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How to Play
Imperial Conflict is based on the classic board game Risk. The object of the game is to conquer all the countries on the map.
General Game Play:
This is a sequentially turn based game. In other words, Player 2 doesn't get his turn until Player 1 finishes his; Player 3 doesn't move until Player 2 is finished, etc. Each player's turn consists of three phases: army deployment, attacking, and fortification. During the deployment phase, the player can strengthen his countries by adding additional armies to them. During the attack phase, the player can attempt to capture countries from his opponents. At the end of each turn, the player has the option to fortify a position by moving armies from a single country to one other adjacent country his controls.
Army Deployment:
At the beginning of each turn, players receive reinforcements based on the number of countries and continents controlled. The armies may be distributed in any fashion on countries the player controls. 1 army is issued for every 3 countries the player controls, with a minimum of 3 armies per turn. This bonus is calculated using integer division, meaning fractions are rounded off. For example, if you control 12 countries at the beginning of your turn, you will receive 4 bonus armies (12 / 3 = 4). You will not earn your fifth bonus army until you control 15 countries (15 / 3 = 5).
Additional bonus armies are earned by controlling entire continents. A continent is a group of countries, as illustrated on the map you're using. Some continents include lots of countries, making them more difficult to hold. Others are smaller and more defensible. However, larger continents generally yield more bonus armies than smaller ones.
During the deployment phase, cards may also be exchanged for more armies. See the section on cards for an explanation of how to earn them and how they are used.
Attacking:
During the attack phase, the player may attack any country adjacent to a country he controls as long as the attacking country has at least 2 armies on it. The attacker can launch attacks with up to 3 armies at a time, but one army must always remain behind to maintain control of the player's country. (Countries cannot be abandoned.) The defender will defend with up to 2 armies, as long as there are at least 2 armies on the country being attacked.
The outcome of battles is determined by rolling dice. Each die represents an army. The red dice are the attacking armies, and the white dice are the defenders. In the event of a tie, the defender wins. If the defender loses his last remaining army on a country, the attacker gains control over it. The attacking armies that survive the final attack are automatically moved to occupy the captured country. After capturing a country, the attacker has the option to fortify it with additional armies from the attacking country.
You may initiate as many attacks as you want during your turn until you either decide to stop attacking or run out of possible attack points.
Fortification:
After concluding the attack phase of your turn, you have the option of moving armies from one country you control to an adjacent country. This is useful for brining armies close to the front lines where they will be more useful for defending your borders and attacking on your next turn. Your turn ends after completing your fortification.
Cards:
You earn one card at the end of each turn as long as you successfully captured at least one country during your turn. Each card is labeled with a symbol of either a solider, a horseman, or a cannon and the name of a country. Sets of 3 cards with the same symbol (3 soldiers, 3 horsemen, or 3 cannons) or all different symbols (1 soldier, 1 horseman, 1 cannon) can be exchanged for bonus armies during the deployment phase of your turn. The number of armies you receive is based on the number of times cards have been exchanged during the game. The first exchange is worth 4, the second exchange is worth 6, then 8, 10, 12, 15, 20, 25, etc. If the country name on any of the cards you exchange matches a country you control, an additional 2 armies are placed directly on that country. Once you have 5 cards, you are forced to exchange a set.
Cards can be captured from another player by eliminating that player from the game. If capturing an opponent's cards leaves you with 5 or more cards during the attack phase of your turn, you are forced to exchange them immediately. Capturing cards in order to exchange them in the middle of your turn can provide a substantial strategic advantage.
Resigning:
If you are unable to continue playing or your morale has been crushed by a seemingly imminent defeat, you may resign. However, it is considered bad etiquette to a resign a game if there is more than 1 other player remaining because it can shift the balance of power for the remaining players in an unexpected way. Even after a player has resigned, it is still possible to capture that player's cards by capturing his last country.
Turn Time Limit:
In order to keep the game moving, each player is subject to a turn time limit defined when the game room was created (typically between 24-120 hours). If you do not complete your turn within the alloted amount of time, you will be dropped from the game. Dropped games are logged against your record, and too many drops may inhibit your ability to join games.
Scoring:
Player profiles include Imperial Conflict wins, losses, and drops, as well as an overall achievement score. The number of wins, losses, and drops is incremented accordingly at the end of each game. Resigning counts as a loss rather than a drop. The achievement score is a general measure of how skilled a player is. Everyone starts with a score of 100. Losing a game reduces your score by 1. Resigning reduces your score by 2, unless there is only one other player remaining in the game (then only 1 point is subtracted). Forfeiting a game due to an expired turn time limit subtracts 3 points. Winning a game adds points to your score based on the size of the game:
| Number of Players | Points Earned |
| 2 players | 1 point |
| 3 players | 2 points |
| 4 players | 4 points |
| 5 players | 5 points |
| 6 players | 7 points |
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