Schwarzmoor has forced the outer borders of Grimmwald and sits on villages that are not theirs. You command Grimmwald's captains. Driving them back does not mean holding a line. It means taking the ground back village by village, while the enemy is still shallow in it.

Captains, not construction sites

You place no buildings and you balance no economy. You command captains: three of them as the campaign opens up, each leading an army of his own, each somewhere on the map at all times and busy, whether you are watching or not. Sending one to hold and one to take is the hardest decision of the match, and you make it in the first minute.

Villages are your army

Every village has people living in it, and they are the only soldiers you will ever get. From a village you hold, you can call volunteers to arms. After that the village needs time before it can give you any more. A large village left undefended is a gift to whoever walks past it next. Outnumber a village badly enough and it surrenders without a fight. Misjudge it and you lose the men you brought.

The moor keeps its secrets

You see what your captains see. Beyond that lies fog: villages you have not found, armies you have not met, and a banner you assumed was far away. And somewhere out on the moor, a dodo is still alive.

Four banners, one moor

Word of the war spreads. Later two more houses march into the moor, each with claims of its own, and Schwarzmoor is no longer your only enemy. Four banners, and ground enough for one. Watch who marches against whom, and strike while two others wear each other down.