Why is only part of my army fighting?

The battlefield is finite. Whoever does not fit waits in reserve and steps in as room opens.

Why are my archers not shooting?

Either they are out of ammunition, or they are in reserve, or there is nothing their doctrine can reach.

My archers are out of arrows — can I pull them back?

There is no need. A unit out of ammunition does not die: it gives its place in the line to one with full quivers, and shoots again if supply reaches it. There is no order to go back for arrows, and the white flag is not one either.

Why can my infantry not break the wall?

Only siege engines can. Infantry cannot harm the stone and cannot walk through a standing wall.

Why are the soldiers behind my wall not striking?

While the wall stands the city is shut; the garrison's foot and flank do not come out to attack. Only archers, slingers and shooting engines fire outwards. Once the wall falls, everybody fights.

Why did my troops retreat while some were alive?

Their morale broke. Routing is an army refusing to fight, not an army dying — and a broken army goes home with its survivors.

How did the enemy get fresh troops?

Either they sent another army, or, if defending, they trained more in the city; both join at the next round boundary.

Why does the defender never run out of ammunition?

They do — the city just replaces some of it every round: the Arsenal and the Siege Workshop turn out ammunition. A large garrison still outruns the production.

Why did my physician not bring the dead back?

He cannot; the dead are dead. Each round the physician carries a share of that round's fallen off the field as wounded. The wounded fight no more in that battle, but if your army leaves the field alive — in victory, in a rout or under a white flag — they go home with it. If the army's last soldier falls, the camp is overrun and the wounded are lost too. Support Units

Why did my engineer not put a shattered catapult back into the fight?

He cannot. Each round the engineer hauls a share of that round's wrecked engines back to be mended. A hauled-back engine does not shoot again in that battle and never touches the wall; your army takes it along when it leaves the field, and the engine serves again. If the camp is overrun, those engines are lost too.

Where do I see how many men my physicians saved?

In the battle report and on the battle screen. The loss count covers everybody who fell; a separate line says how many of them were carried off as wounded, and another how many engines the engineers hauled back.

Does adding allies increase the battlefield?

No. The ground belongs to the side, not the player. Allies buy depth, not frontage.

Can a battle last for days?

Yes. It lasts as long as both sides keep feeding it; no battle ends on a round count.

Why did my priest stop helping morale?

His ritual stores are spent. He is alive but absorbs nothing more.

Why are my siege engines waiting in reserve?

The siege line is the narrowest part of the ground and large engines take a great deal of room.

I took the city — why did I gain nothing?

The city never changes hands; what you gain is set by the purpose you chose when you sent the attack. A battle won on a raid yields as much plunder as your army can carry, and it is yours once the army gets home; even so you come back empty if the city is poor, its goods are under the Warehouse’s protection, or you took no load carts on a raid on your own island. A battle won on an occupation yields no plunder: your army stays in the city and holds it.

Why did the share I set in my plunder priorities not come true?

That share divides your carrying room, not the target's goods — and it is a target, not a promise. If the city does not have that much, or its goods are under the Warehouse’s protection, the share stays unfilled. The unfilled part is not wasted: it passes to the other categories you chose. Raiding

Why can I not ask for marble alone?

Goods are one category: wood, stone, marble, iron and grapes are not picked one by one. The goods share is split as evenly as possible between the goods the target can actually lose, and you cannot see which goods are there before you attack anyway.

Does the share I give to captives take that much of the population?

No. It says how much of your carrying room to try to give to captives. How many people can really be taken has its own limit, and every city keeps a number of civilians it never drops below. Soldiers are not taken captive, and the fallen are not turned into captives.

I destroyed the garrison but the battle continues?

The wall is still standing. An empty city behind a standing wall has not been taken.

Why can I not see the enemy's morale?

The other side's morale and supply are hidden, and not even a spy can see them. What a spy can learn is the garrison, the walls and the warehouse.

I am clearly losing — can I end the battle?

Yes, by raising the white flag. As the attacker you lift the siege and your army comes home empty-handed; as the defender you surrender the city and your soldiers live. The flag takes effect at the battle's next round. The White Flag

If I surrender, does my city become the enemy's?

No, the city does not change hands. If the attack came to raid, your city is plundered; if it came to occupy, the enemy army stays in the city and holds it for a time. Either way your buildings, your plots and the city's name stay yours.

I raised the white flag — why is my army not on the road yet?

