Lancelot

Lancelot is a 1985 game by Roland Siegers, published at Mattel.

The game uses a 14x14 board, but the playing area depends on the number of players. With two players it is only used the central 8x8 area (adding one ring of squares for extra player).

Each player has 30 pieces of his color. There is also five white shield pieces, and one Excalibur (that are only used in variants, check below).

Rules:

• Each player, on their turn, places a piece of their color on an empty square
• When a player, by placing their piece, creates an orthogonal row and/or column with exactly two more pieces of their color than opposing pieces, they capture those opposing pieces
• Opponents can then place their pieces in this row without risking capture
• notice that if the adversary places N-1 pieces on, say, a row with N player's pieces, then the player could drop an extra piece and capture those adversary pieces again
• The player cannot create an advantage of three or more pieces at any row or column
  
• Wins the player that captures seven enemy pieces (one piece should be added per extra player)

Check several examples at escaleajeux.fr.

A more complex variant adds the option of also considering diagonals lines.

Another variant uses the white shield pieces and Excalibur. Each player receives a white shield that can be used only once. When the shield is used, the player summons Excalibur which is placed on an empty square as an extra piece for the player. The white shield is just a token for the use of Excalibur, a piece that represents a power usually called, in abstract game design, a dagger!

Lancelot had a review on Jeux et Stratègie #NF8: