Snēlab's law: nothing is taken that is not repaid in equal measure.
Snēlab keeps one law: nothing is taken that isn't repaid in equal measure.
Goal. Your pieces are the Bar. Land any one of them on the Bench (the far row), or leave your opponent with no legal move. Your own back row is your Counter: if an enemy piece lands there, the verdict goes against you.
Move. Every piece has a rank and a weight: the Bailiff weighs 1, the Advocate 2, the Barrister 3 and the Justice 4. A piece always travels as many squares as its weight, along a fixed route. It can't stop early, and "forward" means toward your opponent's side.
The sideways part can go left or right, but it all goes the same way (no zigzags). Nothing jumps, so every square on the route must be empty. The one exception is the last square, which may hold an enemy piece you capture. A piece only moves backward to capture: it can run its route in reverse (backward, then sideways) when the last square holds an enemy piece, and never otherwise.Nothing moves backward or jumps, so every square on the route must be empty. The one exception is the last square, which may hold an enemy piece you capture.
Reading a piece. The symbol on each piece shows how it moves. The ring is the piece itself. The squares trace its path: first forward, then sideways, ending on the last square, which is where it lands. The Bailiff (1) has one square (forward). The Advocate (2) has two (forward, then one sideways). The Barrister (3) has three (forward, then two sideways). The Justice (4) has four (two forward, then two sideways). The symbol shows the sideways part going one way, but it can go left or right. Pieces are drawn pointing toward the opponent.
Highlights. Select a piece to see where it can go. A green dot is an empty square you can move to. A red ring is an enemy piece you can capture and can afford. A "can't pay" badge is an enemy piece in reach that you can't afford.
Capture. Move onto an enemy piece and pay for it: remove other pieces of yours whose weights add up exactly to the captured piece's weight. The capturing piece can't pay for itself. For example, to take a Barrister (3), remove a Bailiff (1) and an Advocate (2), or another Barrister. Select the capture square to see the cost, pick the payment, then confirm.
While paying. The lifted piece with the white ring is your attacker. The red ringed square with tick marks is the target; its badge shows how much you have paid out of the cost. A dashed green ring means a piece can be used to pay; tap it and it gets a solid green ring and a ✓ badge. Faded pieces cannot be used. Tap a ✓ piece again to take it back. The bar at the bottom of the screen always shows the running sum.
Who opens. The first case after you open the page (or press Reset all) starts with a coin flip. After that, whoever lost the last case moves first.
Stakes. Casino table: you and your opponent each stake 12. The winner collects 22 of the 24 on the table. The House only hosts the game: it keeps 2 whoever wins. Your purse starts at 100, carries from case to case and is saved in this browser; you need 12 free to sit down. Street table: no House and no books; the winner takes all 24. Captures are repaid in pieces, so they never move coin.