An army giving up a siege cannot just turn round where it stands: first it breaks contact with the enemy and forms a column. The army screen shows this as Regrouping, with a countdown. When it ends the army goes home the way it came, at the speed it came; if it is on another island it boards ship first.

Can I surrender my ally's city?

No. Only the city's owner decides to surrender; in a city you came to help, you cannot raise the flag.

We are besieging together — if one of us raises the flag, do we all withdraw?

No. The white flag is only for the army of whoever raises it: that army withdraws, the others keep up the siege.

Why did my army not set off at once?

If the target is on another island, your army first boards ship at your own city's War Harbour. The army screen shows this as Boarding, counting down to the moment it sets sail. The bigger the War Harbour, the sooner boarding is done; if another army from the same city is boarding, yours waits its turn. An army marching to a target on its own island never waits, and fights the moment it arrives.

Can I attack another island without a War Harbour?

No. Soldiers board ship at the War Harbour; a city without one cannot send an army overseas. You can send the army from another of your cities that has one.

Why don't I choose my transport ships myself?

How many ships it takes is fixed by the space your soldiers fill aboard; the window counts them and sets them aside. You choose only the soldiers.

Why are some ships set aside automatically?

Your soldiers cannot cross the sea without ships. The fewest ships that carry them are required, and you cannot go below that number; support units and siege engines take room aboard too. If your harbour does not have enough idle ships, the order cannot be given.

What are extra transport ships for?

Carrying more plunder home from a raid. Extra ships sail empty and their whole hold is plunder space on the way back. They give room, not a promise of more plunder. No extra ships go on an occupation.

I sent many ships — why did they not all come back full?

Plunder is bounded by what the city has, not by your ships: if the target does not have that much lootable goods, Gold or civilians, the holds stay empty. What the Warehouse protects, and the limits on Gold and captives, apply as well.

Can I carry more plunder if I lose soldiers?

In the ships, yes: on the way back the survivors board first, and the room the fallen took on the way out is freed for plunder. But the soldiers carry part of the plunder themselves, and a fallen soldier cannot carry his share. Which weighs more depends on your army.

What happens to my extra ships if the raid fails?

They do not sink: they come home empty with the army, and are back in port only when it is. The same happens if you raise the white flag.

I won the raid — why did my army not come back at once?

If your army crossed the sea, it first loads the plunder and the survivors onto the ships on the enemy shore. The army screen shows Loading spoils, counting down to the moment it sails; the more plunder and soldiers, the longer the loading. A raid on the same island has no such wait.

If the enemy's harbour is big, does my raid come home sooner?

No. Your own ships load the plunder, and your own War Harbour sets the pace — as it stood the day the army set out. The enemy's harbour neither speeds it up nor slows it down.

Can I send my occupying army to another battle?

Not from the army screen: the army holding a city is bound, does not show as idle and cannot join another battle. But the city you hold is a forward base; with Raid from a base in the target city's window you can send a force from the garrison to raid or to occupy. To free the army altogether, you end the occupation. Occupation

My city is occupied — have I lost it?

No. The city is yours: its buildings, its research and its name stay with you. You go on running it, producing, training soldiers and sending and receiving resources. While the occupation lasts you cannot raise an army from this city or use your surrendered troops, and the city's resource traffic is bounded by the civilian transport allowance.

Can I throw the occupier out by fighting?

Yes, in two ways. In an uprising you order your free troops in the city to rise; the order is on the Under occupation card in your city. In a relief you send an army from another of your cities; players in your alliance and players with a friendship agreement with you may send one too. Both battles are fought against the occupying force holding the city, and winning ends the occupation. Occupation

Why did my Gold melt away once my army set out?

A soldier away from home costs more. A force on campaign pays more upkeep than one at home, and a force occupying a city pays the most of all. Army Upkeep

The battle is over — why is upkeep still high?

The army is still on the road. Upkeep drops back to normal when the army gets home, not when the battle ends. Ending an occupation brings it down a step too, but the army pays the campaign rate until it is home.

If I cannot pay upkeep, do I lose my soldiers?

Some of them, but nobody dies. Once your Gold runs out, a small share of your soldiers at home leave the ranks at fixed intervals and become ordinary citizens: they stay in the city and pay tax. Soldiers holding an occupied city desert the same way; an army on the road and soldiers in a battle do not. Once your books balance, the desertion stops.

Questions

What players ask most about battle, raiding and occupation.

