FünfLinienStaffel

FünfLinienStaffel is a term used in German-language puzzle and game design to denote a relay-based mechanism involving five lines. The name translates to five-line relay and is sometimes used as a product name or section heading in puzzle anthologies. The exact rules can vary by author, but a common core is that information or game tokens pass from one participant to the next along a network of five lines, with handovers occurring at designated junctions.

In typical implementations, five lines are drawn in a configuration that creates transfer points. Players start at fixed positions, and a baton or token is moved along the lines by successive players. When a segment ends at a junction, the token must be passed to the next player who continues along a different line, often following a predetermined sequence or solving a constraint. The objective may be to complete a loop, traverse all segments, or reproduce a target configuration.

Variations of FünfLinienStaffel emphasize speed, strategic planning, or cooperative problem solving. In educational contexts it is used to illustrate sequencing, pathfinding in graphs, and teamwork. In published puzzles, additional rules such as time limits, restricted passes, or obstacle cards can raise the difficulty. Some variants treat the five lines as metaphorical channels for information flow rather than strictly physical paths.

The concept is related to relay races (athletics) and to line-based path puzzles and network-flow problems in graph theory. The term is not standardized and may be applied differently across communities, leading to a family of loosely connected puzzle formats under the same umbrella.