Battle of Banners

Mission briefing

A war of banners on a hexagonal battlefield! In this turn-based medieval strategy you command a squad of knights, claim land, build camps, and shape the front line turn by turn. Every move matters: where to advance, which tile to block, whom to push back, and where to set an ambush by the forest or at a crossing. The winner is the one who expands faster than rivals and destroys their forces. Play your way: locally on one device with friends, against bots for practice, or online — in duels and multiplayer matches. Maps with varied terrain change the tactics, and every match stays dynamic and fair: only you, your opponent, and your decisions.

Field manual

Full rules — in the <Rules> section. Quick rules: Goal — destroy all enemy soldiers and houses. Turn — each soldier performs one action per turn: move or attack. You can spend gold as much as you want as long as you have enough. Combat & capture — a soldier acts only on a neighboring tile. An attack = moving onto an enemy tile. If successful, the tile becomes yours. A soldier defeats another soldier if its level is higher; a level 4 soldier can attack any soldier. A house is destroyed immediately by any soldier. Economy — income: +1 per income tile (in a chain connected to a house) and +2 per house. If you lack gold for upkeep, soldiers die starting with the most expensive.

Launch orders: press Launch mission above and the game loads on this page itself — nothing downloads and no form stands between you and the first move. It is designed for a landscape (wide) screen and takes its orders from mouse, keyboard or touch, depending on the mission. It is built wide, for a landscape screen — rotate a phone sideways, or give it a tablet or monitor to stretch out on. If it offers a fullscreen control, use it — a fight this size deserves the whole screen.

Field notes for strategy operations

• Economy first, army second. The player who builds one more resource structure in the opening minutes out-produces the player who built one more soldier — arithmetic is the quietest weapon in strategy.
• Scout before you commit. Every strategy game hides a paper to your rock; two minutes of reconnaissance is cheaper than twenty minutes of building the wrong answer.
• Hold a reserve. Committing everything to the first fight leaves nothing for the second, and there is always a second — usually arriving while you are still rebuilding from the first.

Battle of Banners — questions from the ranks

What does it cost to play Battle of Banners?

Nothing at all. The mission is free from the first order to the last — no sign-up, no download, no paid tier guarding the good levels. The advertising around this page is what keeps the board free.

What sort of mission is Battle of Banners?

Battle of Banners is filed in our Strategy theatre. Like every operation on this board, it is a browser game — read the briefing above for the publisher's own account of what you are deploying into.

Can I run Battle of Banners on a phone or tablet?

Yes. It plays in the browser on phones and tablets exactly as it does on a computer. It is built wide, for a landscape screen — rotate a phone sideways, or give it a tablet or monitor to stretch out on.

Do I have to install anything before playing?

No installation of any kind. Battle of Banners is an HTML5 game: press the launch button and it loads on this page, and closing the tab leaves nothing behind.

After-action

Mission complete, or still pinned down? The full Strategy theatre is one click away — The thinking soldier's shelf: 115 operations where the decisive weapon is a plan made thirty seconds before it is needed. Build first, then hold what you built.