Questions

Question	Answer
Why is only part of my army fighting?	The battlefield is finite. Whoever does not fit waits in reserve and steps in as room opens.
Why are my archers not shooting?	Either they are out of ammunition, or they are in reserve, or there is nothing their doctrine can reach.
My archers are out of arrows — can I pull them back?	There is no need. A unit out of ammunition does not die: it gives its place in the line to one with full quivers, and shoots again if supply reaches it. There is no order to go back for arrows, and the white flag is not one either.
Why can my infantry not break the wall?	Only siege engines can. Infantry cannot harm the stone and cannot walk through a standing wall.
Why are the soldiers behind my wall not striking?	While the wall stands the city is shut; the garrison's foot and flank do not come out to attack. Only archers, slingers and shooting engines fire outwards. Once the wall falls, everybody fights.
Why did my troops retreat while some were alive?	Their morale broke. Routing is an army refusing to fight, not an army dying — and a broken army goes home with its survivors.
How did the enemy get fresh troops?	Either they sent another army, or, if defending, they trained more in the city; both join at the next round boundary.
Why does the defender never run out of ammunition?	They do — the city just replaces some of it every round: the Arsenal and the Siege Workshop turn out ammunition. A large garrison still outruns the production.
Why did my physician not bring the dead back?	He cannot; the dead are dead. Each round the physician carries a share of that round's fallen off the field as wounded. The wounded fight no more in that battle, but if your army leaves the field alive — in victory, in a rout or under a white flag — they go home with it. If the army's last soldier falls, the camp is overrun and the wounded are lost too. Support Units
Why did my engineer not put a shattered catapult back into the fight?	He cannot. Each round the engineer hauls a share of that round's wrecked engines back to be mended. A hauled-back engine does not shoot again in that battle and never touches the wall; your army takes it along when it leaves the field, and the engine serves again. If the camp is overrun, those engines are lost too.
Where do I see how many men my physicians saved?	In the battle report and on the battle screen. The loss count covers everybody who fell; a separate line says how many of them were carried off as wounded, and another how many engines the engineers hauled back.
Does adding allies increase the battlefield?	No. The ground belongs to the side, not the player. Allies buy depth, not frontage.
Can a battle last for days?	Yes. It lasts as long as both sides keep feeding it; no battle ends on a round count.
Why did my priest stop helping morale?	His ritual stores are spent. He is alive but absorbs nothing more.
Why are my siege engines waiting in reserve?	The siege line is the narrowest part of the ground and large engines take a great deal of room.
I took the city — why did I gain nothing?	The city never changes hands; what you gain is set by the purpose you chose when you sent the attack. A battle won on a raid yields as much plunder as your army can carry, and it is yours once the army gets home; even so you come back empty if the city is poor, its goods are under the Warehouse’s protection, or you took no load carts on a raid on your own island. A battle won on an occupation yields no plunder: your army stays in the city and holds it.
Why did the share I set in my plunder priorities not come true?	That share divides your carrying room, not the target's goods — and it is a target, not a promise. If the city does not have that much, or its goods are under the Warehouse’s protection, the share stays unfilled. The unfilled part is not wasted: it passes to the other categories you chose. Raiding
Why can I not ask for marble alone?	Goods are one category: wood, stone, marble, iron and grapes are not picked one by one. The goods share is split as evenly as possible between the goods the target can actually lose, and you cannot see which goods are there before you attack anyway.
Does the share I give to captives take that much of the population?	No. It says how much of your carrying room to try to give to captives. How many people can really be taken has its own limit, and every city keeps a number of civilians it never drops below. Soldiers are not taken captive, and the fallen are not turned into captives.
I destroyed the garrison but the battle continues?	The wall is still standing. An empty city behind a standing wall has not been taken.
Why can I not see the enemy's morale?	The other side's morale and supply are hidden, and not even a spy can see them. What a spy can learn is the garrison, the walls and the warehouse.
I am clearly losing — can I end the battle?	Yes, by raising the white flag. As the attacker you lift the siege and your army comes home empty-handed; as the defender you surrender the city and your soldiers live. The flag takes effect at the battle's next round. The White Flag
If I surrender, does my city become the enemy's?	No, the city does not change hands. If the attack came to raid, your city is plundered; if it came to occupy, the enemy army stays in the city and holds it for a time. Either way your buildings, your plots and the city's name stay yours.
