Game Help – Planetary Conquest

You command either the Clans (stars) or the Inner Sphere (lances). Each side starts with a fixed order of battle: 9 Clan stars against 10 Inner Sphere lances — the Clan formations are markedly stronger.

Victory points (VP) come almost exclusively from mission cards. The first side at 9 VP wins immediately, as does a side that destroys every enemy formation.

• Play against the AI or hot-seat with two players on one device.
• A game runs for as many rounds as it takes until one side reaches 9 VP.
• Every round consists of six phases that always run in the same order.

On the overview page you set everything up front: opponent (AI or hot-seat), your side, AI difficulty (recruit, veteran, elite), the map (standard or random) and the names of both forces.

Registered commanders can run any number of games in parallel; each is saved automatically and can be resumed or deleted later. Without an account the trial game gives you three rounds against the AI, stored only in your browser.

Deployment happens in two steps. First both sides alternate placing impassable terrain markers in the neutral zone in the middle of the map — those hexes can never be entered, crossed or retreated into. Only ordinary plains in the middle zone qualify.

Then the Inner Sphere deploys its lances in the four western columns, followed by the Clans in the four eastern columns. Mountains and impassable terrain cannot be used as starting hexes.

Once every formation is on the board, each side draws three mission cards and round one begins.

• Pick a formation on the left, then click a highlighted hex on the map.
• "Auto deploy" places the next marker or formation on a random legal hex.

Tip: Deploy heavy formations where you intend to take buildings — supply wins games.

Every round runs the same six phases: initiative, supply, movement, combat, missions, scoring. The active side is always shown in the header above the board.

• Initiative — both sides roll; the higher result goes first for the rest of the round.
• Supply — collect income, repair damaged formations, deploy reinforcements.
• Movement — activate formations alternately and move or hold.
• Combat — resolve attacks in two combat steps.
• Missions — score completed cards and refill your hand.
• Scoring — check for victory, then the next round begins.

Both sides roll one die; ties are re-rolled. The higher roll takes initiative for this round: that side starts supply, movement and combat, and attacks in the first combat step.

First every controlled building pays out: a spaceport yields 2 supply points (SP), an industrial centre 1 SP. A building pays nothing while an enemy stands on it or while it sits in an adjacent enemy's zone of control.

The active side may then spend its points.

• Repair: a formation on an uncontested friendly building regains 1 condition step. Cost: 2 SP for the Clans, 1 SP for the Inner Sphere.
• Reinforcement: for 5 SP a previously destroyed light or medium formation returns — only on a free friendly spaceport, once per round and side.
• Unspent points carry over to later rounds.

Tip: Buildings are the only source of income. Hold the centre and you repair forever while the enemy bleeds out.

Sides activate formations alternately, starting with the initiative holder. Pick a formation, then a highlighted destination hex — or hold position. Each formation activates only once per round.

Movement points (MP) come from the formation profile. Plains and building hexes cost 1 MP, woods and mountains cost 2 MP. Impassable and occupied hexes are blocked.

Entering a hex next to an enemy (its zone of control) ends movement immediately, but a formation may always leave a zone of control normally.

Entering a building hex takes control of it. From round two on, the side with fewer unactivated formations may pass and let the opponent move first.

Combat runs in two steps: the initiative side attacks with any formations it wishes, then the opponent gets the reaction step. Attacks only reach directly adjacent formations, and every formation attacks once per round.

Each attack is resolved at once: both sides roll as many dice as their profile allows at their current condition step (CS). Hits land on the target's defence value; woods and mountains improve that value by 1. Each exchange deals at most 3 damage per side.

Clan stars that moved at most 1 MP this round strike first. That damage applies immediately — a destroyed formation never counters, a surviving one counters with a to-hit bonus.

Every attack result appears in a popup and in the battle log.

• A defender that loses the exchange retreats towards its own edge; if surrounded it takes 1 extra damage instead.
• At 0 condition steps the formation is destroyed and the winner advances into its hex.
• Equal damage means a stalemate — nobody moves.

This phase evaluates the cards in your hand. Every card whose condition is met this round immediately pays its victory points and goes face up onto your completed pile.

Only if at least one card was completed do you then draw back up to exactly 3 mission cards. With no completion there is no draw, and an empty draw pile is never reshuffled.

Whenever missions are completed a popup lists them with their victory points — for the AI as well.

Tip: Read your hand during the movement phase. Many missions demand a specific position, terrain type or number of kills in that very round.

At the end of the round the game checks whether a side has reached 9 victory points or cleared the board. If so, the game ends immediately.

Otherwise the next round starts with a fresh initiative roll. Round-based counters reset; victory points, supply points and damage carry over.

Every marker shows its class and current condition step. Three values drive it:

• MP — movement points: how far the formation may travel each round.
• DV — defence value: the die result an attacker needs to hit it (cover raises the bar).
• CS — condition steps: remaining fighting strength. The lower the CS, the fewer dice it rolls.
• Clan stars are slower but far tougher and roll more dice; Inner Sphere lances are more numerous, faster and cheaper to repair.

Terrain decides pace, cover and income.

• Plains — 1 MP, no cover.
• Woods and mountains — 2 MP, but +1 to the defence value. Mountains cannot be used as starting hexes.
• Impassable terrain — never enterable, not even when retreating.
• Industrial centre — 1 SP per round, repair site.
• Spaceport — 2 SP per round, repair site and the only place for reinforcements.

The game ends as soon as a side reaches 9 victory points or destroys the last enemy unit. The result is shown in the header and the battle log; saved games remain available for review.

• Play your first game against the AI on "recruit" and read the battle log after every phase.
• Missions beat kills: points come from cards, not from destruction itself.
• Hold at least one building at all times — without supply you can neither repair nor reinforce.
• As the Clans, attack after moving at most one hex to keep the first strike.
• As the Inner Sphere, fight from woods and mountains and use your numbers for combined attacks.