The main characteristic of ratlles are the lines dividing the field determining where players must take the ball to achieve quinzes.

The llargues is the most ancient variant of ratlles. Since it is the closest common point of pilota sports in other countries, it has been used as a base for international rules used in championships. Two teams of three to five pilotaris fac each other in this modality. In the País Basco, this modality is named bote luzea and, in Italy, its name is palla eh.

There are more modalities of ratlles depending on the serve. They are all played with badana ball. One of them is the palm variety, with the same rules as llargues but with no free serve. The game starts with a softer palm hit.

Perxa is another modality in which the ball is served from the foul line to a drawn dice and on a string. Onve served, the rules are the same as the ratlles.