Bagh Chal - Traditional Nepali Strategy Game

A modern web implementation of Bagh Chal (Tigers and Goats), a traditional asymmetric strategy board game from Nepal. Play online with real-time multiplayer functionality.

🎮 About the Game

Bagh Chal is a two-player strategy game where:

• 4 Tigers hunt and capture goats by jumping over them
• 20 Goats try to block all tiger movements to win
• Tigers win by capturing 5 goats
• Goats win by immobilizing all tigers

🛠️ Tech Stack

Backend

• Django 5.2.4 - Web framework
• Django Channels - WebSocket support for real-time gameplay
• Django REST Framework - API endpoints
• SQLite - Database (development)

Frontend

• React 19 - UI library
• Vite - Build tool and dev server
• Tailwind CSS 4 - Styling
• React Router 7 - Client-side routing
• Axios - HTTP client

📋 Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• Node.js 18+
• npm or yarn

Backend Setup

# Navigate to backend directory
cd backend

# Create virtual environment
python -m venv venv
# Activate virtual environment
# On Windows:
venv\Scripts\activate
# On macOS/Linux:
source venv/bin/activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Run migrations
python manage.py migrate

# Create superuser (optional)
python manage.py createsuperuser

# Start development server
python manage.py runserver

Backend runs on http://localhost:8000

Frontend Setup

# Navigate to frontend directory
cd frontend

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start development server
npm run dev

Frontend runs on http://localhost:5173

🎯 How to Play

Start a Game: Create a new game and share the ID with a friend Join an existing game using a game ID Use Quick Match to find an opponent

Placement Phase: Goat player places one goat per turn on any empty intersection Tiger player can move or capture goats

Movement Phase: After all 20 goats are placed, goats can now move Both players move strategically to achieve their win condition

Winnng: Tigers win: Capture 5 goats
Goats win: Block all tiger movements

For detailed rules, visit the in-game Rules page

📁 Project Structure

baghchal/
├── backend/
│   ├── backend/          # Django project settings
│   ├── baghchal/         # Game logic app
│   │   ├── core/         # Game state management
│   │   ├── consumers.py  # WebSocket handlers
│   │   ├── routing.py    # WebSocket URL routing
│   │   └── views.py      # HTTP views
│   ├── core/             # User management app
│   └── manage.py
│
└── frontend/
    ├── src/
    │   ├── components/   # Reusable UI components
    │   ├── routes/       # Page components
    │   ├── context/      # React context (Auth, WebSocket)
    │   └── assets/       # Images and static files
    └── package.json

🎯 Core Features

• Real-time Multiplayer - WebSocket-based game synchronization
• Multiple Game Modes:
  • Create private game with custom ID
  • Join existing game
  • Quick match (auto-matching)
• Guest Play - No account required
• User Accounts - Optional registration for tracking stats
• Move Validation - Server-side game rule enforcement
• Responsive Design - Works on desktop and mobile

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables

Frontend (frontend/.env):

VITE_BASE_WS_URL=ws://localhost:8000/ws/game/
VITE_BASE_HTTP_URL=http://localhost:8000/

Backend (backend/backend/settings.py):

• Debug mode: Set DEBUG = True for development
• Allowed hosts: Update ALLOWED_HOSTS for production
• CORS: Configure CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS

🧪 Development

Running Tests

# Backend tests
cd backend
python manage.py test

# Frontend tests (when implemented)
cd frontend
npm test

Code Quality

# Frontend linting
cd frontend
npm run lint

🎨 Game Logic

The game engine is split between frontend and backend:

• Frontend (MoveValidation.js): Client-side move validation for instant feedback
• Backend (baghchal/core/utils.py): Authoritative game state and validation
• WebSocket (consumers.py): Real-time state synchronization

Game States

• waiting - Waiting for second player
• ongoing - Game in progress
• over - Game completed

Game Phases

• placement - Goats being placed on board (first 20 moves)
• displacement - Both players moving pieces

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how to get started:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Commit (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
6. Push (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
7. Sync your Fork with main repo
8. Open a Pull Request

Areas for Contribution

• Game statistics and leaderboards
• AI opponent (minimax preferably)
• Sound effects and animations
• Spectator mode
• Game replay functionality

HTTP Endpoints

• POST /signup/ - User registration
• POST /login/ - User authentication
• GET / - API health check

WebSocket

• ws://localhost:8000/ws/game/?game_id={id}&mode={mode}&username={user}
  • mode: create, join, quick, rejoin
  • play_as: tiger or goat (optional)

📄 License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

📞 Contact

For questions or suggestions, please open an issue on GitHub.