Compact Conflict
Compact Conflict is a turn-based war game where up to four colors fight over a map of odd-shaped regions. Every match builds a new map, so no two openings look the same. At the end of the final turn, whoever owns the most regions takes the win.
Temples are the heart of it. They raise fresh soldiers, earn faith, and accept a blessing from one of four elements, each of which tweaks the rules. Jakub Wasilewski squeezed the whole thing into 13 kilobytes for the 2014 js13kGames contest.
How to play Compact Conflict
On the setup screen, set each color to Human, AI or Off. Choose the computer's attitude, from Nice and Rude up to Mean and Evil, and set the length to 9, 12 or 15 turns, or no limit at all.
You get three moves per turn. Click one of your regions, click it again to change how many soldiers go, then click a neighbor. Empty land becomes yours right away. Moving into a rival region triggers a fight, and it only changes hands when every defender is gone. Soldiers who just conquered must wait until next turn.
Ending your turn pays you. Each temple adds a soldier, and you gain faith for every region you own and every soldier praying in a temple. That faith buys extra troops or one of the elemental upgrades: Water, Fire, Air or Earth.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Mouse | Touch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pick an army | — | Click your region | Tap your region |
| Change the number of soldiers sent | — | Click the same region again | Tap it again |
| Move or attack | — | Click a bordering region | Tap a bordering region |
| Buy soldiers or upgrades | — | Click a temple, then a side panel button | Tap a temple, then a panel button |
| Undo, end turn, rules, sound | — | Side panel buttons and round icons | Tap the same buttons |
Tips
- Neutral temples are the best targets in the first turns. A free soldier every turn snowballs over a long match.
- Keep one soldier parked on each temple. It earns faith as it prays and makes the temple harder to steal.
- Battles are decided by chance, but bigger stacks win far more often. Waiting a turn to gather troops usually beats an even trade.
- Only regions count at the finish. In the last couple of turns, spread thin soldiers into every empty or weakly held region you can reach.
- Pick an element that fits your plan. Water boosts faith over time, Air adds moves for fast expansion, and Earth turns a border temple into a wall.
If you like Compact Conflict, try these
OrbitSwarmTerritory grabbing in real time, sending fleets between planets to outgrow and capture a red rival.
GoOwning the most space decides this ancient game too, surrounding territory with stones on grids up to 19x19.
Questions
Can I play Compact Conflict with friends on one computer?
Yes. Set two, three or four colors to Human and pass the mouse around. You can mix in AI players for any colors left over.
Why is Undo sometimes unavailable?
You can only take back a move that did not involve a real fight. Once dice decide a battle, that result is locked.
Does it remember my setup?
Your choices for players, difficulty, turn count and sound are stored in your browser, so the setup screen looks the same next time you visit.
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