RPS Board

A hidden-information board game where every duel is decided by Rock-Paper-Scissors. Outscout your opponent, protect your flag, and read the bluffs.

Play now — no sign-up · Play RPS Board free

The rules, in four steps.

1. Set up your 14 pieces on your half of the board — each is secretly a Rock, Paper, Scissors, a Flag, or a Trap.
2. Move one piece per turn. Your opponent only sees that a piece moved, not what it is.
3. When two pieces meet, classic Rock-Paper-Scissors decides the winner; the loser is removed.
4. Capture the enemy Flag — or eliminate all their movable pieces — to win the match.

Rock paper scissors, played as a strategy game

RPS Board takes the oldest hand game there is and puts it on a board. Each side has fourteen hidden pieces — rocks, papers, scissors, a flag and a trap — and the goal is to find and capture the enemy flag before they find yours.

You always know what your own pieces are. Your opponent does not, and you do not know theirs. A piece is only revealed when it fights, so every move is a question: is that piece coming at you a rock, or a bluff?

Matches take a few minutes and are played one on one, either against a real opponent for rating or against the bot for practice.

Your fourteen pieces

Rock ×4

Beats scissors, loses to paper.

Paper ×4

Beats rock, loses to scissors.

Scissors ×4

Beats paper, loses to rock.

Flag ×1

Lose it and you lose the match. It can move, but it loses to anything that attacks it.

Trap ×1

Never moves. Any piece that attacks it is destroyed, and the trap stays where it is.

How to play well

• The board is 7 columns by 6 rows. Your pieces start in your two back rows, and before the match begins you can shuffle them or swap any two — this is where the game is often won.
• A piece moves one square up, down, left or right per turn. It cannot move onto your own piece; moving onto an enemy piece starts a fight.
• When two identical pieces meet, neither wins outright. Both players secretly pick rock, paper or scissors within 15 seconds, and the winning piece becomes the sign it played.
• Hiding the flag in a corner is the first thing everyone tries, which is exactly why a strong opponent looks there first. Guard it with pieces that cover each other, or keep it moving.
• Put the trap where an attacker is likely to come — next to the flag, or on the obvious path to it.
• A piece that has fought is revealed for the rest of the game. Use a revealed piece as a known threat, and keep your hidden ones in reserve.
• Each player has a ten-minute clock for the whole match. Run out of time and you lose, so do not spend a minute on a quiet move.

Questions

How do you win RPS Board?

Capture the enemy flag by moving any piece onto it. You also win if your opponent runs out of time or resigns.

Can I play against the computer?

Yes. The bot is always available for practice and to learn the board. Games against the bot do not change your rating.

Can I play with a friend?

Yes. Challenge them by their username and the game starts as soon as they accept. Or use quick match to be paired with the next player in the queue.

Is it ranked?

Online games are rated with an ELO system, separate from every other game on Duelto, and your rank appears on the RPS Board leaderboard.

Is it free?

Yes. Every game on Duelto is free to play, with no ads inside the game and nothing to buy.

Do I need to download anything?

No. Duelto runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer. A free account, made with an email address, is all you need.

Can children play?

Duelto is open from age 8. Accounts for players under 13 are activated by a parent through the confirmation email, and run with extra restrictions.

Other games on Duelto

• Classic RPS — Pure rock-paper-scissors — best of 5. Read your opponent, win the duel.
• BattleShield — Shield, reload, or fire — at the same time as your opponent. A 10-second showdown each round.
• Tic-Tac-Toe — The timeless 3-in-a-row duel — quick, sharp, and now ranked.
• Nim — Take turns removing stones; whoever takes the last one wins. A maths game with a secret to find.