FORTRESS
OF FLAGS

As a kid, my best friend and I spent every free moment lost in strategy games. Our favorite was a classic battlefield of hidden information—rows of numbered pieces, each concealing its strength. The twist made it unforgettable: the weakest could defeat the strongest, and victory belonged to whoever could outthink, not overpower. The ultimate goal was simple—capture the enemy's flag—but the path there was anything but.

Over time, though, even that beloved game began to feel familiar. We wanted more—more complexity, more uncertainty, more room for creativity. So we did what kids do best: we broke the rules and rebuilt the world. We combined our sets into one massive battlefield, stretching far beyond the original design. We introduced terrain that shaped movement, forced new strategies, and turned every match into something unpredictable.

It was everything we had hoped for—deeper, more intense, and endlessly engaging. But it came with a cost. These games didn't last hours—they lasted days. The board took over entire rooms, constantly at risk of being cleared away by parents reclaiming space. And during the long pauses between turns, there was always that quiet, unspoken temptation—what if someone peeked?

Despite it all, those matches became some of my most vivid memories. Not just because of the game itself, but because of what it represented: creativity, rivalry, trust, and the joy of building something together.

Life moved on. My friend now lives hundreds of miles away, and those long, immersive battles belong to another time.

This game is my attempt to bring them back.

Using modern technology, it recreates not just the mechanics we loved, but the feeling—the tension, the strategy, and the shared experience. It's an invitation to relive that kind of play, where every move matters, every decision carries weight, and every game tells a story.

Objective

Capture the enemy's Army King to win. If you lose your Army King, you lose.

Pieces

Piece	Notes
Great Dragon (1)	Strongest mobile piece
Lesser Dragon (2)	Very powerful
Sea Monster (3)	Moves on Grass and Water tiles
War Horse (4)	Moves on Grass and Mountain tiles
Demon (5)	Strong mid-rank fighter
Undead Fighter (6)	Mid-rank fighter
Swordsman (7)	Standard infantry
Unlock Trap (8)	Only piece that can neutralize a Death Trap (both are destroyed)
Serpent (9)	Scout — moves any number of squares in a straight line
Dragon Slayer (11)	Defeats Great Dragon when attacking; loses all other combat
Death Trap (10)	Immovable — destroys any attacker except Unlock Trap
Army King (12)	Immovable — protect at all costs

Terrain

Terrain	Who can enter
Grass	All mobile pieces
Strategic Grass	All mobile pieces (AI favours these tiles for the Army King)
Water	Sea Monster only
Mountain	War Horse only
Stone	Impassable — no piece can enter

Fog of War

You cannot see enemy piece types until they are revealed. Pieces are revealed when:

• They take part in combat — both combatants are revealed to both players permanently.
• A Sea Monster moves onto Water or a War Horse moves onto Mountain — only those terrain types are accessible to that piece, so its identity is immediately deduced.

Setup

Select a piece from the flag counter on the left, then click any tile in your deployment zone (highlighted in blue). You may place any piece on any tile regardless of terrain — terrain only restricts movement during battle.

Use Auto-Place to have the computer arrange your army, then adjust manually if desired. Click a placed piece to remove it and return it to the counter.

Battle

Click one of your pieces to see valid moves (green = move, red = attack). Click the destination to execute. The AI plays as Red.

Use the Rank Guide button to see a live count of all pieces remaining in each army, along with their combat strengths.

Camera

Use the Camera buttons in the right-hand panel to change your view:

• Overview — Top-down view of the full battlefield.
• Tactical — Angled view from behind your lines — the default battle view.
• Flyover — Cinematic sweep from one end of the battlefield to the other.
• Ground Level — Low first-person perspective that follows the terrain height as you pan.
• Follow Last — Camera locks onto the last piece you moved.
• Enemy-Cam: ON/OFF — When ON (default), the camera automatically switches to Tactical view at the start of each enemy turn so you can watch the AI's move, then returns to your previous position when the move is complete.

Multiplayer

Two human players can face each other online using a peer-to-peer connection — no account or server required. Both players must have the game open in a browser at the same time.

Hosting a game

1. Click 2-Player Online from the Main Menu.
2. Click Create Game. A 6-character room code will appear.
3. Share that code with your opponent (chat, text, etc.) and wait while they join.
4. Once your opponent connects, both players are taken to the setup screen. You play as Red.

Joining a game

1. Click 2-Player Online from the Main Menu.
2. Enter the 6-character code your opponent shared and click Join.
3. Once connected, both players are taken to the setup screen. You play as Blue.

Setup & Battle

• Each player places their own army in their deployment zone, then clicks Ready for Battle. The battle begins once both players are ready.
• Only the player whose turn it is can move a piece. The opponent's moves are highlighted on your board with the same tile glow you see for computer moves.
• A Chat panel appears in the bottom-left during battle so you can send messages to your opponent. Your messages appear in your army color.
• The Save Game and Auto-Camera buttons are hidden in multiplayer — saves are not supported for online games.
• If your opponent closes the tab or loses their connection, you will be notified and the game will end.

Map Editor

Access the Map Editor from the Main Menu to build your own battlefields.

• Terrain brush — Select a terrain type from the sidebar (or use the keyboard shortcut shown), then click or drag on the south half of the map canvas to paint tiles. The north half mirrors automatically.
• Elevation — Adjust the elevation slider before painting to set the height of each tile. Lower elevation appears lighter; higher elevation appears darker, giving a topographic view of the battlefield.
• Piece counts — Use the + / − buttons next to each piece type to set how many of each are available per side. At least one Army King is required.
• Save / Load — Save your map as a .fof file to your PC and reload it in a future session.
• Test in Game — Launch a live game on your custom map. Use Back to Editor (in the setup screen, battle HUD, or game-over screen) to return and keep editing.