The Map
Each game is played on a randomly generated map. The map is divided into areas, which in turn can be of several types.
Sea
Never has an owner and does not supply any resources. Many units that can travel at sea tend to be able to move quickly.
Never has an owner and does not supply any resources. Many units that can travel at sea tend to be able to move quickly.
Plains
Can be conquered, and provides supply and victory points. Generally easy for units to move through.
Can be conquered, and provides supply and victory points. Generally easy for units to move through.
Forest
Can be conquered, and provides supply and victory points. Requires more movement points to cross, and several unit types belonging to the Elves and Fae have special abilities relating to forest areas.
Can be conquered, and provides supply and victory points. Requires more movement points to cross, and several unit types belonging to the Elves and Fae have special abilities relating to forest areas.
Desert
Can be conquered, and provides supply and victory points. Units in desert areas tend to need more supply to be sustained. Players should consider this when crossing deserts. Some nations, like the Sasar Nomads, have units specially suited to the desert.
Can be conquered, and provides supply and victory points. Units in desert areas tend to need more supply to be sustained. Players should consider this when crossing deserts. Some nations, like the Sasar Nomads, have units specially suited to the desert.
Mountains
Can be conquered, and provides supply and victory points. Mountains require increased movement points to cross. Some nations, like the Hill Trolls, have units that are specially suited to this terrain.
Can be conquered, and provides supply and victory points. Mountains require increased movement points to cross. Some nations, like the Hill Trolls, have units that are specially suited to this terrain.
Swamp
Can be conquered, and provides supply and victory points. Swamps tend to require more movement points to cross. Swamp terrain is fairly rare. The Goblin Dominion can build units that are well suited to swamps.
Can be conquered, and provides supply and victory points. Swamps tend to require more movement points to cross. Swamp terrain is fairly rare. The Goblin Dominion can build units that are well suited to swamps.
Land areas may have a settlement on them. Settlements include towns, cities, major cities, and capitals. An area with a settlement provides more supply and victory points, as well as gold. New units can only be built in areas with settlements. Settlements appear on the map as black symbols. See the appendix on settlements for resource values and symbols. When determining how much resources are provided by an area, use its base value when no settlement is present. If a settlement is present, use the settlement's values.
In order to view an area on the map, it must be visible to you. All your own areas are automatically visible, as well as any area that is within two areas of your territory. You will also be able to view your allies' areas, as well as any area in which you have a unit. There are some magic spells which can provide area visibility as well. The first and last turns of a game will show all areas as visible. Starting on turn two, the normal visibility rules will apply. Areas that are not visible will have a '?' symbol in the viewer.
Map Values
Sea areas provide no resources and cannot be owned.A land area with no settlement uses these values to determine what resources they provide:
All land areas are worth 1 victory point (VP).
Plains, forest, and mountain terrain provide 2 supply points (SP).
Desert and swamp provide 1 supply point (SP).
Only areas with settlements provide gold.
Areas with settlements use the values below to determine what resources they provide. Note that they are not added to the values above, they replace the values above.
| Settlement | Gold | Supply | Victory points | Map symbol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town | 1 | 3 | 2 |  |
| City | 2 | 4 | 4 |  |
| Major City | 4 | 5 | 5 |  |
| Capital | 4 | 8 | 25 |  |
Starting Locations
Each nation is placed on the map at startup by the game server according to certain rules (such as ensuring the elf capital is in the forest). In addition, the game server balances start locations so that no nation has an unfair advantage. In addition to moving cities and towns around, the game server may do one or more of the following to help balance a start location:- When starting areas belonging to different nations area adjacent, each nation receives defensive units in the area.
- When a land-based nation (ie not Merfolk or Icthyon) start with a capital on the coast, a transport unit is added.
- For certain situations, gold and/or magic points may be added to a nation to help with balance.
- Each starting settled area receives a soldier unit, or equivalent unit.