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PLAY

Quick start

How to play Bannerfall

Start with 3 Commands. Take ground, protect your line, and hold the Banner before the ring changes around you.

Play nowLearn the basics

The goal

Win the ring

End a turn holding the Banner to score 1 Banner Point. The first of these results ends the match:

  • 10Banner Points

    Hold the Banner at the end of turns.

  • TakeRival Capital

    Take the rival capital.

  • 25Turns

    If time runs out, the most land wins.

A completed Bannerfall match with its result and rematch controls
Reach the resultBanner Points, a fallen capital, or the turn limit ends the match.

The turn

Choose, queue, submit

Choose a Command, then select a glowing legal square. Queue your choices and submit. Both sides resolve together.

  1. Expand

    Claim empty ground beside your territory at your current Levy.

  2. Fortify

    Add your Levy to ground you hold. It also gains +2 defence this turn.

  3. Raid

    Attack adjacent rival ground. You may Raid once each turn.

Combat has no dice: attack strength plus Levy must beat the target's strength, height, and any brace.

Expand selected with legal squares glowing on a Bannerfall board
1. ChooseSelect a Command. Legal squares glow.
Three Commands queued before submission in Bannerfall
2. SubmitReview your queue, then submit all three together.

Read the board

Four things to watch

Commands
Start each turn with 3. Bank up to 5 you do not spend.
Levy
Your order strength, from 1 to 5. Supplied fertile land raises it.
Supply
Keep ground connected to your capital. Cut-off ground weakens each turn.
The Arbiter
Every 3 turns, the world may change. A warning shows what is coming.
An Arbiter warning above the current Bannerfall battlefield
Read the warningThe warning names what will change and when.

A simple opening

Your first-match plan

You do not need to learn every map before you play. Follow this plan and adjust when the front changes.

  1. Expand toward the Banner.
  2. Keep one clear route back to your capital.
  3. Fortify the Banner or a narrow supply link.
  4. Watch the rival's Command bank.
  5. Move when the Arbiter warns you.

Quick answers

Before you enter

Do I need an account?
No for solo play. A Groot Games Passport adds ranked play and saved progression.
How long is a match?
At most 25 turns. Reaching 10 Banner Points or taking a capital can end it sooner.
Do both players move at once?
Yes. Orders stay hidden until both sides submit, then resolve together.
Can money buy power?
No. Only approved cosmetics can be purchased. Gold is earned in-game and is never sold.
Does Bannerfall store card details?
No. Xsolla handles payment checkout; Bannerfall records only the order and cosmetic entitlement.
Enter Bannerfall