I raised the white flag — why is my army not on the road yet?	An army giving up a siege cannot just turn round where it stands: first it breaks contact with the enemy and forms a column. The army screen shows this as Regrouping, with a countdown. When it ends the army goes home the way it came, at the speed it came; if it is on another island it boards ship first.
Can I surrender my ally's city?	No. Only the city's owner decides to surrender; in a city you came to help, you cannot raise the flag.
We are besieging together — if one of us raises the flag, do we all withdraw?	No. The white flag is only for the army of whoever raises it: that army withdraws, the others keep up the siege.
Why did my army not set off at once?	If the target is on another island, your army first boards ship at your own city's War Harbour. The army screen shows this as Boarding, counting down to the moment it sets sail. The bigger the War Harbour, the sooner boarding is done; if another army from the same city is boarding, yours waits its turn. An army marching to a target on its own island never waits, and fights the moment it arrives.
Can I attack another island without a War Harbour?	No. Soldiers board ship at the War Harbour; a city without one cannot send an army overseas. You can send the army from another of your cities that has one.
Why don't I choose my transport ships myself?	How many ships it takes is fixed by the space your soldiers fill aboard; the window counts them and sets them aside. You choose only the soldiers.
Why are some ships set aside automatically?	Your soldiers cannot cross the sea without ships. The fewest ships that carry them are required, and you cannot go below that number; support units and siege engines take room aboard too. If your harbour does not have enough idle ships, the order cannot be given.
What are extra transport ships for?	Carrying more plunder home from a raid. Extra ships sail empty and their whole hold is plunder space on the way back. They give room, not a promise of more plunder. No extra ships go on an occupation.
I sent many ships — why did they not all come back full?	Plunder is bounded by what the city has, not by your ships: if the target does not have that much lootable goods, Gold or civilians, the holds stay empty. What the Warehouse protects, and the limits on Gold and captives, apply as well.
Can I carry more plunder if I lose soldiers?	In the ships, yes: on the way back the survivors board first, and the room the fallen took on the way out is freed for plunder. But the soldiers carry part of the plunder themselves, and a fallen soldier cannot carry his share. Which weighs more depends on your army.
What happens to my extra ships if the raid fails?	They do not sink: they come home empty with the army, and are back in port only when it is. The same happens if you raise the white flag.
I won the raid — why did my army not come back at once?	If your army crossed the sea, it first loads the plunder and the survivors onto the ships on the enemy shore. The army screen shows Loading spoils, counting down to the moment it sails; the more plunder and soldiers, the longer the loading. A raid on the same island has no such wait.
If the enemy's harbour is big, does my raid come home sooner?	No. Your own ships load the plunder, and your own War Harbour sets the pace — as it stood the day the army set out. The enemy's harbour neither speeds it up nor slows it down.
Can I send my occupying army to another battle?	Not from the army screen: the army holding a city is bound, does not show as idle and cannot join another battle. But the city you hold is a forward base; with Raid from a base in the target city's window you can send a force from the garrison to raid or to occupy. To free the army altogether, you end the occupation. Occupation
My city is occupied — have I lost it?	No. The city is yours: its buildings, its research and its name stay with you. You go on running it, producing, training soldiers and sending and receiving resources. While the occupation lasts you cannot raise an army from this city or use your surrendered troops, and the city's resource traffic is bounded by the civilian transport allowance.
Can I throw the occupier out by fighting?	Yes, in two ways. In an uprising you order your free troops in the city to rise; the order is on the Under occupation card in your city. In a relief you send an army from another of your cities; players in your alliance and players with a friendship agreement with you may send one too. Both battles are fought against the occupying force holding the city, and winning ends the occupation. Occupation
Why did my Gold melt away once my army set out?	A soldier away from home costs more. A force on campaign pays more upkeep than one at home, and a force occupying a city pays the most of all. Army Upkeep
The battle is over — why is upkeep still high?	The army is still on the road. Upkeep drops back to normal when the army gets home, not when the battle ends. Ending an occupation brings it down a step too, but the army pays the campaign rate until it is home.
If I cannot pay upkeep, do I lose my soldiers?	Some of them, but nobody dies. Once your Gold runs out, a small share of your soldiers at home leave the ranks at fixed intervals and become ordinary citizens: they stay in the city and pay tax. Soldiers holding an occupied city desert the same way; an army on the road and soldiers in a battle do not. Once your books balance, the desertion stops.

The figures come from the game's own content. Balance updates can move some numbers; the rules themselves are as written here.