How solid the side panel is when it floats over the field on small screens.
Battle
Rules of the field
Each unit may move, then act once. Attacking first ends its turn.
Each army has a castle: +1 defense to whoever stands in it.
Skirmishes are sieges. End your turn in the enemy castle with none of its defenders next to you to take it and win; wiping out their army wins too.
In a siege the side that moves first starts with $5 and the other with $6. Gold comes in at the start of each turn after the first: $2 from your castle (nothing while an enemy stands in it), $1 from each village and $2 from each gold mine one of your units is standing on. Every kill pays half the victim's cost, rounded up, plus $1 per veteran star. Spend it in the barracks (click your castle or press B): up to 3 recruits a turn, who appear at the castle and act next turn.
The castle trains only Swordsmen and Shieldbearers. Build in the barracks panel, one structure a turn, within 2 hexes of your castle or next to a village or mine you hold: an Archery Range ($6) trains Archers and Longbowmen, a Mage Tower ($7) the three mages, and a Barracks ($6) is a forward muster point for recruits. An enemy that ends its turn on a structure burns it and takes half its cost.
Select a unit to show its action icons next to it on the field. The sword is its basic attack; the other icons are its special abilities.
Damage = attack − defense, minimum 1. The only luck is archer critical hits, forest cover and bleeding.
Shieldbearer · Taunt: enemies next to it must attack it on their next turn. Recharges in 3 turns.
Swordsman · Double Strike: two blows for 1.5× damage in total, 50% chance to cause bleeding (1 damage on the victim's next turn). Recharges in 2 turns.
Archer · Power Shot: once per battle, 2× damage at 2× range.
Archers standing 2+ levels above their target can land critical hits: 10% for 1.5× damage at unit level 1, +5% and +0.25× per level.
An archer with an enemy next to it deals half damage.
Grass costs 1 to enter. Sand, forest and mountain cost 2. Water and peaks are impassable. Climbing costs +1 per level, max 2 levels per step.
High ground: +1 attack when above the target, −1 when below. Ranged units shoot 1 hex farther downhill.
Forest gives +1 defense and a 25% chance that attacks miss (spells always land). Trees and taller terrain block line of sight.
Mages start with 3 mana, gain 1 each turn (max 6). Spells cost 3, Revive 5, Summon 6. Poison deals 2 damage a turn for 3 turns.
Units earn XP from kills (10 + the victim's value) and assists (5). Levels need 15, 20 and 25 XP; each gives +3 max HP, +1 damage and a star.
Scroll to zoom, drag to pan while zoomed in, 0 resets the view. Space selects your next ready unit, H holds it in place.