I created this HTML5 mobile-ready game some two years ago, and I am now turning it public in this website.

Play the game here.

Despite its minimalistic graphics and its simple rules, Square Kingdoms is a deep strategy game. It needs a thorough planning and some practice to be able to win on any other difficulty than Beginner.

If you are insightful, you will notice that the game could be easily „ported to a real table“ as a board game. For those who want the rules in one place, here it goes:

 

Rules summary

The board is divided into rectangular provinces. Two provinces are adjacent, if they share part of their border. Each province has its population (represented by houses) and strength (the number in its corner).

Each player has a capital province which he needs to defend at all costs, because if the capital is lost, the player is eliminated. The last player to remain on the board wins the game.

The players strive to conquer as much populated provinces as they can, because the overall number of houses they possess determines the number of actions they have for each turn. (The exact number is determined by a simple table.)

Each player has one army. The army is initially in the capital. If the player ends turn without attacking any province, the army is in the capital for the rest of the turn. If the player conquers an enemy province, their army will remain in the last conquered province for the rest of the turn.

Province actual strength (PAS) reflects its momentary defensive ability. It is the sum of its altitude + its population + its fortification level + strength of the army defending it (in case the army is present in the province).

Actions

Each turn, a player can perform certain number of actions. (The greater overall population he possesses, the more actions.) There are three types of actions: Recruit, Fortify, and Conquer. The player can alternate them in any order.

1. Recruit

This adds one unit to the army. This action usually needs to be repeated several times in order to build a decent army.

2. Fortify

This action increases the fortification level of the province by one point. It helps defending the province.

3. Conquer

Any province adjacent to the player’s territory can be potentially conquered. You can actually conquer a province if your army is bigger than the PAS.

Conquering is always successful, and the province changes color to its new owner. As a result of the fight, the attacker’s army strength is weakened by a number almost as big as the PAS. Defender’s army, if present, is eliminated. The fortification level of the province is somewhat lowered.

Conquering a capital

If the player conquers enemy capital, the corresponding player is eliminated from the game, and all his provinces (besides the capital) become neutral. Moreover, the conqueror instantly gains some action points (proportional to the remaining enemy population).