The twelve pieces and what each one is for
A guide to every Junqi piece, from Field Marshal to Flag, with its count, strengths, weaknesses and the job it does best.
Each side in Junqi fields 25 pieces of twelve kinds. Nine of them are officers with a rank from 1 to 9, where the higher number wins a fight. Three have no rank and follow special rules. Knowing what each piece is for, and what it is afraid of, is the foundation of both setup and play.
How ranks work
When two ranked pieces meet, the higher number survives and the lower is removed. Equal ranks are both removed. Bombs remove both pieces regardless of rank. Only an Engineer survives attacking a landmine; other ranked pieces remove the mine but are lost too.
Field Marshal (9), one per side
The strongest officer. It beats lower numbered ranks, but trades with the other Field Marshal, a bomb or a landmine. Using it early risks losing it to an unknown bomb. Once the enemy’s bombs have been located or spent, it can attack lower-ranked officers more confidently, while still avoiding mines.
General (8), one per side
The second strongest ranked piece. A General beats ranks 1 to 7, loses to the Field Marshal, and trades with another General, a bomb or a landmine. If the enemy Field Marshal is elsewhere, you can attack lower-ranked pieces more freely, but bombs and mines remain a risk.
Major General (7), two per side
The first rank that comes in pairs. Major Generals are strong attackers, and losing one still leaves another. A capture gives the opponent a lower bound based on their own defeated piece, not the attacker’s exact rank. For example, a piece that survives defeating rank 6 must be rank 7 or higher.
Brigadier (6), two per side
Mid-high officers. A Brigadier wins against the three lowest ranks and the Majors and Colonels, which makes it a good piece for probing an enemy formation: it survives most first contacts and the result of the fight tells you a lot about what you hit.
Colonel (5), two per side
The middle of the rank table. A Colonel beats ranks 1 to 4 and can probe from the front row when you are willing to risk it.
Major (4), two per side
Majors beat only Captains, Lieutenants and Engineers. They are escorts and screens: they stop low pieces from wandering through your lines and guard Engineers while they work.
Captain (3), three per side
The first of the three ranks that come in threes. Captains are the scouts. They are cheap enough to send into unknown pieces, and anything that beats a Captain has revealed that it is at least a 4. A Captain is also the lowest rank that can confidently capture an enemy Engineer or Lieutenant.
Lieutenant (2), three per side
Lieutenants beat only Engineers. Their job is to be cannon fodder with a purpose: they test suspicious pieces, block railways and stations, and fill the front row so your real strength stays hidden. Losing one costs almost nothing in material and often buys information.
Engineer (1), three per side
The weakest officer and the only piece that can turn corners during a railway move. It is also the only piece that survives clearing a mine; other ranked pieces and bombs can clear one through mutual removal. Keep at least one Engineer safe until it is needed, so you can remove several mines without losing a piece each time. Turning a railway corner identifies an Engineer, so use straight routes when you want to keep it concealed.
Bomb, two per side
A bomb destroys whatever it fights and is destroyed with it, regardless of rank. It can trade with an enemy Field Marshal, and the possibility of a hidden bomb makes high-ranked attackers risky. Bombs may not start in your front row. Two classic placements are next to the flag, where they punish the piece that finally breaks through the mines, and just behind a station, where they meet whatever charges across the bridge. A bomb that attacks is as effective as one that defends: moving a bomb into an enemy piece removes it.
Landmine, three per side
Landmines never move and may only be placed in your back two rows, outside headquarters. An officer other than an Engineer removes a mine but is lost too; a bomb also removes both pieces. Three mines can cover the approaches to the flag’s headquarters. If the opponent infers where your mines are concentrated, that may suggest the flag’s location, so a mine near the other headquarters can serve as a decoy.
Flag, one per side
The flag never moves and sits in one of your two headquarters. The game ends the instant an enemy piece enters that square. The flag has no rank: any piece, even an Engineer, captures it on contact. Everything in your defence exists to keep pieces away from that one square.
Relative value
Players argue about exact values, but a useful rough order from most to least valuable is: Field Marshal, General, a Major General, the last Engineer, a bomb, a Brigadier, a Colonel, then the lower ranks. The Engineer and the bomb rank far above their fighting strength because of what only they can do. The best setups keep those pieces alive for the moment they are needed, and the setup guide shows where to put them.