowed to choose 1 option per turn:

1. Add a horizontal or vertical line

Players play their turn by adding a single horizontal or vertical line between two unjoined adjacent dots on the ‘Dots Grid’. When a player has all 4 sides of a ‘box’ created using the horizontal or vertical lines, they claim that square and subsequently reveal the hidden minefield square. If the square reveals a number, which in Minesweeper denotes the number of mines in adjacent boxes, then the player adds that number to their score.

If the square revealed is a mine, then the player loses 5 points. The mine is also added to a separate tally of mines exploded by the player.

They are then able to take another turn.

2. Flag a square as having a mine underneath it

If a player knows where a mine is, and the square has not been revealed/uncovered, they are able to mark a square with a flag that is placed on top of an uncovered square. This flag is only visible to the player who placed the flag. If a player claims a box that has a mine, and has previously flagged that particular box, they receive no penalty for uncovering that mine.

Points Scoring Summary:

Box Uncovered	Change to Score	Change to Mine Tally
Box that is empty (0 mines)	No Change	No Change
Box that has a 1	Add 1 point	No Change
Box that has a 2	Add 2 points	No Change
Box that has a 3	Add 3 points	No Change
Box that has a 4	Add 4 points	No Change
Box that has a 5	Add 5 points	No Change
Box that has a 6	Add 6 points	No Change
Box that has a 7	Add 7 points	No Change
Box that has a 8	Add 8 points	No Change
Box that has an Unflagged Mine	Subtract 5 points	Add 1 mine
Box that has a Flagged Mine	No Change	No Change

End of the Game:

Play continues until every horizontal and vertical line has been drawn, every box claimed, and both players cannot take another turn.

Whoever has the highest score is the winner.If the score is a tie, then the player who exploded the least number of mines is the winner.

More Details:

For 10 x 10 dot and 17 x 17 dot grids, the number of mines is:

Number of squares/8.1

Quick Rules Summary:

Combination of Dots and Minesweeper.

Players play on the dot grid, minesweeper grid is hidden at start.

Squares claimed net the player points, unless if it is a mine, in which they lose 5 points.
Players can flag a square they think is a mine and will receive no penalty for claiming that square.

Variations

Have one player set the mines beforehand, the mines and surrounding squares with numbers will be visible throughout the duration of the game for both players.

Players that reveal a square with a number lose that number of points. Capturing Mines gains 5 points, while exploding mines grants no penalty.